Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Estadio Sticklebrick v Celtic

SANDMAN’S DEFINITIVE RATINGS: CELTIC @ ESTADIO STICKLEBRICK…

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” – Mike Tyson

VINDALOO – 6/10 – Easy, isn’t it Vinny? Bang! Bang! Take me back to the safe space of the subs bench…So as Kasper cackled from the comfort of his couch with a big bowl of Nutella, young Vindaloo was caught like a kid in
Pennywise’s deadlights. Thankfully he recovered his composure, mostly, after a couple of flappy moments and sheer luck, to define his afternoon with a splendid save late on.

TONY THE TIGER – 6.5/10 – There are roasters in our support who just don’t understand the importance of The Brickie. Days like today are a fine learning mechanism for these phish-addled gum-bumpers – days requiring little finesse and a heavy load of grind. Tony provided a lesson for all in coping with skite-ing footballs and rampaging jobbers in order to fortify our resistance as they gave it a real go.

CRUSTY THE CLOWN – 6.5/10 – And breathe… Occupied as much as a Dublin post office at Easter, the big mhan had a torrid day’s work. But as with nearly every performance since a return that was almost more of a surprise
than Lord Lucan rocking up in the Sarrie Heid, he stayed focussed and on-point to cope with a lot of troubling pressure.

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KATIE – 7.5/10 MOTM – The controversial KT came through like a champ in that second 45; battered, harassed, rumbled – he battled and subdued the dangerous big beast breathing down his neck and clawing him out of the air. This stoical, understated professionalism is why he remains a prize asset, a perfect fit for a new system that requires versatile Centre Back/Full-Back and gritty influence to carry his mentally-fragile side through testing 90 minutes like these.

CALMAC – 5.5/10 – Who ate too much Xmas pud? There’s always one and, surprisingly, today it appeared to be Calmac. Did well to wrestle us back into the lead after that opening madness, but when you expected him to take control and close the game down after half-time, his slackness and impotence was concerning as we were far too open through the middle.

NEGAN – 7/10 – Well, just when you thought he might’ve been scrubbed from the team-sheet, back he comes with a couple of performances you can’t ignore. And that knack of scoring vital goals may yet keep him in a hooped jersey, particularly when it looks like he’s channelling the Ghost Of Rogic Past, pinging in the third. Faded sharply into the second period but his contribution was match-winning.

THE TERMINATOR – 6/10 – Well, Arne can tackle – rousing cheer for him scudding one of them for cheek with a well-executed slider. And though he sat deep today he still maintains a useful sharpness of wit, and has the balls to take the pens with Elvis ’68 Comeback Special coolness So… Keep going.

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HIGHLAND TOFFEE – 6.5/10 – Luke at Luke – keeping himself relevant by delivering a display of consistent quality on a tricky surface. But one made for his guileful feet and precision of pass. Probably our best performer of the day when only considering time on, and use of, the ball.

LORD KATSUMOTO – 5/10 – Daizen seemed agitated – probably by the surface and the way it neutralised his most potent weapon by taking a slidey edge off his pace. Meant they got the extra nano-second on the ball before he arrived, and left him sucking in oxygen with aching joints.

YING – 5/10 – Admirable work-rate as he racks up minutes for his Birmingham work visa, as required by all Islamic caliphates. But didn’t give himself the chance to gild his effort with creativity as his choices backfired and came to nothing or lost possession.

KENNY JOHNNY – 4.5/10 – Remember getting ‘Battletops’ for Xmas as a kid which involved wee spinning tops battering off each other in an arena; busy, yet nothing stuck as they pinged about and popped off. Exactly how
Johnny played for 82 minutes.

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SUBS –

SAINT BERNARDO – N/A – There’s Paulo on to shore it up. About time.

HAKUNA HATATE – N/A – Reo getting 20 minutes to shake off the week-long hangover. Looked lively, swore off the Xmas Saki.

