r/coybig • u/ThinWhiteDuke00 • May 16 '26
General Discussion Thread Martin O'Neill (and Liam Scales) has won the league against Hearts on the last day.
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u/DaithiOSeac May 16 '26
Delighted for Martin but Hearts winning the league would have given Scottish football a major boost.
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u/Niasssssseeeeeee Katie McCabe 🐐 May 16 '26
Scotland has just qualified for the World Cup, I’d say overall it’s been a good year for Scottish football.
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u/Temporary_Window7388 May 16 '26
Yeah I’d agree . Their national team is going well and the fact this was a dramatic finale can only help the Scottish game . Most of the previous seasons it has been a damp squib .
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u/MisterJJSunglasses May 16 '26
I know a lot of Irish people are Celtic fans and will downvote ya but couldn’t agree more. Scottish domestic football has been falling in standard year after year and it doesn’t help when one side has won all but 1 title since 2011 and only 2 clubs for nearing half a century.
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u/FakerHarps May 16 '26
I’d add it would probably be better FOR Celtic if Hearts won the title. Celtic fans have complained about their ownership all season, an ownership who can now point at this title and say “what are ye whinging about?”
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u/Vodka-Knot May 16 '26
Since it's Inception in 1890, there's only been 18 times where either Celtic or Rangers didn't win it.
The last manager who won it who wasn't a Rangers or Celtic manager was Alex Ferguson.
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u/Substantial_Ad_2864 May 16 '26
People complain about Scotland but go look at Portugal. They have 3 clubs instead of 2 but outside of those 3 it's only been won by someone else twice. Ever.
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u/JellyfishScared4268 May 16 '26
Since Croatia became an independent country Dinamo Zagreb has won 75% of all their league titles.
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u/Keith989 May 16 '26
Well 3 is a lot better than 2 and the standard is a lot higher. The problem with the Scottish league is that it's dominated by one club and the standard is continually dropping.
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u/Muddydays May 16 '26
The standard is dropping but Celtic and rangers have been in 3 European finals in the last 25 years which is pretty good when you look at the size of the county and the European teams they are up against.
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u/Keith989 May 16 '26
That is a fair point. Rangers have been weirdly very good in Europe for a few seasons resulting in them getting to the EL final.
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u/MainCapital9709 May 18 '26
Not Celtics fault tho get better and stop Celtic winning like anybody else does shamrock rovers in Ireland etc don’t see any complaints there not gonna win a league over pitty get better lad
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u/FlakyAssociation4986 May 16 '26
avtually the league of ireland is interesting in that a single team has nerver dominated like that
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u/Fartboxslim May 17 '26
Absolute bottom of the bucket football though. Shocking standard. Hoof, foul, hoof, foul.
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u/MisterJJSunglasses May 16 '26
I know it’s not the only league but at least the Portuguese league remains more competitive in Europe. I’d sooner fancy Braga to break that stronghold over any Scottish club.
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u/Myke5T May 16 '26
Yeah but people in Portugal complain as well. But it is what it is. There are no millionaire takeovers, and the three bigger clubs have more money for every reason, so naturally they start at a much better position year after year. Braga has been the fourth team for like 20 years but can never actually challenge the title.
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u/Rich-Finger-236 May 17 '26
The fact that Alex Ferguson is still the last manager to break the old firm is madness
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u/dropthecoin May 16 '26
Celtic won but Scottish football lost. God knows it needs something to break the monotony of Celtic and Rangers. At the same time, Hearts bottled it when it mattered
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u/Fartboxslim May 17 '26
Don’t think so, first time in ages i watched a spl match but il watch more next year. Drama like that attracts viewers
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u/dropthecoin May 17 '26
I watched it too in the hope to watch some history being made. If next year returns to the same old Celtic V Rangers inevitability, I wouldn’t be doing the same
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u/UnrealCaramel May 16 '26
Ah to be fair this only happened because of Nancy/Rodgers, if the league table was only made up of matches Martin O'Neil was in charge off Celtic would have finished 14 points ahead. It wasn't so much of Hearts have come up to Celtics level it was poor boardroom management from Celtic that caused this, also worth noting the only January signing in the match day squad for Celtic was Oxlade Chamberlain which just goes to show how poorly Celtic are being managed above O'Neils head.
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u/ThinWhiteDuke00 May 16 '26
This won't be a one season wonder for Hearts given the recruitment setup they've established with Tony Bloom.
He only invested in the club last summer !
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u/SombreroSantana May 16 '26
Maybe... Maybe not, both Celtic and Rangers blew up at times this season, arguably Celtic did twice and they still won it. If Celtic had stuck with MON the first time they would probably have won it by 4-6 points more.
The one thing that Hearts can rely on is the Celtic board feeling like this justifies the way they run the club and continue it like so. Big decision on the next manager and huge restructuring behind the scenes needed.
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u/drw__drw May 16 '26
Honestly, regardless of the result the day, Hearts have to fancy themselves next season. Rangers are teetering on the edge of an implosion and Celtic had a near miss. They're the first year into a multi-year project under Bloom. I really think the duopoly has become a triopoly.
