Well that was a nice return to first team football, and to normal business. A wee 5-0 win at home to Brechin, which puts us in the next round of the Scottish Cup and gives us all a nice wee lift going into the league tie at Firhill on Tuesday.
We did what we had to do today, nothing more and nothing less.
The manager played a lot of the first team, but he left Moussa out to give Edouard his chance, and he took it by bagging the final goal. Normal service has been resumed.
But the best player in Scotland today was not playing at Celtic Park.
He was involved in another game, an earlier game, the Aberdeen win over St Mirren. And it wasn’t Lewis Morgan, our new signing who’s on loan at the Paisley club. It was our other loanee, the one at the Dons, Ryan Christie, who dominated play, scored twice and ran riot.
In his interview after the match today, Brendan spoke about new signings.
He said he expects a few before the window shuts in eleven days. I expect some too. He highlighted the creative area of the pitch, which causes some disquiet because he won’t focus on central defence. It is especially disquieting when one considers Christie.
Ryan Christie was not signed as a “project” player. I always believed he had the natural ability to go straight into the Celtic first team squad. I thought he was being signed as a player who if not a guaranteed starter certainly had the ability to play his way towards being one.
Brendan sent him out on loan almost as soon as he arrived though.
I know Brendan rates him. When Aberdeen wanted to take him off our hands at the start of the season, the manager was adamant that would not happen. He allowed Ajer to go out on loan for a season, but carved out a place for him in the current team.
The big man was never going to be allowed to slip out of the reckoning.
The problem for Ryan is that the more quality we add in the wide areas and in the attacking midfield the more competition there is. A kid like him will have to grab his chance and hold onto it tight. He has the ability – everyone who watches him agrees wholeheartedly on that score – but there are other factors, like temperament, like mentality.
Not every player has those attributes. Does Christie?
One suspects Brendan sent him off on loan to give him the chance of games, to grow that mentality properly. He already looks as if he’s developed even further as a player, but there’s a long way from playing for Aberdeen to playing for Celtic and time will tell if he’s got the stuff for that.
But he should be given a chance to find out.
When the summer comes, Brendan Rodgers has to bring him home.
He’s one of the best young talents in Scotland. He belongs on the stage of Celtic Park.