Events at Ibrox have dominated the headlines today, but let’s not forget that Celtic showed their steel and their never-say-die attitude at Fir Park at the weekend as well.
That result is what propelled us to the seven point advantage over them which detonated the managerial career of The Mooch and sent him back to England with his tail between his legs.
We’ve hit our stride at the right time. Going to Ibrox and winning, against the odds, when most of the hacks had written us off, changed the mood at Celtic just as surely as it soured the one across town. We have secured a big, big advantage for ourselves here. All we have to do now is keep on doing what we’ve been doing all along.
Focus on ourselves. Focus on the games in front of us the way we always have; with no heed given to the league table or how it looks. One thing matters, and only one thing; the next three points.
Everything else is white noise in the background.
We, the bloggers, have always given the club across the city the maximum scrutiny and at a time like this it’s especially fun to torment them with their mistakes. But the focus first and foremost is on Celtic, and if our club wasn’t in a happy place, I wouldn’t care what was going on across the street. And people inside Celtic generally don’t care at all.
We are always capable of shutting out whatever might distract us from the job at hand.
That incredible drive has been the constant at Celtic Park for the last few years, that idea that the only thing that counts is what’s in front of you next. That professionalism. That respect for every opponent.
Because we’re still facing two massive, tough, away ties in the next few weeks and we have to get through Tynecastle and Easter Road before we can think about the easier run coming up at home, taking us towards the New Year and what might well be a title decider. And even that run will involve going to Kilmarnock and other places … so staying focussed is critical.
Frankly, I don’t see how this Ibrox side, no matter who is in charge of it, gets through the run of games we’ve almost completed. What should have been a huge disadvantage to us at the start of this campaign has played into our hands instead.
That fixture list could have wrecked our season. A new manager, trying to work with a team not his own, and integrate new signings into the side at the same time? If that fixture list had been specifically designed to give us nightmares it could not have looked much different than it did … and yet we’re the ones with the lead.
That is the advantage we must press. Ibrox is in chaos.
If they don’t hire someone quickly, they are going to struggle to get a credible candidate.
Because if we’ve won our two crucial away matches and we’re facing a much easier second part of the campaign, whilst they face the one out of a nightmare, who but a pure fool would take on such a role?
Once again, we find their destiny, in some ways, resting in our hands.
We can squeeze that club like a tube of toothpaste and we don’t have to change a thing in our approach to accomplish that. Just keep winning. That’s where the pressure point is, and as long as we’re hitting it they’re thinking about their pain and nothing else.
That’s where we want them.
Small disagreement for once James!! After 86mins we were heading for our 4th blank sheet out of 9 games this season. We are out of Lge Cup, bottom of European Group. We are not playing well. We need another striker. We need to change!!
I think we should sign Shankland Sarah…
If we don’t then Sevco will and he scores for fun in The SPFL Premier League –
We are only an injury to Kyogo away from being in a wee spot of striker bother…
I hope this is resolved in January !
@Sarah. Was sayin that on Saturday. Even tho kyogo didn’t score, if he gets an injury we’re in trouble up front and it could be costly. Oh just doesnae cut it. And that’s no only my opinion.
Who in their right mind would take on that poisoned plank!!??
It’s truly a rotten place and getting rottener (not a word-I know..but I’m using it especially for sevco!), by the day!
Wouldn’t surprise me if Patrick Power paid out b4 Halloween…
That Celtic have said nothing to the public about that APPALLING fixture list really is disgusting indeed…
It was designed to cost us and it was designed to cost us in open and plain sight and it may yet cost us –
And not a cheep from these yellowest of cowards off ‘men’ ?? – in grey suits…
It was definitely one of ma best decisions to stop funding Celtic through the turnstiles for sure…
Though if I fancy a garment from the club shop I sometimes get it –
But I’m not happy about these spineless men without balls that are our custodians !
So you stopped funding Celtic through the turnstiles.
Good that makes room for someone else to support the Celtic.
I just simply cannot stomach paying good money for a bent and corrupt product Arcchie…
But I’ve warmed the seat / Jungle Spot for 25 years for yourself or anyone else whose had it these last eight years…
I’m still happy to support Celtic financially through merchandise though –
But I like value for money and I ain’t getting it from Celtic and her custodians saying NOTHING about Cheats with whistles, Cheats with monitors and Cheats with fixture supercomputers…
The whistle and monitor equivalent have already cost us to relinquish our grip on The League Cup with their open display of mind bending of the rules v Kilmarnock…
Anyway, as always it’s all about opinions and mine does indeed leave openings for others content to put up with what I chose not to !
A fair enough assessment upon our SPFL campaign James.
I know that remains the main priority within the club.
But also work upon the same theory that if we are able to be competitive at CL level, then nothing within Scotland are going to come close to stopping us either?
Yet it remains a huge concern about our creative play at present.
The big moments within games have dropped off with goal scoring opportunity’s within games currently.
Now we can put a lot of that down to how much team’s set up defensively against us, but also signs of the improvements that other Scottish teams are making within there own counter attacking games.
So therefore the balance still isn’t quite right at present between both aspects of the game, and Saturday yet again highlighted the issue.
Both aspects of our own game still needs improvement before we start getting ahead of ourselves.
This CL campaign will expose the areas within the team that needs improving and that starts again on Wednesday against lazio.
In a mini league format, you don’t get the time to put them into practice, as you have to be on it right from the off.
Currently I’m struggling to see where the results will come from, especially if our creative play remains so relatively non existent over long periods within a game?
Saturday was possibly the best example of where we are as a team, with certain improvements are forming and been kept intact, but there is still plenty of work that’s still very much required.
This has to be put into practice on Wednesday, and still believe we have players to do so also, especially when a full team effort on both sides of the game will be required
Bring back the fat gardener and monkey gattuso full on wizard of oz to the blue brick road to the emerald city of paradise in our shadow for eternity
I heard Brown, who was “bombed” out of Ibrox last week, will be invited back to balance out the uber-staunchness and add a bit of class. Makes sense.
Hahahaha oh man, say it’s so please! That would be glorious!
James just watched a video taken at fir park where the sick polis are blocking a fire exit this is an absolute disgrace and these bastards could have caused chaos ,some faces are clearly seen these idiots must be hauled over the coals then sacked,garented they are servo scum bastards.
Yeah that’s some worrying footage mate, I gotta say.