Celtic Can Now End Ibrox’s Season Early And Send Them Into A Cruel Summer.

That was the draw we wanted last night.

It was perfect right down to Colin Hendry doing it and trying to keep a straight face. I think that it’s the draw most of us wanted, although we will not underestimate them.

They beat us in this competition last year, at the same stage, so you might say there’s a certain symmetry here.

Oddly enough, if you check out what was being said on the Ibrox forums last night they wanted it as much as we did; so be it. They are destined to discover the truth of Oscar Wilde’s famous maxim; “When the God’s wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.”

In truth, I think what we’re hearing from over there is a lot of false bravado.

They know what this means.

Lose that one and there’s nothing left for them this season, except a segue into a long cruel summer.

I don’t envy them the choices they are going to have to make when it rolls around. Even the prospect that Morelos and Kent might sign up for another tour of duty can’t be terribly satisfying; the same old losers in the same old roles.

We are confident and we should be.

They are worried and they should be as well.

Those things alone don’t add up to a win, but the idea that we are the club under the most pressure here – and that’s how it will be painted – is fanciful rubbish. Whatever happens in the semi, we have a title still to win and we’ll have a celebration planned no matter what.

This is everything for them, and it’s everything for them because their manager very publicly and very foolishly set the club a target to win both of the cups and he’s already failed on the first one. We know that from now until they game they will work themselves into a frenzy over it so that by the time it comes the weight of it will be killing them.

The end of this campaign will be all they think about after that, and it will bring them absolutely no respite. It will bring them absolutely not peace.

I wanted this draw though primarily for what it means to us.

End their season so that we can enjoy the remainder of ours without all the nonsensical baggage that the media would attach to cup final day. This way, if we win, it’s all about us, it’s all about the strength of Celtic.

We deserve that. Ange deserves it.

Cup final day would be nothing but a celebration of us.

That’s what’s at stake, as much as the trophy and the treble.

A day for our fans, and our club.

After that joyless Covid year in which we couldn’t see games and the club threatened to collapse we are here. Back at the top where we belong. To win a double, and then a treble after that … incredible.

And that’s why I can say that we earned it. It’s as Nixon said, “It’s only when you have been in the deepest valley that you can know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.”

We’re almost there, guys.

Being realistic, they are what’s in the way., and the chances are they’d have been in the way anyway.

So let’s do it now, let’s end it.