Celtic

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Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon is hoping to bring "an exciting brand of football" after being appointed Dunfermline manager on an initial short-term deal until the end of the season.

Lennon - who won 10 major trophies across two spells as Celtic manager - has been out of work since being dismissed by Rapid Bucharest in August after only three months in charge of the Romanian top-flight club.

Having replaced Michael Tidser at East End Park, the 53-year-old is now tasked with keeping Dunfermline in the Scottish Championship. The Pars occupy the relegation play-off spot after one win in their past eight matches.

Read the full story

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We asked for your Celtic player of the year - and the biggest disappointment.

Here's what some of you said:

Benny: Daizen Maeda is the standout player of the season with no question. His goals and assists have been vital to the team, and his all-round play has been exceptional. Biggest disappointment so far has been Adam Idah. His body language gives the impression of disinterest and he has been too inconsistent all season.

Andy: Maeda definitely, Callum McGregor has been class as well. Idah and Arne Engels have been a letdown considering we paid £20m between them.

Stephen: Without a doubt, Maeda is the standout. Greg Taylor would probably be my disappointment as he seems to have spat the dummy. Not sure if his head is already elsewhere.

Billy: Standout player is Maeda, he never stops. Biggest disappointment is striker Idah, for £9.5m he's been so poor.

Jess: Maeda, no one comes near him.

Joe: Biggest letdown is Auston Trusty - 6ft 4in and ragdolled by 5ft 6in Shayden Morris. Best player is McGregor, sheer quality. Most improved is Maeda.

Tom: Difficult to look beyond Maeda as POTY, though several others have been consistently excellent, particularly Alistair Johnston (last Sunday apart). Biggest letdown? Not convinced by Trusty but has to be Idah. Has shown flashes, against Villa and on other occasions, but that just makes his failure to make a real impact more frustrating.

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator in Athens

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Anthony Ralston and Grant Hanley have thanked Scotland boss Steve Clarke for showing faith in them despite the pair's lack of game-time at club level.

Right-back Ralston has made just three appearances for Celtic in 2025, while centre-half Hanley has had one start for Birmingham City since joining the English third-tier club in January.

But both players were in Clarke's starting XI in Athens and impressed as the Scots dug out a gritty 1-0 win over Greece in the Nations League play-off first leg.

"When you're not playing at club level there's a chance you might not get selected [by Scotland] or won't start," 33-year-old Hanley told BBC Scotland.

"But I'm grateful to the manager showing that trust in me. I'm happy I could repay that with a clean sheet."

Ralston, 26, said: "I'm very appreciative of the gaffer showing the faith that he has given that my game-time at club level isn't where he would maybe want it to be.

"I obviously want to go out and put the performances in for him.

"It's keeping myself right in my personal life and on the training pitch so that when the opportunities come I can take them and do my job for the team."

Victory in Athens was the fifth game in succession that Hanley has partnered Rangers centre-back John Souttar in the heart of Scotland's defence.

"We enjoy it and feel the performances have been good," Hanley added.

"Second half we were under pressure a bit and defending the box a lot, but for defenders to come through it – making tackles and headers and defending our box – we take a lot of pride in it. It's one we can enjoy and take into the second leg on Sunday."

Read more: 'Scotland's great survivor Hanley basks in battle'

Canada right-back Alastair Johnston, whose new contract ties him to Celtic until 2029, says his family, with beloved black lab Salem, is very settled and he is "in no rush to take a Scottish dog out of Scotland" as that would "be its own challenge". (The Guardian), external

Guingamp midfielder Kalidou Sidibe says he is happy with the French second-tier club despite a report suggesting Celtic have tabled a £1.7m offer for the 26-year-old. (Ouest-France via Daily Record), external

Dunfermline Athletic want Neil Lennon to become their next head coach, with the former Celtic manager considering a bumper offer tabled by the Scottish Championship club. (Daily Mail), external

Talks are ongoing between Dunfermline Athletic and Neil Lennon, with an agreement thought to be within touching distance, the Scottish Championship club having made the former Celtic manager their top target after sacking Michael Tidser on Monday. (The Courier), external

Neil Lennon is the 2/1 favourites to be Dunfermline Athletic's new head coach ahead of Stuart Kettlewell, Callum Davidson, Robbie Neilson, Ian Murray, Kevin Thomson, David Martindale and Steven Naismith. (Dunfermline Press), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Celtic pair Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate are set for the 2026 World Cup after Japan became the first team to qualify.

