Celtic

We asked you who should be named as Celtic's player of the year, and you've provided a mixed bag in response.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Robert: Matt O'Riley, although I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they where no Hoops players up for Premiership player of the year. Not one has been anywhere near consistent enough. Average at best, all of them.

Steven: Poor season. Brendan Rodgers seems less enthusiastic than his previous time at Celtic. They were a winning team under Ange Postecoglou. This season, they have barely scraped through. Player of the season, by a mile, is Alistair Johnston.

Harry: Champions, with Joe Hart as player of the year.

Brian: Not firing on all cylinders, but everything is now in our own hands. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales have been solid and Scales has been my player of the season.

Vince: Hart. Easily his best season and won us several points. One of the few leaders in the team and he will be missed.

Scott: Celtic have been average since Rodgers returned, with most of our star players struggling. Kyogo Furuhashi has fallen off a cliff, while Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda have spent more time on the physio's table than the pitch. Callum McGregor and others have been in and out. The only one consistently performing to the old Angeball standard all season is player of the year, O'Riley.

Steven: I honestly don’t feel this has been a great season under Rodgers. I have struggled to think of any standout performers this season, therefore probably agree with the choice of O’Riley. That said, he is by no means a certainty to win it this year. If we win the league/double, it could well be the worst Celtic team that I can remember to do so.

Andy: Celtic have not had a player at their top of their game this season. Overall, O'Riley is the only option but even he has had a dip in form. Frankly, the only reason we are in this title race is due to a poor side across the city, not our own success.

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• Celtic have lost their last two league games against Hearts; they last lost more in a row to Tyencastle side in October 1961 (run of five).

• Hearts' 2-0 win at Celtic Park in December was their first in 28 away league games at Celtic (D3 L24); they last won consecutive away league visits to Celtic in May 1961.

• Celtic have won six of their last seven home matches in the Scottish Premiership (D1), scoring 2+ goals in five of those six victories, including netting 13 across their last three wins – an average of 4.3 goals per game.

• Hearts have lost just two of their last 18 Scottish Premiership matches (W12 D4) and are unbeaten in their last four (W2 D2) since a 2-1 defeat away at Ross County in March.

• Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland has now scored 20+ goals in the Scottish Premiership for the second consecutive season (24 in 2022-23, 21 this season). The 28-year-old has scored at least four more goals than any other player in the competition this term.

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Celtic will need to pay £5m to land on-loan Norwich City forward Adam Idah on a longer-term arrangement. (Sun), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip

Celtic's title charge continues as they welcome Hearts on Saturday.

But who should get the nod from Brendan Rodgers to start?

Put yourself in the manager's shoes and pick your starting XI here.

Matt O'Riley is the only Celtic player to have been included in the PFA Scotland shortlist for player of the year.

Are there any other Celtic players you think deserved a nomination? Who has impressed you most this season?

Give us your thoughts here.

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Twenty-six decisions since the start of the Premiership season have been deemed incorrect by the Scottish FA's VAR independent review panel.

The tally, based on incidents requested by the panel or submitted for consideration, is a rise of 10 since February's last meeting of the group.

Not among the incidents included was one where Hibernian claimed the Scottish FA agreed an error had been made.

The governing body later disputed that assertion, made after Hibs were not awarded a penalty after Aberdeen's Nicky Devlin handled in February's 2-2 draw.

The 10 incorrect decisions shared with Premiership clubs on Wednesday were:

Rangers 2-1 Aberdeen (6/02/24): VAR intervention was correct, but final outcome should have been yellow card to Rangers' Dujon Sterling. Referee retained his on-field decision of a red card.

St Mirren 2-0 Dundee (7/02/24): VAR intervention was correct, but final outcome should have been yellow card to St Mirren's James Bolton. Referee retained his on-field decision of a red card.

Ross County 1-1 St Mirren (27/2/24): VAR should have recommended an on-field review. Final outcome should have been penalty awarded against Ross County for handball.

Hearts 1-1 Hibernian (28/2/24): VAR intervention correct, but penalty decision, which led to Hearts' equaliser, should have been overturned - no foul and no penalty should have been awarded.

