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The Football Show · 22 October 2026
The standard of Scottish football is slipping and the gap with other European leagues is widening. Season after season, Celtic have sold players of a certain standard and replaced by worse players. While Celtic's comfortable win over Hearts is a step in the right direction, Celtic vs Celta Vigo will be a different story.
"Big calls there for Martin O'Neill." The Football Show LIVE panel on Celtic 7-1 Hearts: did Hearts buy into the hype, Tam McManus on "a wee bit of arrogance about Hearts", O'Neill putting Osmand in, dropping Høgh and putting Durán through the middle, and Peter Martin on how "you go from one extreme to the other with Celtic" this season. From The Football Show LIVE, Monday 19 October 2026.
Transcript:
...and a real threat at set plays as well, and it could have been more.
Now, while we'll discuss and digest certain things within the game, did Hearts start to buy into the hype of Tony Bloom's comments of the way they're playing dismantling St Mirren? Did they buy into the fact that they thought they were good enough with the team that they have at their disposal to go there and play an open game?
Yeah, I think there's a wee bit of arrogance about Hearts yesterday. I think they went out to go toe-to-toe with Celtic. They played man-for-man at the back. I think with the pace that Celtic had in the front three, they'd need some changes. I think guys like Kingsley and McCart just get exposed in terms of their pace and their power and their athleticism. And Celtic murdered them. You're right, it could have been eight or nine. I think it's easier for Hearts to do that at Tynecastle. Tighter pitch, get after people, press people. When you go away from home, and Hearts' home record's appalling. I don't think they've won away from home since January.
January, away from home. So, you know, you go to Celtic Park and play like that. There was a lot of individual errors within that, which you can't really, you know, fathom in as a manager, but yeah, really, really poor Hearts performance. Just when you think, you know, they're starting to motor, you know, that's a real tanking. And the Thursday-Sunday, I think, will start to catch up on them as well, because I looked at their team and it was very, very similar to the one that played against Nordsjaelland on Thursday. Big calls there for Martin O'Neill as well, you know, putting Osmand in and dropping Høgh and putting Durán through the middle.
I thought they were really big calls, and so influential within the game. In a strange sort of way, and I think we've got to be really, really positive about Celtic in the display, but in a strange sort of way, you are getting this kind of...
you know, you go from one extreme to the other with Celtic this season, because of the nature of Europe, where the fans are angry. But domestically, suddenly Martin, you know, he makes the changes, he makes the big calls, and the team really, really click. And again, you can go from one extreme of criticism and criticising the manager, criticising his tactics, saying he's too old to suddenly nobody's mumping and moaning, they've given Hearts a tanking. Yeah, we've all said it week in, week out, don't we? It's all about winning games and winning games comfortably. Alex will probably know that. He'll be watching a game and you'll see things that other people don't see.
You know, the managers are saying now, although we got beat 3-1 there, we could take something out of that game. Take positives. Take positives. You've got to take a... T-shirts, canvas and prints. Get 10% off your first order. Use the code PLZ10. Click on the link now and get online at the PLZ Soccer Shop.
Were O'Neill's changes the difference against Hearts? Tell us below.
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