Ange’s Subtle Dig At Celtic’s Rivals Was A Message To Our Team About Discipline.

Big Ange seemed, to me, to take a wee sideways swipe at our rivals today when he talked about how Hibs were “right in it” on the other side of the city “until the red card.” I think that was his way of telling people that he’s more than aware of what’s going on.

Ange has played the cards close to his chest as far as the SFA refereeing issue goes. He has been avowedly silent on the matter, except at the weekend where he must have felt he had to say something after Carter Vickers got booked for nothing.

But that aside, he has been almost determined to say nothing about the state of officiating in Scotland, although you know that the big man has noticed that as he’s noticed the biases of the media. Has he formed an opinion yet on why our refs behave as they do? Probably. And whilst he isn’t going on the war-path by making a big deal of it, it occupies his thinking.

I agreed with Ange on the general principle of what he said the other day about how our players cannot let bad decisions put them off of their game. He’s obliquely suggesting today that perhaps the Hibs players did allow themselves to become rattled. He is determined that this won’t happen to us. If he instils that mind-set in the team, it will be excellent.

Because I never felt confident when Lennon’s team got a player sent off. Neither did the team itself. There was obviously no Plan B for it, which is why we so frequently descended into shambles, in stark contrast to Rodgers’ team which always coped.

Ange is trying to infuse this side with the same mentality, and although I hope we never have to find out how it works we know, ultimately, that one day it’ll be put to the test and perhaps one day soon. Ange obviously thinks the same; if the only way to stop us is to halt our momentum with red cards I have no doubt that’s what will be tried.

This manager is determined not to let that derail us. As much as a message to the wise, today was a message to our own players; don’t let what happened to the Hibs boys happen to you. Stay focussed no matter what. Stay confident no matter what.

This is why we’ll be champions when this campaign ends.