Celticunderground:the Celtic Football Fan Podcast

Celtic have now scored 10 goals in just two games after struggling in the early part of the campaign and also at the end of last season. Noticeable by its absence in those two games has been the passing for passing’s sake along the back line and the obvious desire of the players to try and find the forward pass. This more front foot thinking was typified in the first goal when Lustig harried by a Hibs player on the touchline, turned and then turned back to play the ball forward to Forrest. Last month and for the preceding 10 months that would have gone backwards to a centre half.   Hibs looked like scoring twice and scored twice. Celtic looked like scoring 8 times and did so 4. Like most Hibs games from my memories, this was an excellent domestic game of football because Hibs came to win the game which then creates the space for us. It was a really enjoyable game. Here’s to many more like that this season as we march towards title no8.   After the game we had Brendan, Lenny, Eddy and a Hobs player (whose name

This week it is once again St aNthony at the helm and in discussion with a guest.  Following on from the succesful debut of St Anthony jnr on the podcast, Saint decides to go through the generations of Celtic fans to a slightly older contributor.   St Anthony this week is joined by Matt McGlone.  The pair discuss all current Celtic gossip as well as reviewing the two games since the last podcast.  Saint & Matt discuss the 6-0 thumping of St Johnstone and the 3-1 humbling away at Salzburg.  The bhoys also discuss the Brendan to Villa rumour that was going around as well as Brendan’s comments about squad size.   Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

This week we have a very special new guest.  I’m not going to ruin the surprise in the pre-amble but a clue is that it’s two for the price of one.   Anyway, we have been a bit sparse with the podcasts this season, due in part to having a very busy real life and also because it’s much more fun doing podcasts when the football is fun and it’s fair to say fun has been in short supply since mid summer.  We won against St Johnstone and we won against Aberdeen so hopefully, domestically at least, we’re on an upwards trend.   Anyway I keep promising and it will come - the CU Top Ten podcast will hit iTunes before the end of the season…I promise.     Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

This week we once again won a Glasgow Derby playing the opposition off the park…it never gets boring, so on the podcast we have the postgame chat from Brendan, Broony, Gerrard and a Rangers player, we also have music from Daniel Boone and Public Enemy - Don’t Believe The Hype AND we have the opinion on Saturday’s game from Celtic legend Stiliyan Petrov.   In addition to the game on Sunday past, Stan also talks about the game this Saturday between his side and a James Milner 11.    A Match for Cancer' will take place at Celtic Park on Saturday, September 8 with a 2pm kick-off, and it promises to be a special day in Paradise. Every penny raised will be devoted to tackling cancer through three equal beneficiary charities - Celtic FC Foundation, the Stiliyan Petrov Foundation and the James Milner Foundation.   Tickets are priced at £14 for adults and £6 for children and can be purchased online and from the ticket office.   http://www.celticfc.net/news/14810 This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this

Celtic thumped Rangers today with a performance that was every bit as convincing as the 5-0 victory last season.  The game was everything that could be expected for those who’ve watched brief bits of Rangers games this season; they concede pocession and look to score on the counter or from hoof’s up the park by McGregor.  They conceded pocession in spades today and the first time they constructed an attack in the game resulted in our goal as they became streteched and their lack of pace at the back was cruelly exposed.   After the game, Brendan spoke with the press and also gave his final word on the Dembele debacle.   Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

The new season is upon us and the 13th season of the Celtic Underground podcast is also here.    We’ve had a summer break and the CU Top Ten podcast will be up soon along with a review of the omnishables transfer window, meantime we need to get going and thump The Huns so we have St Anthony and Average Joe Miller review the life and times of Not The View and also discuss the first game against them of the new season.   Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

This week saw the return of domestic competitive football and Celtic hosted Livingston on Flag Day.  We saw the return of the usual stuff - sympathetic refereeinginside the first 5 mins when Celtic were denied a stonewall penalty, an opposition side sitting in stretching 6 - 7 men across the edge of the 18 yard box and Leigh Griffiths trying just too hard when he came on as a sub…oh and there was the switch off by Jozo to allow the opposition to score.   After the game we heard from Brendan, Kenny Miller and then Tom Rogic.   Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

