In the aftermath of Beautiful Sunday, almost all the press coverage, and that on the blogs has, rightly, been focussed on the unfolding shambles at Ibrox. We’ve not reached Peak Funny yet over there; I have some more stuff on it for later in the day.
What’s been missing from all this, of course, is much coverage of Celtic. As I have said repeatedly to those who ask me why this blog doesn’t focus, solely, on our club, Celtic is a fantastic institution and the first and most enduring love of my whole life but the thing is, and it’s impossible to deny, in contrast to the Ibrox circus we are boring.
I like it that way. I like that we are a professional club which does things in the right manner. Look at James Forrest’s comments; “we will take nothing for granted against Motherwell.” He, like every other person at Celtic Park, is focussed on getting done the jobs which are still unfinished; wrapping up this league title, making sure that we don’t suffer a hangover end to the season by failing to close out the treble. This team is driven, but not arrogant.
Think of all the reasons this team has to be.
Our players could be going into press conferences like swaggering conquerors. If they were, I would know something had gone wrong at our club. When Brendan spoke last week about our humility, the respect with which we treat every opponent, the contrast with that attitude wafting out of Ibrox was stark; not only do they not recognise that there are ten other clubs in the league apart from us, but they barely recognise us either.
In the aftermath of this one, their players lined up to say how unacceptable the result is. I understand that, they were comprehensively outplayed. But this assertion that a “Rangers team” should not be losing like that is madness, and they must know it, deep down. But nowhere is the sense of disproportion greater than in where they place demands on Murty that the club finish second in the SPL, as if they have some divine right to.
They do believe it. This club is not built for humility and that’s why every defeat plunges them into this despair … and especially a defeat against us.
It has been ten games now. Ten. Yesterday was the second anniversary of the day at Hampden when they beat us on penalty kicks. Do you remember the headlines after that? One team was on the ascendency and one was in decline; but I wrote at the time, over on Fields, that they would come to look upon that day with real regret that they won it.
I offered up the quote attributed to Yamamoto, the Japanese admiral who planned Pearl Harbour and, in the aftermath, brooded over what he had done.
“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve,” he is reputed to have said.
Well, Sevco is far too late to wonder what might have been. But Celtic has learned so many lessons from that day. The first is never to underestimate any team again. Our respect comes from humility, yes, but it has roots that go deeper.
When a Roman general won a big enough victory, he was afforded the honour of a Triumph, a march, with his troops, through the city of Rome itself. He would take his place at the head of the procession, in a gilded chariot and behind him, a slave would stand holding a laurel wreath crown above his head, and whispering into his ear what was known as the memento mori; “Remember that you are just a mortal man.”
Talk about making sure somebody stays grounded in reality.
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