With the Easter Road record looking as it does, and with the media still cheerfully waiting for us to drop points on a tricky away day, what an opportunity tonight has served up to us, not only to win another tough three points but to send a real message about this team.
I am excited about tonight.
Excited about the team selection.
About the tactics. About the game itself.
I am excited about the chance we have here to set down another marker, to let the other teams in this league know that this is not the tepid, even timid, Celtic team of before but an aggressive and self-confident one that thinks it can win every match.
Individual players will have a chance to shine.
I hope the manager goes with the two senior attackers, Kyogo and Giakoumakis.
I think that partnership has potential, although the Jota-Kyogo one has real promise as well.
This is the thing; this side has those kind of options.
It has that kind of firepower in it. It’s also worth pointing out that we look better at the back.
This manager will not worry about past records.
He knows this team can set its own standard and that’s all he’ll be telling them to do.
Instead of worrying about past records, this team can start to set some of its own. That’s the priority.
What a chance this is to show our philosophy in full flow.
What an opportunity for this team to stamp some authority on this league.
Once it becomes clear that none of the old media certainties and expectations apply to this team, the combination of that and the return of our fear factor will make us formidable before we even take the pitch.
Tonight is a big night for this team. Go out and win Celtic, that’s all.
But if we can do it with some style even the harshest of our critics will be silenced, at least a while.