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Determination, Grit And Quality. That’s Why Celtic Just Keeps On Winning.

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Watching the game last night, I was struck by how keen the commentators were to see a reversal.

I’m told that Radio Scotland was just as bad.

When we went a goal down you could hear the eagerness in some of the voices; was this to be the night Lennon came undone?

You know what? I’ve seen Celtic sides wilt under the kind of pressure they were under last night.

I have seen Celtic sides buckle. This team didn’t do that. This team dug in and fought hard. This team, this team of winners, this team that cannot be bested in Scotland, has the determination to win through. Yes, that could have been a disaster last night.

But it wasn’t. And it never looked like being one either.

I was delighted with how we grifted and gritted our teeth last night, and in particular with the way certain players handled the event. Mikey got the praise in last night’s article, but there’s a lot more that is deserved. Scott Brown was excellent as usual. Callum was the unsung hero in the engine room. I thought Forrest ran his heart out. I also thought we saw something good from Lewis Morgan when he came on. And I am pleased for Scott Sinclair.

One of the guys I was really happy for – and delighted to see do so well – was Ryan Christie. What a time he’s had at Celtic, and that he has continued to grow as a player is excellent news for all of us. It asks a big question about whether Tom Rogic can get back into this team; he certainly has a fight on his hands now.

I hope he’s up for it because this kid is.

Quality and class, that was the difference. We had, in Edouard, a player who could win any game and we had in Mikey the kind of player capable of producing magic. Scott Sinclair came on and did what he does; he scored. The idea that we should sell a player capable of giving us 15 plus goals a season on top of God knows how many assists, and for a meagre £2 million … that is such nonsense it should not even need to be pointed out.

Looking over our potential opponents in the next round, I don’t see either of them beating us if we show up for business in the mood we were in last night. It will all depend on who we get after that point, but for the moment we can all relax a little, because that was the tough one of the first two rounds, that game last night, and when we went a goal down you could hear the anticipation of some of those in the commentary box. It wasn’t to be for them.

Because we showed not only our quality but our steel, and don’t underestimate that.

It’s one of our best weapons, that never-say-die spirit this side has.

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