PLZ Soccer › Watch › The Journos › The Journos Archive
The Journos · 3 June 2026
"The Celtic fan backlash against Robbie Keane is irrational" — Hugh MacDonald defends the next-Celtic manager frontrunner on The Journos.
Hugh MacDonald, Stephen McGowan and the Journos panel break down the most consequential Celtic appointment of the post-Rodgers era. Keane (45) met Dermot Desmond on Monday after resigning from Ferencváros and is reported as the board's preferred candidate, willing to commit to a three-year contract. The Celtic fanbase is split — fan media (ReadCeltic, Football Insider) running hard against the appointment; Hugh's position on the Journos is that the irrational opposition is doing the club no favours. The panel also turns to Scotland's World Cup build-up — why Steve Clarke's side cannot take victory over Haiti for granted in the warm-up window.
Celtic's next-manager decision is the biggest call of the off-season; the panel returns to the topic every week until it lands. Subscribe for the full Journos episode + clips.
Chapters:
00:00 Liverpool legends Sir Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan and John Barnes — Hugh's tribute
05:22 Why is the Robbie Keane Celtic backlash 'irrational'? — Hugh MacDonald defends
08:00 Dermot Desmond's track record — Mowbray, Wilfried Nancy, Ronny Deila and 20 years of Celtic appointments
09:38 Robbie Keane's credentials vs the 'Robbie Keski' thought experiment
11:00 Martin O'Neill at 74 — could a second tenure work without him running the club?
15:21 Hugh's choice: Craig Bellamy first, Martin O'Neill short-term as the Plan B
18:50 The Stephen Welsh release — why is Celtic letting him go for free?
19:43 Hearts, Rangers and Celtic rebuilds — and the 'Jamestown Analytics' myth at Tynecastle
22:50 Scotland's World Cup squad — Tyler Fletcher in, Lennon Miller out
25:15 Shankland as a starter, Che Adams up front, and Finlay Curtis on the wing
27:01 The summer USA heat problem — why the World Cup will be a 5-sub tournament
29:17 Why Haiti is NOT a gimme for Steve Clarke
30:50 Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti — and the Portuguese press conference master-stroke
33:32 Generational change in Scotland's squad — who replaces Robertson and Tierney?
35:00 Quiz answer: Kylian Mbappé's eight-goal 2022 World Cup
▶ Subscribe to PLZ Soccer: https://youtube.com/@PLZSoccer?sub_confirmation=1
▶ The Journos playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCTeUr0E36UleT1d_EytWP6ZVMt74hodS
▶ Watch the previous Journos: https://youtu.be/8dcqjc1_epA
▶ Follow PLZ Soccer: X @PLZSoccer | Instagram @plzsoccer | TikTok @plzsoccer
💡 Add PLZ Soccer as a Preferred Source in your Google Search settings — get our Scottish football coverage surfaced in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
#celtic #celticfc #scottishfootball
PLZ Predictor · Scottish league tables · Scottish football news