Both players were unused substitutes in the 2-0 home over Bahrain that secured the Samurai Blue's place in Canada, Mexico and the United States with three games to spare.

Forward Maeda, 27, featured for Japan at the 2022 World Cup, where they reached the last 16 only to lose to Croatia on penalties.

With just eight Premiership games left, we're down to the business end of the season.

Player reputations have been enhanced - or sullied - with their performances throughout the campaign.

As thoughts begin to turn to end-of-term awards, we want to know your Celtic player of the season so far - and the biggest flop.

Share your views

United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino says it is difficult to explain Celtic centre-half Auston Trusty's withdrawal from the current camp because he is not a doctor. (The Herald), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

In a period of unparalleled domestic dominance, with the club eyeing a sixth treble in nine years, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers finally has something to think about in the Scottish Premiership.

Not the fact he's about to win it again, nor the margin of victory – still likely to be double figures and well before the last game of the season.

What's nagging away in the back of his mind is a question that could have repercussions for next season and beyond: Why have his side tailed off so dramatically in derby matches against Rangers?

Nine goals conceded in the past three fixtures; back-to-back defeats for the first time in over four years; first loss at Celtic Park since October 2020.

As recently as Christmas, Rodgers' record was a remarkable one in the fixture, having only lost once in 20 meetings. Now he's hoping to avoid three successive defeats when the pair reconvene after the league split.

He even apologised to supporters for the weekend display, challenging his players to be "much better" from here on in.

It speaks to how high the bar has been raised by the champions-elect. Seconds away from taking Bayern Munich to extra time in the Champions League knockout phase. Thirteen points clear at the top with just eight games to play. The League Cup already in the cabinet, where it may very well be joined by the Scottish Cup.

Yet still the manager wants his side to be much improved. Why? Because they've been outfought and, at times, outplayed in the past two derbies by a Rangers side that suddenly seems much more comfortable when they see Celtic.

The high-octane, high-press approach from the Ibrox team was noticeable in the League Cup final where the sides shared six goals before Celtic prevailed on penalties.

The warnings that Rangers were getting more competitive weren't reflected in the league table but the New Year derby was a stroll in the park for Philippe Clement before the Belgian lost his job due to woeful results against lesser sides.

For all that was made of Callum McGregor's absence in the weekend derby, he played the full 90 minutes at Ibrox in the previous one and Celtic still lost 3-0.

The pre-match gap at the top that day was 14 points. On Sunday before kick-off it was 16. Hardly high stakes for Celtic in terms of the title challenge. Unacceptable, nonetheless, to manager and supporters when it comes to performance levels and pride.

It all makes for a welcome reality check for Celtic. Competition is key to sharpness and improvement. That the champions-elect have twice lost to their bitter rivals will make Rodgers demand more of his players and very likely his board.

They backed him last summer and he'll want the same again, with the summer arrival of Kieran Tierney already guaranteed.

Rodgers will know the squad needs further reinforcement in defence, midfield and up front.

Celtic's season is highly likely to be another resounding success. Recent results against Rangers, however, will make sure there's a renewed focus for not just the run-in to another title but the crucial recruitment period that lies beyond.

Celtic have made an initial offer of £1.7m for midfielder Kalidou Sidibe, currently in the French second tier with Guingamp, but they face competition from Ipswich Town, PSV Eindhoven, Toulouse and Grasshoppers for the 26-year-old who is soon to be a Mali international (Africa Foot), external

Celtic are set to block any move for Cameron Carter-Vickers this summer as the 27-year-old centre-half remains a crucial part of manager Brendan Rodgers' plans for the future. (Football Insider), external

Mystery continues to surround Celtic midfielder Odin Thiago Holm, with the 22-year-old still unavailable for his debut selection on loan to Los Angeles despite recovering from injury. (The National), external

Rennes have targeted Udinese's Florian Thauvin and Union Saint-Gilloise's Franjo Ivanovic as possible summer replacements with Kyogo Furuhashi having failed to fit into new head coach Habib Beye's style of play after the Japan striker's January transfer from Celtic. (Jeunes Footeux), external

Celtic could make £6.7m this summer after transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano suggested their former right-back, Jeremie Frimpong, could leave Bayer Leverkusen in the summer with many clubs interested and having a £33.7m release clause. (Glasgow Times), external

The special powers that Police Scotland officers were handed in a bid to prevent crowd trouble breaking out at the Edinburgh derby match at the start of this month and the Old Firm game last weekend are set to remain in use for the foreseeable future. (The Herald), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Tino
Fan writer

Losing a game that still leaves you 13 points ahead at the top of the table shouldn't really matter.

Yet when it comes to this fixture, it absolutely does.

Which is why, despite being firmly on course for a record-breaking ninth domestic treble, many Celtic fans have been left frustrated and even angered by our result – and performance – in the weekend's derby.

Some will put it down to a sense of entitlement from a section of our supporters, but if it's wrong to expect your side to at the very least show the required levels of desire and determination to compete in such a fixture, at least during those first 45 minutes, then you'll have to include me in that camp.

To be fair to Brendan Rodgers and his players there was an almost immediate response after the break with Daizen Maeda (who else!) getting the goal that dragged us back into the contest.

So when Reo Hatate equalised with over 15 minutes still to play then there should only have been one winner.

Yet it wasn't to be, with uncharacteristic errors from Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston leading to a late Rangers winner - a result that's undoubtedly given the manager plenty to think about.

Rodgers himself has often said that if you're not going to win a game then the next best thing is not to lose it, but that sucker punch meant that for the first time in four years Celtic have now lost back to back to our city rivals.

It's not something we're used to and the team will be keen to put things right in the final derby of the season next month.

And despite the disappointments of Sunday I'd firmly back this group to do so.

Because although it's okay to be irked by any given game of football, there's also enough evidence available to us that there's the required character and personality in the Celtic dressing room to show exactly why we're champions by the time we visit Ibrox next month.

You don't win the number of trophies that Brendan Rodgers has by chance - 10 and counting at Celtic - and there'll be a burning desire to round that up to a dozen in the next couple of months.

It would be a fool that writes off this side that Celtic are building under Rodgers. And although Sunday's performance was one to forget, they've more than earned our backing for what this season has brought to far.

And the encouraging thing is there's still plenty more to come.

Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external

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Before Sunday, Maik Nawrocki had played 18 minutes of football for Celtic this season. All of that meagre game-time total came in cup ties against lower-league opposition.

So it was a surprise to see the Pole in the starting XI for the derby showdown with Rangers, even though his selection was more through necessity than design.

With Auston Trusty and Liam Scales out injured, the 24-year-old was thrown the heart of the defence alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers and was one of the few to emerge from the losing side with praise and pass marks.

As more prominent team-mates toiled, Nawrocki stood strong. His four interceptions were the most of any player on the pitch and he also led the way with five aerial duels won. He ranked second in the Celtic team for duels won (seven of 10), possession won (four), and gave away the ball the fewest times (four) of anyone in the hosts' starting X1.

At the other end, he will have been disappointed not to score with a free header from a first-half corner when his team trailed 2-0.

Manager Brendan Rodgers, who didn't hold back in criticism of his team, singled out Nawrocki as a rare "highlight".

"I thought he did really well, I said that to him afterwards in the changing room," Rodgers said after suffering his second consecutive defeat to the Ibrox club.

"There wasn't too many highlights for us, but certainly for him, for a guy that's not played virtually for a year, it shows you how well he's trained and how professional he's been.

"I thought he did really, really well to last the game."

Has Nawrocki been harshly underutilised by Rodgers? Having cost over £4m from Legia Warsaw in the summer 2023 on a five-year deal, the defender had some injury troubles in his debut season in Glasgow and made just 13 appearances.

This term he has been shunted further down the pecking order by Trusty and become something of a forgotten man. Might his impressive derby performance ignite Nawrocki's Celtic career and afford him more opportunities?

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Brendan Rodgers has apologised to fans for Celtic's derby defeat by Rangers and demanded a huge improvement from his treble-chasing side to "show you're a champion".

Celtic recovered from an abysmal first-half performance on Sunday to claw back a two-goal deficit, but Hamza Igamane's late strike gave Rangers a first win at Parkhead in five years.

With runaway leaders Celtic on course to retain the Premiership title, and facing St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup semi-finals next month, Rodgers wants a strong response after the chastening defeat.

"The message to the supporters is, we apologise because we always want to win games here and against our big rivals, so, for them, it's not a great feeling," the manager said in an official club interview.

"Our message to the players is, we have to be much better. That's what we spoke about afterwards.

"In every facet of the game we have to be much better and if you're going to be a champion this year, you've got to go and show that you're a champion and you've got to earn it.

"So there are eight games to go, with 13 points [advantage], but we've got a lot of big games to play."

The Green Brigade has revealed the group is taking legal advice over a "premeditated attack" ahead of the match between Celtic and Rangers - as supporters were held by police. (National - subscription required), external

Police Scotland is probing Rangers winger Vaclav Cerny after he allegedly soaked Celtic fans with water after the visitors' winning goal. (Sun), external

Cerny could face a Scottish FA ban while defender team-mate Dujon Sterling is under investigation for comments made about Celtic Park on social media. (Record), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Watch highlights as Barry Ferguson's Rangers stun Celtic to win a thrilling five-goal Old Firm derby. (UK only)

We asked you for your views after Celtic's derby defeat at home to Rangers.

Here's what some of you said:

Henry: All credit to Rangers especially after a taxing game on Thursday. This defeat is down to Rodgers stubborn streak and inability to learn from previous encounters, Celtic are too lightweight and don't have a plan B.

Liam: Our tempo was so slow for most of the game. Playing from the back doesn't suit us because we don't have technically good enough defenders, and a high press causes us issues. We missed our captain. Some of our players looked scared to make a pass and kept going backwards. Rodgers needs to address that. We are still on for the treble.

Edward: Barry Ferguson's team demonstrated loads of character. Celtic were not up for the fight. They were slow, passive and lacking leadership. This was against a Rangers team that played 120 mins+ penalties two days before this match.

A disgraceful performance by Celtic.

Patrick: We were miles off the pace. Schemichel looked like he had stage fright, always panicking when he had the ball. Second half was better, but still not good enough. However, they can take their morale victory, we'll take the treble. I'm so confused as to why we can't beat Rangers at home, yet can take on and draw with Bayern away. Got to sort this out.

Steven: Alarming performance from Celtic, poor all over the field. Without the captain it seems we have no plan B, passing sideways and backwards. Wake-up call for the manager and directors. Play this way and we will not qualify for Champions League next season!

Gordon: Absolute horrendous result and first half performance. We looked rattled and there was wayward passes all over the place. The goals we lost were a joke and Engels looked out his depth trying to fill in for McGregor.

We have now lost nine goals in the last three derby games which is not good enough. Even if we win the treble, if we lose at Ibrox, that is a poor season.

Ex-Celtic midfielder Alan Thompson says Rangers' celebrations after the Old Firm game were "slightly embarrassing" considering they are 13 points behind in the Premiership. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers told BBC Scotland: "It's bitterly disappointing. I felt that a draw was probably a fair result.

"Rangers had a good start in the game. Jack Butland has made some good saves but we were not fluid enough.

"We made changes, got the goal, and then the energy in the stadium changes. We start to get through the pitch like we should do. When we get the second, it feels like the momentum is there. At that point we were in a good place, in control. Worst case scenario, we should take a point.

"The three goals we conceded were disappointing from our perspective, so it's a sore one. Performance-wise, we need to be better with and without the ball.

"We needed to show more personality to take the ball. We made too many mistakes and allowed ourselves to be pressed. Second half, it was a bit better.

"Callum McGregor brings a tactical balance. Of course you miss someone with that quality."

Rangers enjoyed a second bout of raucous celebrations in four days as Hamza Igamane's stunning late strike administered Celtic's first Scottish Premiership home defeat since December 2023.

Barry Ferguson's side had roared into a two-goal half-time lead after Nico Raskin's early flicked header and Mohamed Diomande's low shot.

However, as the effects of Thursday's epic Europa League win over Fenerbahce began to tell, title-chasing Celtic hit back with Daizen Maeda's towering header and and Reo Hatate's slotted finish.

That set up a frantic finale, in which it seemed the league leaders had the momentum, but it was Rangers who found the decisive goal.

Igamane profited from Alistair Johnston's slip to lash in an outrageous winner to give the Ibrox side their first victory at Celtic Park since 2020.

Give us your thoughts on the game here., external

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland at Celtic Park

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This was very much a game of two halves for Celtic.

In the first, they were incredibly shaky at the back and seemed unable to cope with the absence of two key players, captain McGregor and centre-half Trusty.

Usually a picture of calm, even Schmeichel made uncharacteristic mistakes.

Much-improved after the break, it looked like Celtic may have enough to go on and win, but they lacked their normal levels of quality and composure.

Celtic will still go on to win the league, but right now they must deal with the unusual feeling of the bitter sting of derby defeat at home.