Kilmarnock 1-2 Rangers (28/2/24): VAR should have recommended an on-field review. Final outcome should have been penalty decision, which led to Kilmarnock opening the scoring, overturned - no handball offense against Rangers.

Hearts 2-0 Celtic (3/3/24): VAR should have recommended an on-field review. Penalty decision should have been overturned - no foul and no penalty should have been awarded to Celtic.

Hearts 2-0 Celtic (3/3/24): On-field decision correct, no penalty to Hearts. Handball should not have been awarded for spot-kick that led to opening goal.

Motherwell 0-1 Aberdeen (16/04/24): VAR should have recommended an on-field review. Penalty to Motherwell should have been awarded for handball.

Hibernian 1-2 St Johnstone (6/4/24): VAR should have recommended an on-field review. Penalty should have been awarded to Hibs for foul by St Johnstone goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov.

St Mirren 1-2 Hearts (6/4/24): VAR intervention correct, but penalty should have been awarded to St Mirren for a foul on Conor McMenamin by Aidan Denholm.

The final Old Firm game of the season is almost upon us and it looks increasingly likely that a Celtic win in that fixture will all but wrap up the title.

But to ensure that is the case, Brendan Rodgers' side have to take care of Hearts this coming weekend.

That could be easier said than done, with Steven Naismith’s side looking to inflict a third consecutive defeat on the champions. The last one, at Tynecastle, was Celtic’s only loss in their last 20 games - a run that began after the 2-0 defeat at home against the same opponents.

Celtic appeared to be rocking back then, with that result following hot on the heels of another defeat at Rugby Park. It is to the credit of Rodgers and his players that they have regained their composure to once again control the destiny of the title.

But while they are once again favourites to be crowned champions, performance levels are not of a sufficiently consistent high standard that anything can be taken for granted, least of all a victory over Hearts.

However, the resurgence of James Forrest has been a timely one for his manager and the team, particularly in the absence of Daizen Maeda. Having been a peripheral figure in the last couple of seasons, Forrest has shown his qualities at a key point in the campaign.

If he can stay fit and continue in the same vein, that could be priceless for Celtic in their double quest and, as others have suggested, earn him a place in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the Euros.

He is the type of player Scotland don’t otherwise have and could be a valuable addition should he end the season in the scintillating fashion in which he has re-emerged.

Internazionale have noted the impact Lewis Ferguson made in Serie A with Bologna after leaving Aberdeen and are monitoring 23-year-old Denmark midfielder Matt O'Riley, who is under contract with Celtic until 2027. (Corriere dello Sport), external

Aberdeen interim manager Peter Leven says Jonny Hayes will continue his dual role as a player and coach at Aberdeen for the rest of the season, but the 36-year-old winger is out of contract in the summer and could return to Celtic as a coach under Brendan Rodgers. (Daily Record), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Celtic comeback king James Forrest has dominated the headlines in the last 10 days. And rightly so.

For someone who failed to play any first-team football from 23 December to 10 March, the turnaround in his fortunes has been nothing short of incredible.

The debate will go on about whether his recent inclusion has been by luck or design but in truth it’s probably a combination of the two.

Celtic are lacking wingers who perform consistently well. We’ve seen in flashes what new recruits Luis Palma, Yang Hyun-jun and Nicholas Khun are capable of but none of them have produced on a regular basis.

In addition, the loss of Jota last summer and Liel Abada more recently, as well as injury issues for Daizen Maeda, has dramatically reduced Brendan Rodgers' wide options.

Enter Celtic’s third most decorated player. Incredibly, with 22 trophies to his name – a record he shares with ex-skipper Scott Brown – Forrest is behind only Billy McNeill and Bobby Lennox when it comes to silverware across our 136-year history.

He has seen and done it all in 14 seasons in Celtic’s first-team squad and is a player Rodgers knows he can trust.

Put simply, his two goals against Dundee are the reason Celtic remain three points clear at the top of the table, with his first in particular showing exceptional technical ability.

With just four league games remaining Celtic’s number 49 now looks key to the title charge and with three goals in two games he has again stepped up when his side needed him most.

Should Celtic go on to claim a league and cup double in the weeks ahead he’ll leapfrog McNeill into second place in the Hoops honours list.