The season is over but the talking never stops and of course how can we not stop talking about a double treble season?  In order to fill the void of the summer we have the special guests, season reviews and player ratings to go through and so first up is the Celtic Underground End of Season Review and with such a season we need all hands on deck to discuss it and so joining Harry are Mark Cooper, Stephen Wray, St Anthony and Antony Murray.   The bhoys chat starts with the transfer window and we have review of who we signed and whether it was good bad or indifferent.  From there we move to the European campaign, reliving both the highs and the lows and the bhoys agree that the positives outstrip the negatives and that sometimes we have to be realistic about our position in modern football and from there we review the domestic season.   We round off with your questions and then a chat about what unique thing we’ll achieve next season.   After this podcast we will have the Celtic Underground Top Ten and voting h

This week we are joined by the Celtic CEO.  Yes big Pedro himself sat down on the joint CU & ByTheMin Couch to discuss all things Celtic.  The chat is wide ranging and we could have covered one hundred and one subjects, but you know that you’ve got 30 minutes with Peter so you have to be selective so Paul & I from ByTheMinCeltic decided we should focus on the future and specifically those matters that impact most on our quality of football enjoyment.   The chat was originally organised for February but circumstances got in the way so it was opportune that the reorganised date was after we had created history with our Back to Back treble.   We enjoyed the chat, we hope you do.   Enjoy…   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

This week we have a podcast guest returning after 6 years!  You will recall the days of Eddie Pearosn presenting when I was just a regular guest along with many others including one Antony Murray.   The problem was when Eddie wandered off to his cave after taking his vows of abstenance and austerity, he took his roladex with him and the contact details of many guests were lost forever…or so I thought.   Stumbling around Europe I recently unearthed Antony begging on the streets of Bratislava and (for a not so small sum) agreed to reappear on the podcast.   Antony last appeared just around the time that the old Rangers died and so we start with a bit of memory lane stuff and that leads us on to a brief review of the bonkers world of Them before getting back onto the meat and bones of the hoops.   In addition to our chat, we also have Brendan, Jack Hendry and Stephen O’Donnel from post the Killie game.  I would also have had Stevie Clarke but for some reason the audio was rubbish.   Enjoy… This is a public episo

This week we celebrate the 7 in a row champions - we didn’t just win it, we won it in style!   Celtic today were absolutely bloody brilliant.  From the very first minute we were up for the challenge, forcing 3 corners inside the first 5 minutes or so and anyone at the game (whatever team they support) would have known at that point that we were going home as Champions however few could have expected the utter destruction we wrought on our opponents.  We destroyed them and were it not for their keeper (and us naturally taking our foot off the gas later in the game) it would have been 7 or 8.   There are so many things that can be discussed about this match in the context of the season and there are loads of things that could be said out the self denial of our opponents but the former is for another day and the latter is of no concern to us.   We were brilliant today and the team gave the fans a title party to remember.  Harry chats this over with Stephen Wray (@CelticRockRoars) and we also hear from Brown, Edo

This week I am joined by Stephen Wray to discuss the Hibs game and preview the game against New Rangers.  The diea behind the podcast was to keep it to just those two gmes but with the end approaching and the type of season we’ve had it’s difficult to not meander into a discussion about some of the performances this term and what players will have a “could do better” on their report card.   Despite this discussion on the frustrations of the season we do ove on to preview the game at the weekend and to give out the very latest gossip on McGinn, Gerrard, Clarke, McInnes and anything else we can think of.   We end on our upbeat predictions of scoring 3 or more in a trumphant perfomance that brings home the titel again for Scotland’s most decorated living club.   Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

This week is a little self-indulgent. It is 15 minutes short of two hours long because we just wanted to revel in the glory of Sunday. Sunday wasn’t just about the score; it was about the manner of our victory. An imperious performance of a team at the top of their game who knew that we were vastly superior to our rivals.   Following last week’s rather somber and critical podcast we had to get Mark Cooper back on to expound on his love of Tom Rogic and we got Hullbhoy also on to assist Mark and I with our Callum McGregor and Olivier Ntcham love-in. In addition we also take a sneaky peak into the other to marvel out how utter crap they are. To quote Hullbhoy, they are just rotten!   This podcast talks through Sunday, wonders at their ineptitude and looks forward to the Hibs game and hopefully becoming champions.   Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