MELLOW YELLOW – N/A – Son Of Tony executes a perfect segue with departed Yang to play ahead of his Da’ and cause more threat than his predecessor.

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LIONEL RICHIE – 7/10 – Well, here we went again ; the uncompromising French system up against the uncut opiate stimulants. And for the first few eye-watering minutes it looked like we’d all need some good gear to get through the rest. But the smooth-voiced songster’s tactics eventually won the slugfest by dint of just landing a few more hits even though we escaped a number of later counters that would have rocked us like an Ali upper-cup if any landed.

But allowances must be made for the treacherous surface; a possible graveyard for idealist managers. Though I’d have liked to see us mix it up more in the later stages than constantly playing short out from the back and inducing cardiac arrest. But kudos and credit for taking a couple of punches straight to the face and having the fortitude to maintain belief in his system and get back in there and win the points.

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MIBBERY – 5/10 – Ooh, tough one. Stupid penalty award in the mould of the one against Liam in Garyville. Harsh but correct according to their luck-witted new ruling. But sneaky VAR overlook of a blatant kick-trip on Daizen when he’d a have been clean through late in the game; a stonewall red. No doubt they’d have contested “The Bhoy didn’t have the pace to latch onto that…”

Aye, right ye are…

OVERALL – 7.5/10 – Well, who got a ping-pong table or NBA basketball for their Playstation under the tree? Most of the players on the park by the looks of the first ten minutes. Narco Davey sent his rampaging sicarios out of the blocks like they’d seen pleny of ‘snow’ at Christmas; positively mad wi’ it and rattling about like they had pumping-techno brain implants beating out a rhythm. So we should be relieved and pleased that the Hoops overcame their hosts’ enthusiastic welcome and ultimately triumphed on a pitch containing nearly as much plastic as Simon Cowell’s new face. This was a win of character over quality, facing the nightmare of having to go toe-to-toe in a slugfest rather than take steady control and dictate. So maybe even more of a pleasing outcome
than first thought.

Therefore, with a sigh of relief and a red-vino (Argentinian Malbec, you peasants…) sip of satisfaction before Holy Guinness Saturday takes proper hold… This was ultimately a proper test the Bhoys needed to spike them into top-level application, and will benefit well from as we face a real problematic trip to the misbegotten realms of Lanarkshire before relaxing into the new year with the visit of a yappy wee pretendy noob club on Saturday.

Dedicated to John Robertson

Idol, rogue, hero, Scot and Celt. Some player, some character.

RIP Robbo.

Go Away Now

Sandman

Livingston 2-4 Celtic – “It was a chaotic game,” Wilfried Nancy

Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy spoke to the media this afternoon after his side’s 4-2 win over Livingston that narrowed the gap at the top of the table to just three points with a game in hand.  Here’s everything that the Nancy said to the mainstream media…

Q: What are your thoughts on the game?

Wilfried Nancy: “Good, a good game. A difficult game to play, regarding the context, regarding the pitch, regarding the opposition. I really like the competitive spirit that we had. We came back twice from behind. After that, we were able to score four goals. We could have scored more goals, obviously. But I really like what we did in the first half. Second half, I liked it also. But in different ways because defensively, we were strong. We didn’t concede but offensively, I think that we could have done better with the ball. To be able to establish in their half and to recognise to attack. Sometimes I think that we rushed. What happened, it was a chaotic game. They had the ball, they played the long ball. It was not easy to escape, also, the man-to-man. But I’m pleased with the competitive spirit that we had. And also the game that we had.”

Q: How important is it that you take that chaos out of these games?

Wilfried Nancy: “Yes, it’s been only two weeks that we are together. But I think that step by step, they understand what I want and they do it on the pitch and they enjoy it. So now this is more about, like I said before. Do we play fast to attack the box? Or do we keep the ball to be able to rest with the ball? This is all the kind of nuance that I think we could be better. How can we get closer together? How we can play the diagonal pass when this is the moment? How we can get more relation between the players? I think that this is something that we did well at certain moments. But I think that this is something that we can do better for the future.”

