Celtic has delivered a perfect present to the fans and given the club a lift with the announcement today that Mikey “Magic” Johnston has signed a new five-year deal.
This is a great way to usher in tomorrow’s game and will increase the chatter about him starting the match, a move which would restore Forrest and Christie to their natural positions.
Mikey signed a new deal back in November last year, but the powers-that-be at Celtic are obviously keen to reward his excellent form and tie him down way into the future and not a soul could disagree with that decision. We have, here, a major, major talent.
I’ve been a fan for ages; back in September last year, when he had just broken into the team but was still really on the fringes of the squad, I wrote a piece where I said he would “light up Celtic Park” and save us millions of pounds.
A few months later he had his new deal. Rodgers was the manager who gave him his chance, but it’s under Lennon that he’s caught fire.
His performances this season have been stellar.
Let me put it this way, I wrote scornfully of The Record blogger who said Kent’s poor form could be excused because of his age; Mikey is two years younger, has played a comparable amount of games in this campaign and has been a standout.
He has scored six goals and set up five in just seventeen games, a record that is significantly better than that of the Ibrox “blue chip signing.”
Mikey is the real thing.
Remember all the negatives about him he had to endure in the aftermath of our visit to Ibrox at this time last year?
Rodgers played him woefully out of position and he looked lost.
The kid has shown unbelievable fortitude since then, and watching him now is like watching a different player. When he returned to Ibrox at the start of this campaign he was excellent, setting up the opening goal and giving the home team a torrid time of it all day long.
Had he been fit and firing on all cylinders, I believe he would have put away his chance at Hampden and then nobody would have still been wailing about the injustice of it all and our allegedly offside goal. He would have wrapped up the game and stuck a bow on it.
I hope he starts tomorrow.
I have no fears about his ability to wreak havoc on that Ibrox defence, and he has a good understanding with Edouard as they proved at Ibrox and then in that defence splitting moment in the final. His presence in the starting eleven would bring balance to the left side and free up our creative stars elsewhere to do their worst.
The stage is set for him, and this news today should have him – and the rest of us – buzzing for the kick-off.
I cannot wait to see him turned loose on them.
Congratulations, Mikey, and to all else at Celtic who made it happen.
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