This week regulars Harry & Mark Cooper are joined by a man who is no stranger to the Celtic podcast world but is a debutant on The Celtic Underground podcast, Mr Stephen Wray.   We went into the podcast to discuss the lesser quality performances of the team this season and admitted that, considering we are just 3 wins from completing a double treble that it may seem a little negative however hopefully it’s just honest analysis.   Following on from this we have a brief chat about the SPFL fixture farce and a quick preview of the game against Them.   Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

Today Celtic came up against Ross County and in front of a sold out Celtic Park (bar some empty seats of non attending season book holders) they ran out comfortable 3-0 victors.   It was not Ross County’s day.  They gave away a silly penalty, their captain jumped on Scott Browns balls and gpt sent off and their keepr had a back spasm which resulted in him having to leave the park.   From a Celtic perspective the main players are coming back.  Armstrong had a great game and was deserved man of the match, Bain was solid on the few occassions he was called upon and Dedryck Boyatta was subbed at Half Time when not injured.   It was all good fun and here is the post match chat.   Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

This week Saint Anthony is joined by a very special guest - Rosemary Burns.  Rosemary discusses her work with the Tommy Burns Skin Cancer Trust and of course life and football with Tommy.  The Tommy Burns Skin Cancer Trust was founded in 2009 by the Burns family after the Celtic legend lost his battle with skin cancer on 15th May 2008.   This year will be the 10th anniversary of Tommy’s passing and the Celtic Graves Society will also be marking his passing with a ceremony to celebrate his life and all supporters are invited along to Linn Cemetery on Saturday 12th May.  That will be trophy weekend so the details will be released in due course.   Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

This week I am joined by two of the best football coaches working in Scottish football today - Mr Stevie Woods and Mr John Kennedy.   The two gents were generous enough to set aside an hour of their time at Lennoxtown to discuss all things football.  They start with a review of their careers, their earliest memories of Celtic and what it felt like to make their pro debuts.  We then move on to their current roles as coaches.  John dispells the myth that he is just a defensive coach (the team defends and attacks as one unit so apparently there’s no such thing) and Stevie provides an insight into what value a goalkeeping coach adds.   The podcast could have lasted another hour so if I didn’t ask your burning question apologies but time ran out.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, so did they and i hope you will too.   Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

Sunday sees another Glasgow Derby game and this one is againts the newets Glasgow team in top flight football, the one who have never beaten us over 90 minutes.   Their recent status might explain why, despite having a large support, they cheer getting the cup draw against the giants of Scottish football.   Brendan also has quite a good record against this team with 8 games played, 6 victories and two draws.  I ronically the two draws have come at home however he was twice managed to have a team score 5 goals in a game aganist Them.   We were hoping for a longer podcast this week however work, life and cancellations curtailed the planned podcast.  That was followed by the hope of a 20 minute chat with St Anthony but as you will hear, we were at the Glasgow Harp 30th Anniversary dinner and stepped outside for a chat, then two drunk people decided to stand 10 feet apart and have a shouted coversation.  Then we went outside and it was f’n freezing.  It basically turned into - what would you’re team be and what w

Celtic defeated Morton 3-0 on Saturday to progress to the Semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.  Apart from a sprightly first 15 minutes the game was all Celtic however the first half may have had dominance, but it was pretty dull and passive football.  I’m not sure it comes across in the audio but it was clear in the press conference that Brendan was very unhappy with the first half performance and I understand he made that pretty clear in the dressing room at half-time.   He made changes to the side and once again, with Edouard playing just off Dembele, the team suddenly looked a lot more threatening.    Following the tie Compper, Brendan and Jim Duffy were the people at the post game press conference (Marvin being honest enough to admit he was rusty for the first part of the game).  As this is uploaded we know that we will once again take on Scottish football’s newest top flight club.  Hopefully Brendan will continue his semi-final record against that club.     Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to

Following the postponement of the Dundee game midweek and the freezing temperatures across the central belt, there had been an expectation among many that the Morton cup game this Saturday would be off.  But it isn’t so we needed a podcast.   There has been quite a bit of debate online about whether the game should proceed and I was in that camp however the roads and pavements around Celtic Park have been much worse this season for other games and the police, SFA and Celtic have agreed the game should be played so here we are.  We have my wee ramble followed by chat from Brendan and Kristopher Ajer       Enjoy… This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe