St Johnstone 1-0 Celtic – Dear oh Dear. No excuses today

The Celtic Star

·6 April 2025

St Johnstone 1-0 Celtic – Dear oh Dear. No excuses today

No excuses today. The players need to have a long hard look in the mirror…

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, McDiarmid Park, Perth, 06 April 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

Hopes were high this morning as we headed to Perth to take on St Johnstone full of hope of gaining a victory that would give us the opportunity to clinch the title at Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon.

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Unfortunately we were left frustrated, disappointed and let down big time by our players. Three full stands inside McDiarmid Park were occupied by the travelling Celtic support and they like the rest watching on television were left pulling our hair out due to the woeful performance, attitude and finishing displayed by our players.

Daniels Balodis of St Johnstone celebrates with team mates after scoring to give St Johnstone a 1-0 lead. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, l, McDiarmid Park, Perth, 06 April 2025: Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

Celtic got what we deserved at McDiarmid Park

St Johnstone are bottom of the league and fighting for their Premiership status, we should be well capable of beating them, but today we got what we deserved which was absolutely nothing, and the Perth side fully deserved their victory, they wanted it much more than the ‘whatever’ attitude on show from our team.

Celtic goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo after Daniels Balodis of St Johnstone scored to give St Johnstone a 1-0 lead. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, , McDiarmid Park, Perth, 06 April 2025: Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

Yes we had more possession, we created more chances, and it’s only thanks to St Johnstone goalkeeper Andy Fisher that we left on the end of a defeat. But the Perth Saints showed something that we didn’t, and that was great commitment and an admirable will to win, so they were well worthy of their victory, and we can have no complaints whatsoever.

A long look at themselves in the mirror

These Celtic players need to have a long look at themselves in the mirror. Yes the league may be just about in the bag, but they need to go into every single game willing to bust a gut to get a victory.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor controls the ball under pressure from Jason Holt & Daniels Balodis of St Johnstone. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, , McDiarmid Park, Perth – 06 April 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

That’s now our third defeat in six Scottish Premiership matches, and that can’t be tolerated by an elite manager like Brendan Rodgers. We are champions, and are homing in on a fourth consecutive title, we need to start acting like it. We should be full of confidence, playing with a swagger and looking like the finest team in Scotland. We are starting games thinking it’s easy but it’s not.

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic fails to score under pressure from Stephen Duke-McKenna of St Johnstone. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, McDiarmid Park, Perth, 06 April 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

St Johnstone, well adrift in the automatic relegation spot, were able to give the leaders a bloody nose. It sort of shows that the idea of cutting the size of the league to get rid of the dross and improve the competitive nature of the matches is nonsense.

Well done to St Johnstone

St Johnstone goalkeeper Andy Fisher saves a close range shot from Luke McCowan of Celtic. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, , McDiarmid Park, 06 April 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

Well done to St Johnstone, today’s performance gives them the three points they deserved and also the confidence that they need to mount a great escape stunt. Teams above them should be worried and SPFL officials should be thinking about INCREASING the size of the league and not cutting the numbers.

As for third gear Celtic, that’s simply not enough. Dear oh Dear. No excuses today Bhoys. No excuses. Here’s what Brendan had to say. Sounds angry to me…

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

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