The only focus right now for him and his manager will be Hearts on Saturday. If we can claim all three points then maybe, just maybe, we can start to look at rewriting the history books.

Tino can be found on The Celtic Exchange, external

Suddenly James Forrest is Celtic's man of the moment, marking his first start in five months with a match-winning double at Dundee last Sunday.

He also contributed a goal off the bench in the Scottish Cup semi-final success the previous weekend and I’m surprised he hasn’t been back involved sooner and making more appearances. He’s been fit and Celtic have been having problems in the wide areas.

Brandan Rodgers recently said Forrest is the best winger in his squad – a statement I agree with – so why hasn’t he been involved more?

I’m not surprised he’s making the impact he’s making. And, without getting too carried away, the national team is suffering some injuries and the squads have been stretched to 26 players, so I think it’s a no-brainer to have him in the Scotland set-up for Euro 2024.

He makes things happen, he scores goals, he’s a good character, he’s got experience. He could even fill in as right wing-back as well.

I wouldn’t be looking for him there, I’d be looking at him as inside forward. Or, we don’t have natural width in the squad, whereas Forrest can do that.

Just for a number of reasons, it would be a sensible decision to include him. And what a fairytale end to the season that would be for him.

It’s very, very positive for Celtic that they’ve got someone like that, who almost feels like a new player for them, for the run-in as they chase a league and Scottish Cup double.

Look at last week's semi-final against Aberdeen. The wide areas were terrible. Aberdeen were brilliant at shutting Celtic down. When you’re playing against teams like that who are man to man and not giving you any time, you need guys in the wide areas that can go one-v-one, take people on and get in behind.

Forrest came on and made a difference because he has that quality to make things happen.

It’s a massive bonus for Celtic because there’s an edginess that creeps in when things are tight at this stage of the season and Forrest has got the experience and the talent.

Michael Stewart was speaking to BBC Sport Scotland's Martin Watt

South Korea boss Hwang Seon-hong claims Celtic went back on a "promise" to release winger Yang Hyun-jun for a key tournament after bitter repercussions began over their failure to reach their 10th Olympic football tournament in a row. (Daily Record)

Matt O'Riley is desperate to make Denmark's Euro 2024 squad - but has vowed he won't be distracted during Celtic's title run-in. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Tuesday's gossip.

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Matt O'Riley says he's learned to deal with transfer speculation linking him with a move away from Celtic after admitting it was "at the back of his mind" in January.

Reports in winter suggested the Denmark international could be set for a switch to La Liga giants Atletico Madrid.

The midfielder believes he will be able to deal with future rumour mills more confidently, learning to stay away form social media.

“Naturally, when you are doing well there is a lot of noise around you," O'Riley said.

"I have had to manage things on and off the pitch and that has made me grow a lot as a person."

On transfer speculation in January, he said: “It was tough at first. It was something new.

“I am sure if something like that happened in the future I would be able to manage it better. I don’t think I managed it badly, it is just that something like that has never happened to me before.

“It is naturally there at the back of your mind and the first few games were tough. I addressed it off the pitch with my friend who I speak with and I have got back on track.”

“I genuinely don’t read social media. I have done so in the past.

“I have learnt from my mistakes not to do that because it is not good for you. That’s been part of my learning curve and experience.

“This season I only really use social media when I need to post something. The rest of the time I don’t look at it because it is a much healthier approach.

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It is not difficult to spot the influence Matt O'Riley has on this Celtic team.

Not only has the 23-year-old stepped up in maturity and leadership this season, but his numbers in terms of goal contributions have also been mightily impressive.

In the Scottish Premiership, O'Riley has 11 goals and 13 assists - only Rangers' James Tavernier has more goal contributions in the top flight this term.

It's these stellar statistics, and his overall grace and technical ability, that have made noise of a move away from Celtic Park grow louder as the season has rolled on.

The Glasgow side managed to fend off interest in January, and will be glad of his services with other key midfielders Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor struggling with injury issues.

O'Riley hasn't been shy of stepping up in big moments too - his penalty at Ibrox and the late, late winner at Fir Park spring to mind.