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Q: When you go one goal down and 2-1 down, when it’s so early, do you still have confidence in the players to turn it around?

Wilfried Nancy: “Yes, that’s why they did it. Again, this is the game. This is football. Sometimes they are really ready for this game. And it happens that we conceded a goal like this. I think that the two goals that we conceded could have done better. But after the two goals that we conceded, we were better defensively at stopping the cross and also to defend the back post on the cross. So that’s why I like the reaction. Because this is not easy to come back from behind, playing away in the context like this.”

Q: And in the attacking sense, are you starting to get more of what you like?

Wilfried Nancy: “Yes, step by step. Since day one. I think that when we played Hearts, we had a really good actions. We didn’t score, but we had really good actions. But step by step, I can see what I want to see with my players in terms of the way to attack, how to attack and when to attack. And the spirit defensively, tactically. Sometimes it’s not about tactics, it’s about fight. This is something that I like to see.”

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Q: With his two goals today, Benjamin Nygren is now the club’s top scorer this season. How impressed have you been with him since you arrived?

Wilfried Nancy: “When I was in Columbus, I wanted to have him. So I know him really well. I know what he can do. I think that he has a big potential. He hasn’t reached yet his potential. But I think that in terms of relation, connection with players. This is a player of relation. So he likes to… This is not a dribbler. His ability is to make the run for his teammates but also the technique that he has. So now he knows that he has to be stronger. He has to believe a little bit more in himself. But I like what I’ve seen so far. But I will challenge him.

Q: Did you try to sign him when you were at Columbus?

“Yeah.”

Q: Wilfried, that was an unchanged 11 from the Aberdeen team except the goalkeeper situation. Do you think you’ve found your preferred starting 11 now?

Wilfried Nancy: “No, because every game is different. And the way I am as a coach is… Again, it’s too early to talk like this. My sub players are not subs, they are solutions. So the idea is also to see, depending on the team that we’re going to face, depending on how the game was difficult or not. So after that, step by step, I know a little bit more of the players. So I am able to connect and to put more relation between players. But we’ll see for the next game.”

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Q: How is Kasper Schmeichel?

Wilfried Nancy: “Kasper is going to be good for next week.

Q: Did you speak to the players about the gap at the top? It’s now three points. You’re obviously having a game on Tuesday.

Wilfried Nancy: “I don’t talk about this with my players. My job is to analyse and to see what we need to improve. What we need to do well. And the players, among themselves, they talk about it. So I don’t have to add something.”

Q: Do you feel you need a striker, Wilfried, in January?

Wilfried Nancy:  “You are a striker?”

Q: I’ll play if you want!

Wilfried Nancy: “Listen, like I said, you’re going to ask me this question again in the future. I will answer the same. When we have a window, the window is an opportunity for each team to improve the team. So we’ll see what we’re going to do, if we’re going to take players, what type of player we’re going to take and so on. But step by step, you’re going to get the answer.”

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🍀 “Tough game”

Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy previews the trip to Livingston and explains why Kasper Schmeichel misses out ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/IrSN63AjBd

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 27, 2025

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🍀 Best Celtic goal so far
🗣️ “We’ve just got to focus on ourselves”

Callum McGregor and Benjamin Nygren react to the victory in West Lothian and cutting the gap at the top ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/gj1MVuICa7

— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 27, 2025

Celtic in the Thirties – Both Volumes Half in the Celtic Star Books Boxing Day Sale…

Both volumes of Celtic in the Thirties are now available on Amazon Kindle, with the links to order below. Signed copies of both volumes are available on hardback from Celtic Star Books and if you would like author Matt Corr to add a special dedication to your copies please let us know. Order hardback copies HERE or for Amazon Kindle click on the links below…

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