Today we’re just gotten word that our game against Dundee Utd will go ahead.
Thank the Gods!
The question is, should we want it to?
If it had been called off it would have given us a weekend of respite in this awful month filled to the brim with matches.
A break would do us good.
That can’t be denied.
But it would also pretty much eradicate any chance we have of going into the winter break on top of the table and I think the psychological impact of that could have been enormous.
Anything that makes it more difficult to get to that peak would not have been welcomed.
Dundee Utd clearly worked hard to get this game on, and we should be glad they succeeded.
December will be a crucial month; I think if we come through it with maximum points we will go into the Celtic Park game at New Year ready to take our rightful place at the top.
But a seven-point gap that dragged on and on and on, if they keep winning, even with a game in hand?
That also creates pressure, the worst kind, the kind we don’t need and don’t want.
That’s pressure we can do without.
Let’s get this game over with, win it and move forward.
I understand why some people might have seen this as an opportunity to rest some of our players and put the pressure on Ibrox, whose own schedule is pretty intense, but on balance I just think the risk was not as great as the reward.
On top of that, the players need the momentum; it’s the first time we have properly had any when you think about it, because every time we got going the international break would come along and there would be a stop.
That’s not been helpful to us.
This is a tricky away fixture of course, and we’ll need to be on our game.
But I am glad the game itself is going to go ahead and I’m sure everyone at Parkhead is too.
This is an edited version of the original piece, because, of course, no sooner had I published it than it was confirmed that the game IS on and I am very pleased about that as you can see!
get the game played sevco newco will be playing on the weekend of the cup final.