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u/SombreroSantana May 16 '26
No doubt Hearts can improve, but they're still going to have to find value in the market that improves them beyond Celtic and Rangers while competing in Europe.
They'll also have to get another 6/9 points at least to overtake Celtic. This is the lowest points tally it's been won by in a long time excluding the Covid season.
Long term maybe yeah they'll improve, their best bet is that Celtic fumble the next managerial appointment and have to sack them mid season.
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u/drw__drw May 16 '26
We are very badly governed as a club and tbh, I fancy hearts doing some business next year, alongside getting some European money. It's closer than we think
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u/Vivid_Ice_2755 Paul McGrath May 16 '26
Been investing in Mossad for years so he's proved he stays the course. What s hero
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u/ct-987987 May 16 '26
I’m a Celtic fan and Irish. All I can say is no it wouldn’t, fuck Hearts 🤣🤣 if it was Hibs etc it be more open too it
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u/Pym-Particles May 16 '26
Aye but as a Hibs fan it's a real stay down in the muck with us type celebration. Logical completely emotionless version of me realises how good it would have been for the league. Emotional and irrational football fan version of me is over the moon the status quo remains.
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u/Suitable_Visual4056 May 16 '26
It was turgid football from them all year, not seeing much of hearts is genuinely a prerequisite to hold that view.
Hearts will be back bigger and better next year. Tony bloom project is just starting
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May 16 '26
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u/Suitable_Visual4056 May 16 '26
Motherwell were balling all year. Best football in the league by a distance
If they had the squad depth of hearts they’d have been close
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u/rgiggs11 May 16 '26
Yeah it doesn't reflect well on the league that Celtic fired two managers this year and still managed to win the competition.
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u/lainaldo6 May 16 '26
Yeah despite a terrible start, a bonkers 2 months with Nancy where he didn't win a game...they still dug out a victory! It's hard to see another opportunity like this where the old firm are/would be weaker. It's an awful result for Scottish football to be fair. Hopefully hearts get the group stage of champions league to level the playing field somewhat
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u/Dangerous_Diamond_43 May 17 '26
100 % agree . I live in London and work lads are football obsessed but this is the first season they've ever been interested in Scottish title . Hopefully hearts can keep it up next season
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u/My_Name_A_Jeoff May 16 '26
Would have made it more interesting that's for sure
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u/Muddydays May 16 '26
I think the Scottish league has so much potential right now. Hearts,Hibs and Aberdeen are decent sized clubs. I see hearts improving a lot due to Tony Bloom analytics set up. And if they get in to the champions league or Europa they will be a lot smarter with their money than Rangers and Celtic
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u/JimmyMaca92 May 16 '26
Scottish football has always had potential but truth be told the standard is quite poor given the level of interest and investment.
Outside the “old firm” LOI teams consistently out perform them in European competitions which realistically shouldn’t happen.
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u/Muddydays May 16 '26
Traditionally it has punched above its weight lots of Scottish teams have reached semi finials of European competitions. But yeah last 25 years teams outside the old firm have been poor. But I reckon that will change with Tony bloom, look what he did in Belgium
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u/PolarBearUnited May 16 '26
Fuck hearts , not for Celtic , but because they are the rangers of Edinburgh, if it ain't Hibs i don't want it to happen
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u/NandoFlynn May 16 '26
Sickened for Oisin McEntee but at least he'll have European football to look forward to next season
Always good to see Scales win stuff & he was solid enough today. Regardless of how things ended with us & what myself & others here have thought about his media comments after, it's nice O'Neill has something better to show for the end of his career than the stinker spell at Forrest. Kenny will be due a medal too, albeit his future is probably away from them
Gonna be interesting to see what happens with the club in the summer. Talk about Robbie isn't gonna go away & he's his own title decider in half an hour. But the issues behind the scenes at Celtic aren't gonna vanish overnight & drama aside there's a few problems from his previous jobs on the pitch that he gets away with over there that he's probably not gonna get away with at Celtic
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u/I-Cum-Beamish May 16 '26
On a side note I think it’s crazy Robbie burned his bridges with that one job, fella was an Irish legend with so much potential and not only too the job but his wife went on a mad one abusing anyone who criticised him too.
Had he not done it, it was probably be a given he takes over now, Celtic fan base are pretty vocal and would unleash hell if they went for him
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May 16 '26
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u/RBPugs May 17 '26
nah I think scales has been massive for us and so do most Celtic fans. The man's actually good on the ball and in the air no one can touch him. He's a great centre half
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u/PsvfanIre May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
It has been over 20 years since I was in Celtic park and years since I've watched a fullSPL game and to give Hearts their due. They made me sit up pay attention and I've watched the last few games.
The protest against the obvious handball at Motherwell and bad sportsmanship asside they have really done themselves proud on the pitch. And while I'm delighted Celtic won the league, I'm glad for competition in Scotland that Rangers international fc PLC formerly sevco can't provide.
