Celtic

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Liam Scales says winning the league is "not enough" as the Celtic defender eyes Scottish Cup glory later this month.

The newly-crowned Premiership champions will take on Rangers in the showpiece at Hampden next Saturday.

After securing their third straight title win with a 5-0 battering of Kilmarnock on Wednesday, Scales insists there's hunger for more in the Celtic camp.

“We know at this club that it is not enough, you need to win every trophy available,” the defender said.

“That is the expectation and that is the mentality we have. That is the way it is and I have learnt that this season playing.

“I obviously saw it in the previous years, but being part of it now you feel it a bit more.

“It’s a given, it’s just the way we all think, it’s the mentality that we have.”

Having been on the fringes of the Celtic team before becoming one of their most relied upon players this term, Scales admits there's an added sense of satisfaction to the title win.

“I’ve won things back home in Ireland but this feels completely different because of the situation I was in and the turnaround I have had this year,” the 25-year-old said.

“Look, it is just amazing. It’s pure joy. It’s just the hard work over the season – you just feel that is it, it is worth it. It’s just an amazing feeling.”

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• Celtic have won seven of their last eight meetings with St Mirren in all competitions (D1) since a 2-0 defeat in September 2022. Indeed, the Hoops have already beaten the Buddies four times this season; only in 1990-91 (5) have they ever won more against them in a single campaign.

• St Mirren have won just one of their last 35 visits to Celtic in all competitions (D3 L31), a 2-1 victory in January 2021 under Jim Goodwin.

• Celtic have only lost their final league game (incl. curtailed 2019-20 season) in one of their last 16 seasons (W13 D2), going down 1-0 to Aberdeen in 2017-18. They have also won in each of the last four occasions that their last league match of a campaign was against St Mirren.

• St Mirren are winless and goalless in the final match of their last three league seasons (D2 L1), losing their final game 3-0 to Rangers last term.

• Celtic have been crowned 2023-24 Scottish Premiership champions, meaning they have won the league title in 12 of the last 13 seasons – including all four in which Brendan Rodgers has been in charge (including 2018-19 when he left mid-season).

• Celtic’s Matt O’Riley has been directly involved in 30 Scottish Premiership goals this season (17 goals, 13 assists), the most by a player in a single campaign since Leigh Griffiths in 2015-16 (36 – 31 goals, 5 assists).

It's party time at Parkhead on Saturday as Celtic lift the Premiership trophy for the third season in a row.

They also have to wrap up a triumphant league season by facing St Mirren.

And after wild celebrations in the wake of the title-clinching win at Kilmarnock in midweek, should Brendan Rodgers ring the changes?

Make yourself the manager and choose your Celtic XI here.

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Brendan Rodgers has never been shy of a headline-grabbing quote.

On his very first day back in Glasgow for his second spell in charge of Celtic, eyebrows were raised as he boldly declared he would remain at the club for the duration of his three-year contract "unless I get emptied before that".

A solid start for the press pack to get their teeth stuck into. And it didn't stop there.

Their title triumph has been far from a canter at times, something the Northern Irishman has admitted on several occasions.

After a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie in Ferburary, Rodgers called for calm amid the "crisis mode" he deemed to be unfolding within the Celtic support.

The manager was defiant after claiming there was a "story being written" about his group of players, going on to stay they will "write their own story".

His side have now done that, but it didn't come without bumps in the road.

The 51-year-old issued an "apology to the support" after losing at home to Hearts and said he'd "never been so angry in his career" when Celtic trailed St Johnstone at the break in December.

Before last weekend's Old Firm derby, things became a bit spiky between the two managers after Rodgers said Celtic would "have a bit of fun" against their rivals.

Philippe Clement interpreted the statement as disrespectful, which his counterpart insisted was a viewpoint "totally without merit".

And even after that pivotal derby win, Rodgers revisited comments made earlier in the season by former Celtic striker Chris Sutton, who suggested the manager was "going through the motions".

Hitting back, the Celtic boss said in his return to Scotland he's been treated like a "novice".

He's been confident right from the start in his own abilities. Addressing his doubters outside of the ground all the way back in June, he said "see you here in May".

That statement could have backfired spectacularly, but it has now come to fruition. Rodgers will once again wave to the masses with the league title in the other hand.

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Callum McGregor says it was a "massive goal" of his to win the league title for Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.

