Last season there was an argument for saying that our entire season hinged on the performances of one major player; Leigh Griffiths. His goals were vital. They changed games. He won us points single handed. The idea of him getting injured was terrifying.
Goals came from other sections of the team; of course they did. But there weren’t enough of them, and you couldn’t rely on any other individual to turn a game. Sometimes Rogic would pop up with an important goal, or Patrick Roberts would terrorise a defence, but Griffiths was the main man and the worry of how we’d cope without him was ever at the back of your mind.
If there’s one thing Brendan has definitively altered it’s that. Griffiths isn’t even a guaranteed starter any longer, and that’s all the more remarkable when you consider that we’ve signed just two players for the attacking part of the team. Dembele and Sinclair have been a revelation; both have enhanced the squad in big ways.
But the real prize has been the effect Brendan has had on those who were already at the club, and nowhere does this stand out more than in midfield.
Scott Brown looks a different player. He really does. Brendan got a tremendous final year out of Steven Gerrard, and he looks as if he’s made the same impact on our captain. Brown still has a few campaigns left in him, and now has a reasonable case for being our best captain in thirty years. He has been a magnificent servant to the club and it is brilliant to see him in such great form again. His Champions League passing stats are particularly outstanding.
Scott’s performances have been majestic at times. Owning Barton in the game at Celtic Park was just the start of it. When I wrote about Robbie Savage yesterday my contempt was especially great at his assertion that EPL clubs wouldn’t want Brown in their teams. He could play for any one of them at the moment. He’s been brilliant.
I’ve written here many times on the changes in Rogic and Forrest, who were both tipped to leave before the boss came in. He has reinvigorated both players and we’re seeing them place the best football of their careers right now. Rogic in particular has been deadly; he has formed a superb middle partnership with Brown and Armstrong.
I left the former Dundee Utd player to last for a good reason; there is no more improved player at Celtic Park – or indeed Scottish football – than Stuart Armstrong. He is the beating heart of the midfield right now, even more so than Scott Brown. I’ve been a huge fan for many years and think he’s our next captain, but even I’ve been astounded at the skill, drive and commitment he’s shown. He is a top drawer footballer, developing into one Hell of an asset. He can operate as a playmaker or as a more direct attack midfielder. He brings a great range of passing and, as we’ve seen over the course, he also brings goals.
Brendan has turned our midfield into our most potent weapon. Every player in it has raised his game, including young McGregor who scored an excellent goal last night. All, in fact, but Nir Bitton. I feel a little sorry for him, because he’s clearly a good player. He’s just a different type of player to that which the manager wants.
This is not the time to be sentimental. I think Bitton will probably leave, and soon. He will be joined in the Departures terminal by the likes of Scott Allan, Nadir Ciftci and Kris Commons. The loss of these players won’t be felt keenly, and the space it clears in the squad will allow us to add greater quality. Things are looking up.
In Brendan We Trust.