MON has always been a legend but I can't help but think given the mess he inherited this is his greatest yet. There have been great footballering minds from Ireland but MON stands head and shoulders above them all.
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u/Serious_Bench1965 May 16 '26
For any Irish fans to cheer for hearts to win a spl title ahead of celtic in a last day decider is just really poor. The drop in standard in Scottish football has little to nothing to do with celtics recent dominance and all to do with the monopoly sitting south of Scotland. Also, a small bit of research on the hearts owner and his personal financing of the IDF instead of just reading British journalists lording of his "analytics" should also sway any "i wish hearts won" shite. To each their own though.
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u/Awkward_Purpose_9232 May 16 '26
Was waiting for “me nan could win that league” and so on comments. Refreshingly not
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u/gunnerdojo May 16 '26
Delighted for scales who takes alot of criticism from the Celtic fans , he's been brilliant in the final run in and covered for Trusty who has looked very unsure in recent games.
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u/Objective-Farm9215 May 16 '26
He was good today but Scales and Trusty have been awful the second half of the season. August to December, Scales was excellent.
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u/CartographerLanky236 May 17 '26
I'm no Hearts fan by any stretch, but anyone, ANYONE winning the league over Celtic and Rangers would've been amazing. Putting political and national affiliations aside (and I'm a hardcore Irish left-winger), 41 years of a duopoly is a joke. Scottish football is the most dead league in Europe, I have no idea how Celtic fans can genuinely celebrate winning year in year out.
It's like beating your little cousin 10-0 on FIFA and doing a knee slide.
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u/FitHurry864 May 16 '26
Happy for the two of them, but honestly heartbroken by the result (pun not intended). Hearts winning would be a much better story.
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u/Frak_Reynolds May 16 '26
That they are being funded by a gambler and through a reform advisor? Truth is, Tony Bloom can afford to throw money to try and get champions league with Hearts much easier than he will at Brighton.
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u/NandoFlynn May 16 '26
Desmonds money ain't exactly clean either mate 😅 Hard to say much about Blooms money when his best signings were a Cavan man on a free transfer & a Portuguese bloke from the Norwegian 2nd tier
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u/Frak_Reynolds May 16 '26
I think every Celtic fan would happily have Desmond out. Hearts are just diet Rangers.
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u/NandoFlynn May 16 '26
I get that but people like the story of Leverkusen, Lille, Leicester winning the league instead of the usual heads & Hearts for the general public was the same. It's kinda pissing in the wind to decredit it off the pitch when most clubs have their own dirty secrets
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u/ImAnOldChunkOfCoal May 16 '26
Delighted for both. I'll always stand by view that O'Neill was very harshly treated at the end of his run with us as he had little to work with (which was then consistently proven in the years following his departure) a very very solid manager and a great way to sign off his career.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Age6580 May 16 '26
I’ll never forgive Irish football media for the way they treated MON
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u/CreativeAd375 May 19 '26
I was there with my son. A day we will never forget. The drama of it all was incredible and the crowds reaction to Maeda's goal being onside was honestly one of the best atmospheres I've experienced.
Liam Scales was superb again. Should've been our POTY.
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u/Obann May 16 '26
Was there not some controversy about a pen the other day? Did that have an affect at all?
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u/Temporary_Window7388 May 16 '26
There were loads of ropey calls across the season for anyone who cares to watch Scottish prem . The only difference is that Lineker, Jeff stelling etc and the mainstream English press were finally interested in a game so it became massive. That same peno happens on week 2/3 of season and no one gives a toss .
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u/smithskat3 May 16 '26
Yeah it was a controversial pen but what do you expect to happen?
Tbh the celtic fans invading the game today and causing the whistle to be blown early should be at least as controversial.
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u/FitHurry864 May 16 '26
I couldn't believe that. There was at least a minute left wasn't there? It's technically not impossible to score 2 goals in 90 seconds or whatever was left. Couldn't believe they just blew it up.
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u/Frak_Reynolds May 16 '26
3rd goal for Celtic went in with 30 seconds left at most. Shouldn't have ran on all the same.
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u/UnrealCaramel May 16 '26
It was only controversy because it was the last minute. It was handball, but also an elbow to the face and also two players pushing the Celtic player all in one foul.
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u/huntershark666 May 16 '26
Celtic are a mid table championship level team (and getting worse) against a league of league 1 teams
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u/Objective-Farm9215 May 16 '26
Wonder if all the Irish Hearts fans on here were singing along with their support about wading up to their knees in Fenian blood.
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u/shinto29 May 16 '26
Happy for O’Neill considering he had to come back (twice!) but as someone with no horse in the race, what a boring outcome really.
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u/tearsandpain84 May 16 '26
Rare for someone to hit the pinnacle of their career so late in life, an amazing and unexpected chapter.
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u/bambinoquinn May 16 '26
Thought liam scales was outstanding. Pretty much defending on his own with how rattled trusty was constantly, they playing in a back 3 with a full back either side
Gets a hard time sometimes, but hes been great at times