The captain admits to lengthy conversations with the Northern Irishman when his move back to Glasgow was in the works, with Rodgers recently saying McGregor was a big factor in his return.

Despite some tough spells in the season, the Scotland midfielder says the style with which they clinched the title will have comforted his manager.

“I’m delighted for him," McGregor said.

"We spoke at length when he was coming back. You could tell instantly that this club means everything to him.

“Once he was appointed, it’s been a massive goal of mine to make sure we win the league for him.

“I’ve known him from his time here previously and we had a brilliant time together.

“When you come back, everybody expects to hit the ground running. But it never quite went like that. That’s when you see big characters come to the fore.

“He’s been unbelievable in terms of the direction he’s moved this group in.

“To come through the difficult spell we had, and to then be playing the football we did to win the league in big style at Kilmarnock, I know that gives him amazing comfort in terms of what we’re trying to build here.”

Callum McGregor believe Celtic team-mate James Forrest could be the solution to Scotland's right-back quandary. (Record), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip

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Alistair Johnston says Celtic benefit from having "serial winners from top to bottom".

After falling behind to rivals Rangers in mid-February, Brendan Rodgers’ side won the Premiership title with a game to spare following a 5-0 win at Kilmarnock on Wednesday.

Canada right-back Johnston says the cool heads from Celtic’s leaders were key to getting the team over the line.

"It starts with the gaffer and goes through our leadership in Cal [McGregor], Joe [Hart] and James [Forrest],” Johnston told Celtic TV.

"Even when it feels like maybe you're not going at 100 per cent, when you just see the calm, the poise, no matter how difficult it looks, that's when you know if you stick to it, stick to the process, focus on it day by day, you'll get there.

"Because if they were worried then I'd be worried - but they never were. They were always just 'keep a level head, play our football, we have the players and the quality to get over the line'.

"I think you saw over these past couple of months, when it got to the business end of the season we took it to another gear."

Sportscene pundits Charlie Mulgrew and Neil McCann heap praise on manager Brendan Rodgers, who has guided Celtic to a third straight top-flight title.

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Retiring Joe Hart says Celtic - and a third Premiership title - "means everything" to him.

The former Manchester City and England goalkeeper, 37, announced his retirement in February and was determined to finish a successful career on a positive note.

In three years in Scotland, Hart has claimed six out of a possible eight domestic honours - and he could make that seven from nine in this month’s Scottish Cup final.

"This is everything," he told Celtic TV. "What a season, what a tough season. Stuck together, decided I was going to call it a day, didn't know if people would understand what I was trying to say when I was saying it.

"But it means absolutely everything to be stood here with these guys. I love being at this club, I have loved every minute of it, and we are here to win trophies."

Asked to articulate his feelings for the Celtic support, Hart added: "I can't and I won't. I can't talk about how much this means to me and my family, this place. It means everything.

"It's touched me so deep down in my heart. I will hopefully be comfortable talking about it soon but I don't want to be blubbering on a football pitch."

Celtic have "come alive" in the run-in - as predicted by manager Brendan Rodgers - to retain the Premiership title amid a Rangers capitulation, says Michael Grant, Scottish football correspondent with The Times.

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It might have taken a year, but there can be no doubt now that Brendan Rodgers has won over a Celtic support that was polarised on his return last year.

Rodgers was reappointed under a cloud of controversy after leaving mid-season for Leicester City at the end of his first spell in 2019.

But in the post-match celebrations following Wednesday's title-clinching win at Kilmarnock, the away end could be heard in full voice serenading their manager.

Asked about that moment, Rodgers said "it felt really good" to hear it before joking that he "thought they had forgotten my name".

"There was so much stuff in the first six months, it felt a little bit awkward, I have got to be honest," the Celtic boss added.

"And it was awkward for everyone, I think it was a bit surreal. And there was a lot of challenges from a management perspective, a lot of tedious stuff that took place.

"I have never had that before in my career. The challenge was making sure the inner voice of the team was right, no matter all the negativity that has followed the team all the way through.

"The spirit has been key - no winning team doesn't have that."

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Celtic should be looking for more than £20m for Matt O'Riley if they opt to sell their player of the season this summer, says Alan Stubbs.

O'Riley has scored 18 goals in all competitions for Brendan Rodgers' Premiership winners this term, two of which came in Wednesday's title-clinching victory at Kilmarnock.

The 23-year-old, who was signed from MK Dons for a reported fee of just £1.5m in January 2022, has also provided 18 assists in a sublime campaign.

