# Ian Joy reveals surprise feedback from Celtic insiders to his scathing CBS criticism **By:** Matthew Lindsay **Published:** 2026-11-14T07:12:00Z **Source:** [The Herald](https://heraldscotland.com/sport/football/26726096.ian-joy-reveals-surprise-feedback-celtic-insiders-cbs-rants) --- # Ian Joy reveals surprise feedback from Celtic insiders to CBS rants Scottish-American broadcaster Ian Joy has savaged Celtic on CBS Sports in the wake of their European failures this season _(Image: Shutterstock)_ Ian Joy, the Scottish-American broadcaster who works as an analyst for CBS Sports in the United States, has revealed the surprising feedback he has received from inside Parkhead over his savage criticism of [Celtic](https://www.heraldscotland.com/topics/celtic-fc/?ref=au) this season. Joy, who grew up in Bo’ness in West Lothian and played for [Stirling](https://www.stirlingnews.co.uk/local-news/stirling-news/?ref=au) Albion, Montrose, Kidderminster Harriers, Chester City, St Pauli, Real Salt Lake and Portland Timbers during his career, has lambasted the Glasgow club in the wake of their European defeats during the past few months.   Video footage of his scathing analysis of the Scottish champions after their collapse to LASK Linz of Austria in the [Champions League](https://www.heraldscotland.com/topics/champions-league/?ref=au) play-off in August – they were leading 4-0 on aggregate with 60 minutes left to play in the double header and lost 5-4 to miss out on a lucrative place in the league phase – went viral on social media. His damning assessments of how Celtic are being run off the park on the CBS Sports Golazo Network following their [Europa League](https://www.heraldscotland.com/topics/europa-league/?ref=au) losses to Ferencvaros, Benfica and Celta Vigo in the 2026/27 campaign have also been viewed online thousands of times by fans of the former European Cup winners. The 45-year-old, who was born in San Diego, California, to an English father and a Scottish mother and captained the USA Under-18 side as a young professional, started following the fortunes of the Parkhead club closely during the three seasons that he spent at St Pauli in the 2000s. Supporters of the renowned Hamburg institution and their world-famous Glasgow counterparts are kindred spirits who have had a close relationship since the 1990s due to their shared working-class roots and opposition to fascism and racism. Joy emphasised that his impassioned outbursts about Celtic, whose principal shareholder Dermot Desmond and executive team have once again come under fire from a militant faction of their support this term, have been fuelled as much by a desire to see football flourish in his homeland as by his frustration at their stewardship. The former Manchester United youth player revealed that he was contacted privately by Celtic insiders after his comments gained widespread traction on social media - and was told by many of them they were in complete agreement with the forthright views that he expressed.   “I care about football,” he said. “But there are certain markets that I care more about. I’m obviously very passionate about German football having played there. But I'm also passionate about Scottish football. CBS Sports analyst Ian Joy savaged how Celtic are run after their loss to Benfica this season _(Image: Social media)_ “CBS Sports have the rights to Scottish football over here and I talk extensively about Celtic, especially when it comes to their European adventures. I want to see Celtic, [Rangers](https://www.heraldscotland.com/topics/rangers-fc/?ref=au), Hearts and all of the Scottish clubs do well in Europe. I want to see the game in my country thrive. “Celtic are world class at domestic success, but their fans want more than that. They have made a lot of money selling players and the fans just want to see the right players coming in the door. “It's not necessarily about spending money for me, it's about hiring the best people and having the knowledge you need to get the right players in who will make sure you aren’t knocked out of the Champions League by Kairat Almaty or LASK. “They need to be beating those teams and getting to the league phase. It is a must for your supporters, a must for your profits. How much money have Celtic lost because they’ve missed out on Champions League football over the years? It is Scottish football’s loss as well. Everyone misses out. “The Europa League should give Celtic and Rangers an opportunity to be competitive, to get close to the final. Rangers got to the final four years ago. That was a huge achievement their fans will never forget. But they're both miles away from it now. It just frustrates me.” Read more: - [How football fanzines gave supporters a voice and changed the game forever](https://news/26708124.football-fanzines-gave-supporters-voice-changed-game-forever/?ref=ed_recent) - [Celtic's 'Che Guevaras' should show their fellow fans some respect at this year's AGM](https://news/26707844.celtics-che-guevaras-show-fellow-fans-respect-years-agm/?ref=ed_recent) - [Who says Martin O'Neill is out of touch? Besiktas win was a tactical masterclass](https://news/26704228.says-martin-oneill-touch-besiktas-win-tactical-masterclass/?ref=ed_recent) Joy has attended the Celtic [Charity](https://www.heraldscotland.com/topics/charity/?ref=au) Foundation gala dinner in New York – an annual event which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthwhile causes around the world – in the past couple of years and has personally met many of the people who are involved in the daily running of the club.   He knows they have taken his criticism in the spirit in which it has been intended and remains optimistic they can transform their on-field fortunes in Europe in the seasons ahead despite the continuing unrest in the stands with some out-of-the-box thinking. “It is my opinion I'm sharing,” he said. “I think it is healthy. Yes, I’ve made a lot of noise, but I don't just say things off the top of my head. I have done my research into how the football club is run. “I have seen some of the people they have hired over the years, on the scouting and recruitment side and to coach the first team. I think the football department has been run in a very questionable way. Domestically, they can get away with it because they’ve had the best team in Scotland for a long time now. But in Europe they’re often found out. Ian Joy in the CBS Sports studios _(Image: Social media)_ “I think the right mentality has to come from the executive, from the leadership above the football department. They need to want to be elite on the European stage. I do think there needs to be a completely different outlook and strategy from the one they currently have. “There has to be a long-term plan, a five, six, seven-year plan, to make Celtic competitive in Europe again, to help them qualify for the Champions League league phase and to upset good teams. That needs to be in their mindset. They need to have a clear vision that supporters can believe in. “They're not far away, they're not far away at all. They've got some great talent, they’ve got a lot of money. I genuinely do think they're only a few decisions away from getting it right. They just need to show some balls and spend a little bit of money in scouting, analytics and other important areas. If they do that, they will be okay, they will get there.” Asked if he had received any feedback from anyone at Celtic after his CBS Sports tirades, Joy said. “Yes, I have. I won't mention any names, but since these videos have gone online I have certainly had a few responses from people within. “But the majority of them have actually been positive. Nobody has come out and said, ‘Ian, you're talking a lot of b\*\*\*\*\*\*\*!’ They've actually said, ‘Ian, you're spot on. There needs to be a mentality change. We need to go in a new direction now.’”