Johnny Kenny low on confidence and struggling, Shin should start at Livingston

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The Celtic Star

·23 de dezembro de 2025

Johnny Kenny low on confidence and struggling, Shin should start at Livingston

Who should lead the line for Celtic at Livingston?

Celtic Huddle at Tannadice. Dundee Utd v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Tannadice, 17 December 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

To me Johnny Kenny is really nothing more than a squad player, which shows the current state of this Celtic squad. Shin Yamada is another project signing and it’s time for him to prove himself before it’s too late as far as playing at Celtic is concerned…

21.12.2025 Celtic v Aberdeen, Scottish Premiership Dimitar Mitov denies Johnny Kenny a goal. Photo Kenny Ramsay. IMAGO

Vídeos OneFootball

Something that’s been Celtic’s Achilles heel this season is our composure in front of goal. We have quite frankly been poor when it comes to taking chances, something which was been highly obvious in the last two games, in which without exaggeration we should have won by at least six or seven goals, the game against Aberdeen especially when we had 31 attempts on target and literally hundreds of touches inside their penalty area.

I don’t like pointing out individuals, but Johnny Kenny has been the main culprit in the past few matches, I think you might all agree with that? Furthermore it’s not overstepping the mark to say that he should have been taking home the match ball on both occasions, due to the gilt edge chances that fell his way at Tannadice and Celtic Park.

With post summer deadline day free agent Kelechi Iheanacho predictably enough out injured, and Daizen Maeda more effective out wide, our only other option is none other than forgotten man Shin Yamada who has been used sparingly since arriving at the club as a project signing this summer.

Shin Yamada. Hearts v Celtic, 26 October 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

The Japanese striker has not really had a sniff of first team action, so it’s quite unfair to judge him yet but the clock is ticking and he’s onto his third manager who hasn’t rated him highly enough to name in a starting XI. So it’s only fair he’s given that chance starting on Saturday afternoon.

I do like Johnny Kenny, but as a squad player. In my opinion he’s nothing more which shows the current state of our squad, especially in the striking department.

Johnny Kenny misses. Dundee Utd v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Tannadice, 17 December 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

He’s also extremely low on confidence due to his horrendous form of late, so it makes sense to take him out the firing line so to speak as playing him could do more harm than good to his confidence.

Here’s an exchange from Wilfried Nancy’s media conference this afternoon which we’ve already covered in full on The Celtic Star. The Celtic manager was asked about handling Johnny Kenny dip in form and confidence.

21.12.2025 Celtic v Aberdeen, Scottish Premiership. Johnny Kenny gets his shot away Photo Kenny Ramsay

Q: Johnny Kenny is a young striker. He does not have a great deal of first-team experience. Have you felt the need to put an arm around his shoulder and speak to him to give him confidence and tell him he’s still doing good things?

Wilfried Nancy: “Yes, for sure, because again, this is my job also to be honest with the player. Sometimes I have to hug them. Sometimes I have to tell them that this is not good enough. And this is the way I am as a coach. So now I have to find the balance and the good moments to play with this situation. So again, as you know, when there is a player who missed a goal or who missed a pass or who doesn’t have a good game, the first guy who is really sad is him. So now I have to find a solution to help him. And after that, we’ll see.”

Shin Yamada of Celtic. Celtic v Livingston, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 23 August 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO Shutterstock

Logically the man to replace him is Shin Yamada, Celtic’s last man standing. Shin in my opinion is also just a squad player like the former Shamrock Rovers striker, but we don’t have anyone else, so it has to be Shin. That’s down to the failing in the Celtic Boardroom particularly over two transfer windows in 2025 which left us without a replacement for Kyogo, Adam Idah or Nicolas Khun.

The Japanese international apparently has pace to burn, and he looks tidy enough on the ball. He also has a history of finding the back of the net back in Japan but not so far at Celtic. It’s time for him to prove himself, he won’t get a better chance.

Celtic Director Brian Wilson with CEO Michael Nicholson at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock v Celtic, 14 September 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

The January transfer window opens in nine days time and you would like to think that there will be at least one but hopefully two top class strikers coming in the door. Cynics will say that the board will wheel out the ‘January is a difficult window to do business in’ rhetoric, but Nancy is now the third manager to point out the obvious to the ‘World class in everything we do’ board let by Michael Nicholson.

IF those players arrive then both Kenny and Shin will be bit players in the squad at best and both could fine themselves going out on loan or moving on especially if they can’t convince Nancy that they can be reliable goalscorers for his team.

So at Livingston on Saturday afternoon, I reckon Shin should get the nod ahead of Kenny whose confidence has been affected by his recent misses, especially at Tannadice.

Just an Ordinary Bhoy