O’Neill Backs Hogh Amidst Goal Drought
Celtic paid £11 million to bring Hogh from Bodo/Glimt and an August hat-trick at Kilmarnock made it look like money well spent. That 5-1 win felt like the start of a new talismanic era.
Since then, the goals have dried up. Completely.
Fifteen matches have now passed without the Dane finding the net, the latest a frustrating Europa League night against Besiktas where his wait went on and his evening ended 13 minutes from time. The crowd wanted a hero; it turned out to be someone else.
Record signing, barren spell
The numbers are stark. One explosive introduction, then a long, cold run. As the minutes ticked by against Besiktas, the sense of a story repeating itself grew. No penalty to rescue him. No scrappy tap-in. No lucky deflection.
When his number went up, the narrative wrote itself: Celtic’s record signing, hooked again, still searching for a break.
O’Neill, though, refused to join the chorus of concern. He walked straight towards Hogh at full-time, not away from him.
“I want centre-forwards to be able to hold it and that is what he did,” the Celtic manager said, firm in his assessment of the Dane’s contribution. Hogh didn’t run at defenders, didn’t twist past three men. That, O’Neill reminded everyone, is not his game. “He is not Duran, he is not a dribbler. But if he can do this for us against strong opposition it will stand him in good stead.”
The message was clear: judge the player on what he is, not on what he isn’t.
Hold-up man under scrutiny
Against Besiktas, Hogh’s performance lived in the shadows of his drought. Yet O’Neill saw value in the dirty work. The forward backed in, took hits, linked play, created space for others. It was old-fashioned centre-forward play in a team increasingly addicted to the thrill of Duran’s fireworks.
Hogh’s omission from the latest Denmark squad only sharpens the spotlight. Confidence becomes a talking point when the national team stops calling.
O’Neill did not dodge that. He acknowledged belief may be an issue, but he chose to lean into reassurance rather than pressure. “I think Thursday night will be good for him,” he insisted. “I said to him that I’m not worried about whether he scores a goal.”
For a striker, that is both comfort and challenge. The manager may not be counting, but everyone else is.
Duran on fire
While Hogh wrestles with his form, Duran is sprinting through the season.
The Colombian came off the bench against Besiktas and tore into the game, his double not only sealing Celtic’s first win of their Europa League campaign but also lifting his personal tally to 13 for the season. Every touch seems to carry threat. Every chance looks like a goal.
“At this minute, he is on fire,” O’Neill said, and it hardly needed saying. Duran’s versatility only adds to his value: wide right, wide left, or through the middle, he has done it all. Yet his manager left no doubt where he is most devastating. Centre forward is where he becomes “dynamic”.
The contrast with Hogh is brutal. One striker brimming with goals, the other searching for one. One finishing games, one being taken off before the final whistle.
Asked if it is becoming harder to pick Hogh ahead of Duran, O’Neill allowed only a crack of light. “We will see,” he replied, pointing to the five changes made on Thursday as a necessity rather than a statement. He reminded everyone that Hogh “has scored goals in the Champions League remember,” a pointed nod to a pedigree that should not be forgotten in a lean spell.
Selection, though, is ruthless. Form demands answers.
Kilmarnock return and European stakes
Next up is Kilmarnock on Sunday, the very stage where Hogh’s Celtic story first roared into life with that hat-trick in August. The symmetry is impossible to ignore. Same opponent, different mood.
For Hogh, Rugby Park offers a chance to turn the clock back, to reconnect with the player he looked that afternoon. For Duran, it is another opportunity to tighten his grip on the starting shirt.
Beyond the domestic subplot, the European picture sharpens. Celtic now have three points at the halfway mark of their Europa League group. Two more wins from their remaining games against Torreense, Omonia, Marseille and Union Saint-Gilloise could be enough to drag them into the knockout rounds.
“From the European side, we have given ourselves a chance,” O’Neill said. The equation is simple, the task anything but. “We will have to go and win away from home and it will not be easy.”
Somewhere inside that challenge lies Hogh’s own. Does he remain the record signing who knits it all together, trusted for his graft and presence, or does Duran’s scorching form push him to the fringes as the stakes rise?