The Denmark international faces stern competition to be named PFA Scotland player of the year, with Tavernier, Jack Butland and Lawrence Shankland also nominated.

While individual awards would surely be keenly welcomed, his main focus will be ensuring more silverware is added to Celtic's trophy cabinet come the end of the season.

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James Forrest insists he has not thought about a potential Scotland recall, despite his triumphant return to the Celtic starting XI.

Forrest scored twice against Dundee in just his fourth start of the season, building on his goal-scoring cameo off the bench against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

The 32-year-old has not played for Scotland since 2021, but Steve Clarke is short of options at both wing-back and attacking midfield after recent injuries, with Forrest capable of playing both positions.

“Honestly, I have not thought about it," Forrest said, when asked about a potential call-up for the Euros.

“I wasn’t in the [Celtic] squad around January and February and I have been buzzing being back in about it. I have managed to get on the scoresheet a few times and come on and helped the team. I just want to keep taking it game by game and help out here.”

Forrest has no other concrete plans for this summer, and would undoubtedly answer the call were it to come.

“Obviously in football, you never book your holidays early anyway, it’s always last minute," he said

“If you ask any Scottish player, they would want to be involved. I went to the last Euros and it was a great experience, right from the first day of camp to the end. It was really good to be part of.

“But I’m going to just concentrate on the games here.”

We asked for your thoughts after Celtic managed to hold on to a victory at Dens Park.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Peter: We have had lots of wingers come and go at Celtic in the last 15 years or so but the one constant is James Forrest. A winner. An Invincible. A Celtic legend. Must be given game time. Hope he can stay fit for rest of this season. He can be the difference.

Robert: Don’t know what is happening with Celtic. Is it nerves, panic or just not applying themselves enough? Today’s game was one to forget, it was kind of like watching a bad amateur game. Celtic need to give their fans more style, skill and equality.

Stephen: Dreadful display today, can’t understand why a team can have regressed so badly after winning all that was before them last year. I’m happy with the win but the performance was woeful. Why is McGregor in the team he has contributed nothing since coming back from his injury? Happy for Forrest as he’s been a dependant for goals for us for many years.

Aaron: Celtic were excellent in the first half and looked really comfortable in the game with a excellent finish from Forrest. Looked a bit out of steam in the second half, however three points is the most important thing!

Gordy: Well done James Forest, been a great servant to the club and not always appreciated. Kuhn nowhere near good enough, hopefully we are saving the big performances for the bigger games. At the end of the day, three points was the important thing today.

Ken: Another eye-bleeding performance under Brendan Rodgers. We need to wrap Forrest up in cotton wool and drop Scales if we want to win the double.

Peter: James Forrest! What more can you say about a trueCeltic great? It is - and has been - a pleasure and privilege to watch him for over a decade. Thank you James.

John: Average performance but another three points in the bag. We just need to keep winning at this point. Work to do in the summer, we need more pace out wide and more solidity in defence & midfield. This could still be an excellent season.

Image source, SNS

Who predicted James Forrest's resurrection at the business end of the season?

The winger is on a hot streak at the moment, shown by his two lovely goals at Dens Park as Celtic restored their three-point lead at the top of the table.

You have to wonder if Steve Clarke's eyebrows have been raised with the Euros on the horizon.

Celtic winger James Forrest, the 32-year-old who scored a double after being handed a rare start in Sunday's 2-1 win over Dundee, has claimed he has given no thought to securing a surprise place in Scotland's squad for this summer's Euro 2024 finals. (The Scotsman), external

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says he "hadn't thought about" the implications playing James Forrest more regularly would have on the 32-year-old winger's prospects of forcing his way into Scotland's Euro 2024 squad. (The Scotsman), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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• Celtic have scored in each of their last five games in the Scottish Premiership, scoring 14 goals in that run.

• Dundee have failed to win in their last four games in the Scottish Premiership, their last longer winless streak was from 2 September 2023 to 24 October 2023, a run of five games.

• Celtic have scored in 30 of their 34 games, only Rangers (31) have scored goals in more matches in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Celtic are undefeated in their last five games in the Scottish Premiership, their last longer unbeaten streak was from 23 December 2023 to 28 February 2024, a run of 10 matches.