‘Celtic star in panic mode’ as major controversy strikes in win vs St Mirren
Celtic needed a stoppage-time goal to beat St Mirren 1-0 in the Premiership on Saturday afternoon.
Martin O’Neill’s side toiled away against the early-season strugglers and had to wait until the 95th minute before Callum McGregor decided the outcome of the game.
The narrow victory was a welcome return to football for the Bhoys, after chairman Peter Lawwell was forced to cancel the Celtic AGM on Friday after unrest among fans during the meeting.
The latest three points for O’Neill’s men saw them close the gap to Hearts at the top of the table to just four points ahead of their meeting with Aberdeen on Sunday.
Liam Scales ‘in panic mode’ for disallowed goal in St Mirren vs Celtic
Celtic are on the verge of naming Wilfried Nancy as their next permanent boss, but O’Neill has done a sterling job in steadying the ship during his tenure.
However, Saturday’s result could have been very different had the disallowed own goal from Liam Scales been allowed to stand.
The centre-back slid and turned the ball into his own net following a free-kick for the hosts, but the goal was swiftly ruled out with Conor McMenamin deemed to be interfering with play from an offside position.
Former Rangers and Scotland star Neil McCann disagreed with the decision during his analysis on Sportscene on Saturday, but he did acknowledge that he understood the reasoning behind the call.
“You always look at the players’ reactions,” McCann said while reviewing the footage.
“Scales is the only Celtic player who doesn’t even appeal for it because I don’t think he feels that McMenamin is even affecting him. I think he’s more bothered about the physical contact, and then he’s just in panic mode as the ball comes over the top.
“He is in an offside position, and it’s whether you can argue that he’s made an attempt for the ball. But Scales knows nothing about that, and he’s just thrown himself in desperation there.
“I don’t think McMenamin is making a real attempt to play the ball, but I understand why it’s been given as offside.”
Wilfried Nancy has a tough job on his hands
Nancy is expected to be named as Celtic’s new boss in the near future, and there is no doubt that he has a huge job on his hands at Parkhead.
Speaking on Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former Everton and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness outlined that the media attention surrounding Nancy if he takes the reins will be totally different from that which he currently experiences in the MLS.
The Columbus Crew chief was named as the league’s Coach of the Year in 2024, but the job at Celtic would be his first senior managerial role in European football.
With that in mind, there is a huge element of risk to the potential appointment, and with the Celtic board already under huge scrutiny, it is a call that they simply must get right.