Rodgers confirmed the club rejected a bid from Atletico Madrid for O'Riley in January, and ex-Celtic centre-back Stubbs thinks the Denmark international "will have a lot of suitors" again this summer.

"I think from Rodgers' point of view, he'll want to keep him because he's been noithing short of sensational," Stubbs said on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland.

"He's so, so intelligent, he's easy on the eye, he's got a really good first touch and he's got a goal.

"The concern now will be if Celtic can keep hold of him. If they sell him, I think he'll be going for more than £15m-£20m. I really do think he'll have a lot of suitors."

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In a tightly-contested title race, every point matters.

As Celtic fans celebrate yet another Premiership triumph, fans can reflect on the highs and lows along the way that ensured the trophy will stay dressed in green and white ribbons.

A huge factor in their title retention has been their performances in Old Firm derbies. As is stands, only Dundee have surrendered more points to the champions than Rangers this season.

Three wins and a draw against the Ibrox side make for impressive reading, especially considering it so nearly could have been a clean sweep had Rabbi Matondo not equalised late on in that wild classic last month.

While Rangers will rue their goalless draw at Dens Park that put the race back in Celtic's hands, Brendan Rodgers' men have made light work of Dundee.

Twelve points out of a possible 12 make up the biggest proportion of their 90 league-winning tally, as it stands.

Livingston and Ross County also failed to register a single point against Celtic this term, while St Mirren could join that club on the final day.

Celtic also went undefeated against Motherwell, St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Hibs - Adam Idah's late penalty at Easter Road looks pretty important now - with seven points in three games against each.

Hearts and Kilmarnock were the two teams to cause Celtic the biggest problems this term.

Defeat home and away to the Tynecastle side heaped the pressure on Rodgers at different points in the season, leaving them with six points out of a possible 12 against the Premiership's best of the rest.

And it was fitting that the title was won at Kilmarnock after picking up just four points in three previous meetings this term. Rugby Park revenge was sweet as Celtic swept to a 5-0 win to spark joyous scenes from the away fans giddy on the elation of three in a row.

Read more on the numbers behind Celtic's title win

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Scottish Premiership title-winning manager Brendan Rodgers says questions about Celtic's playing style was the first time he had experienced such doubts. (Herald - subscription), external

Celtic could be in the same pot four as Aston Villa for next season's Champions League draw but if the Scottish champions make it into pot three, they could yet be drawn to face Unai Emery's side. (Sun), external

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes revealed referee Don Robertson apologised for letting Celtic's opener stand in the Rugby Park side's 5-0 loss on Wednesday that clinched the title for the visitors. (Record), external

Thousands of supporters gathered at Celtic Park to celebrate the club's Scottish Premiership title triumph following the 5-0 defeat of Kilmarnock. (Sun), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

A triumphant Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers reflects on another title-winning season.

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Making an impact in Europe is the "next step" for Celtic under Brendan Rodgers, says former Scotland international Michael Stewart.

A 5-0 thumping of Kilmarnock on Wednesday night confirmed the Parkhead side's status as champions - marking a 12th league title in 13 years.

But with Celtic's struggles in Europe long-lasting, Stewart believes Rodgers will be eyeing a better return in the updated Champions League next term.

"Brendan Rodgers is a top class, elite manager," he said on Sportsound.

"He's done it everywhere he's been. People forget how close he was to winning the league with Liverpool, if not for a Steven Gerrard slip.

"He came to Celtic and took them to a different level. He went to Leicester and win the FA Cup there.

"The one thing that will irk him is that he hasn't been able to have a real impact in Europe with Celtic. That's the next step."

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Brendan Rodgers has overcome the "negativity" that surrounded his return to Celtic by winning the Scottish Premiership title, says Pat Bonner.

The former Celtic goalkeeper believes fans unsure about the Northern Irishman's appointment in June will have been appeased as they watched their side celebrate another trophy after a 5-0 win at Rugby Park.

"There was hurt when Rodgers returned," Bonner said on Sportsound.

"This team was going places and then suddenly he left mid-season. If he left at the end, the way Ange Postecolgou did, it wouldn't have had such an impact.

"I know why he left. He went down to a big team in England, those opportunities don't come too often.

"Some fans found it difficult to accept. The more they see the way they played tonight, they'll hope he can build on this.

"Rodgers has got over the negativity."