Hugh Keevins revealed what Motherwell player Andy Halliday has told him ahead of the champions trip to Fir Park on Tuesday
10:00, 28 Dec 2025Updated 19:36, 28 Dec 2025
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy
I have it on very good authority that Motherwell will beat Celtic at Fir Park on Tuesday night and further sabotage Wilfried Nancy’s hopes of winning the Premiership title.
While, at the same time, propelling Hearts closer to the day when they can officially remove the second word from the phrase ‘champions elect’.
My source of information is my friend and radio colleague Andy Halliday, who happens to be a Motherwell player and was at Hearts before his move to Lanarkshire.
Andy also played for Rangers, which will make his evidence inadmissable for those who regard him as a hostile witness under the Old Firm’s unique adaptation of jurisprudence.
Andy’s opinion is that Motherwell’s style of play will suit them against Celtic.
Nancy strikes me as an idealist in a realist’s world. His methodology, as he calls it, could not be said to be based on defensive solidity.
Wilfried is more about spreadsheets than clean sheets.
The manager’s difficulty going forward is that Hearts can keep the ball out of the net at one end and have goal-scoring defenders at the other end of the park into the bargain.
Boss Derek McInnes can mock the view that Hearts can only throw away this title, but that’s how it looks from where I’m standing, despite Saturday’s defeat at Easter Road.
He’s got, in opposition to him, a manager at Celtic who was the club’s first thought but can look more like a last resort at times.
He’s also up against a man at Ibrox, Danny Rohl, who was Rangers’ third choice after Steven Gerrard and Kevin Muscat said they had other things to do.
When the Old Firm are toiling, you’ve got to take full advantage.
That time is now for Hearts. If they don’t win the title it will be because they’ve self-destructed. End of story.