Another weekend in which we play second to the Ibrox club.
Does it feel like we’ve been doing that for many, many months now, with grim regularity?
Almost every other week, we seem to be playing a day after them or a few hours after them … it’s a topsy-turvy fixture list this one, and one that seems almost as if it was designed to put us under pressure.
Celtic, of course, has not acted like a team under pressure. In fact, we’ve handled the whole of this campaign brilliantly in that regard and it’s no wonder Ange pointed that out to our critics the other day at his press conference.
Every time the other lot “cuts the gap” that puts the heat on us a wee bit. Especially as we play them next weekend. And yet every time that pressure is on we have risen to it and won our way through. The question is, why does it happen so often this season?
I can’t remember a season like it. Not all of it can be down to Sky; there have been weekends where we’ve played after the Ibrox club when neither of us had a game on live.
Maybe I’m seeing things that aren’t there, but this isn’t the first time this season I’ve done an article on this, and so I know it’s more than just my imagination and my mind playing tricks on me. The split is coming up soon, and all the wailing from across town is about how they will have to play two extra home away games whilst we’ll get two extra at home … but our fixture list throws up weirder scenarios than that at times.
In fact, let me tell you of something that’s literally just happened.
Even as I was writing this piece, I noticed John McGinley of 67Hail Hial, a writer I have tremendous respect for, has opened his latest article with these words; “Far more often than not this season Celtic have been playing after our closest Scottish Premiership rivals in each round of fixtures and this weekend is no different. Ange Postecoglou’s Bhoys will again be playing to restore a nine-point lead at the top of the table after this afternoon’s results.”
It’s comforting to read that. I know now that I’m not losing the plot.
Scottish football is full of these little “coincidences”, these little unexplained issues.
Like the one about how Ibrox continues to set records on not having conceded penalty kicks.
Our game is a strange little universe. Some of the normal laws don’t seem to apply, and just when you think we’ve reached a point where it can’t get crazier it does.
More on that tomorrow, believe me.
The ONLY wk we don’t is obviously nxt wk & then April 22/23 when they visit the Mogadons on the Sun.. Haf 4 kick-aff!! After nxt wks PUMPIN & going 12 pts clear they will visit Pittodrie 15 points behind & their ARSES will COLLAPSE!! Had we had the opportunity tae go 12 clear of them in the last 3 Mths they wdve COLLAPSED a lot sooner! EVERYTHING & I MEAN EVERTHING has been dun tae heap pressure on us & yet after tomorrow it’ll STILL BE 9 PTS!! GET IT RIGHT FUKIN UP YI YA CORRUPT SFA/HUN BASTARDS.. WE NEVER STOP!!
Aye the team who’s Captain openly admitted that pressure affected them get to play before us nearly every week
James, it let’s wee shug keevins tell us the gap is only six points. HH
Sky TV should just get in line, let them degrade themselves as they did with that
Morelos interview.
On current trajectories, over the next few years we’ll have left the 2 Rangers clubs’ trophy tallies behind us. We know we’ve always been the best club in Scotland but that fact will only be embellished when we can also lay claim to the most prizes too.
Like many, I won’t be shouting about it, because titles/ cups in Scotland are no benchmark to greatness.
Our claim to being the best should always include the fact that- win or lose, while always demanding fluid performances and entertainment as a fan base- that we have had to operate in an environment of sheer hatred based on the roots of our club.
We have had to deal with corrupt bigots at every level of the game here from the very beginning, while our rivals have resorted to outright thuggery, favours from biased officials, hierarchy and media, even years of financial doping/ cheating, all just to get near us as a club.
We have always had to work harder for everything we ever won in Scotland, some were robbed from us as well, down the years.
This is why we are the greatest Scottish club side, we enjoy our football, while *The Rangers* only exist to give bigotry in Scotland a totem pole to dance around as they try to stop us, by any means possible- style is an afterthought, rules are an inconvenience.
Giving life to their new club 11 years ago was more about hatred than football.
That hatred has made us stronger than they ever planned for.
Spot on!! You nailed it mhate!! Hate is all they ever had sadly they have enablers in media ,SFA and police force which says it all about Brigadoon andtheir are many! What a wee bigoted land But still we Celtic conquer all!! Another TREBLE incoming in spite of it!
Isn’t it the case that Sunday TV fixtures are more important and attract more viewers than sat fixtures.
It actually just proves that sky place more importance on our games than theirs.
Fantastic comment Sid – all of hatred we endure neatly assessed and summarised! Major chapeau tip!
Commented on this a few weeks ago.This weekend saw THEM play before us for the 17th time, Celtic have played before them 4 times,,,,no wonder I’m paranoid,,,,,,,
Lol just wee change of subject here,but apparently Tillman is now the best player in Scotland.
He is so good Ross Wilson is now in contact with Bayern about freeing up the clause in his contract there £5 million+ is the figure.
Season books need to be punted and here is a nice wee squirrel story to coincide with the so called magnificent performance from Tillman today.
And the BENNYS will be falling over themselves to believe it.
Yes it’s unbelievable. Designed to give New Rangers every advantage. (Or so it seems).
They’ll try everything including VAR (Video assisting Rangers) and giving penalties against us and none against them. However we will still win the league.
56 is still coming no matter what . Read and weep.
Ha ha Aye in couple years Celtic have that !! Oldco died! But still the sad poisonous hordes have to pretend , pathetic they walked away and did nothing!! In an age of internet banking to what a rid neck!! Buy hey they didn’t care only ever used oldco to spew their hate; even the old ” purple huns ” of Edinburgh saved their club ha ha Rid neck!! Another TREBLE incoming fellow Tim’s!! So many! Ain’t it great we waited on newco coming into this league to start this relentless form!! Ha ha loved it!!
We should all be focused on today’s game only and I am certain the players are, but roll on next week just the same so we can teach them a football lesson. A lesson that will destroy any desperate notions they had about a resurgence, a lesson that will destroy their very pitiable spirits, in fact we will end THEM next week in every way.
COYBIG put them all back in their stinky, staunch boxes.
I had been thinking the same thing so decided to research this last week. As things stand there have been 30 rounds of fixtures. Rangers have kicked off before Celtic on 16 occasions this season whereas Celtic have only kicked off before Rangers on 5 occasions. The other 9 have seen both teams playing at the same time. This will increase to 17-5 in Rangers favour before the split as they play St Mirren at home in a Saturday 3pm kick off whilst we are away to Kilmarnock on the Sunday.
When Rangers have a standard Ibrox 3pm Saturday kick off Celtic are nearly always playing on the Sunday which you would expect. However, when Celtic have a standard Parkhead 3pm Saturday kick off Rangers are getting an early 12.30 Saturday kick off. There was even an example where they got a Thursday night kick off against Hibs when we had the early Saturday slot at Pittodrie. Since Michael Beale has been Rangers manager they have only kicked off after Celtic on one occasion in the league (Celtic played Kilmarnock on a Saturday near the start of January and they were away at Tannadice on the Sunday). It means Rangers never get to experience that scoreboard pressure.
You would maybe expect a slight difference over the course of a season but 17-5 is a massive difference. The Celtic Board should be querying this.
Two seasons ago you were complaining about the number of times Sevco were on Sky compared to us. We are playing catch up today because we are on Sky.
The issue is that our weekend live games on sky are almost always on a Sunday therefore AFTER Rangers have played but Rangers live games have mostly been early Saturday therefore BEFORE we have played resulting in the ridiculous situation that they have played before us 4 times more often than we have played before them – as HH says they have only once had to play catch up since Beale was appointed over FOUR months ago!!!