Let me tell you what comes from being the most dominant club in this country for more than just the last ten years. Nobody wants to see you continue being successful. Everyone who is allegedly a neutral is just waiting to see you fall on your backside.
In this country, that means, of course, that the Ibrox club will be successful instead.
I know a lot of people who support a lot of different clubs, and whilst that prospect does not exactly thrill them, they would rather see that than our club continue winning everything from now until kingdom come. And this, of course, is to say nothing for our enemies.
Our enemies are to be found all across the game.
They are not all located in the environs of Ibrox or at Hampden.
They are not all found in the press box. Believe me when I tell you that there are managers out there who enjoy nothing more than beating us and they are allegedly neutrals on the issue of who they’d like to see win the title.
There’s one of them at Livingston. At Kilmarnock and Tynecastle are ex-Ibrox players. These guys regularly get their teams up for it against us; both have beaten us this season.
McInnes, to give him his due, has also taken three points off the Ibrox club. He at least has a shred of professional pride. Naismith has never hesitated to fly his colours high and proud.
Hearts are an utter embarrassment today.
Five down at the time of writing.
I listened to the first 20 minutes of the game at Ibrox and even without the early goal I knew how that was going to go. The pre-match show was an Ibrox love-in but there was a lot of credit given to Hearts and their “second best in Europe” run that they were on.
I knew that was coming to a close before a ball was even kicked.
Even in a country where our fans weren’t a barely tolerated minority and our club wasn’t detested merely because of what it represents, even by people who allegedly scorn all this “West of Scotland” stuff, we would not be flavour of the month.
We’ve been too good for too long, and so I cannot think of a single team in this league which will be minded to do us any favours.
They all want to be the team who beats us. None is particularly motivated to help us out.
Don’t forget, for the majority of teams in this league, and including Hearts, these sorts of games, and include those against us … well, they are considered throwaways.
Nobody holds it against these teams if they lose, not even their own fans. That’s a terrible mentality for clubs to have, but it’s a fact and there’s no getting away from it.
I still don’t think the Ibrox club is a particularly good team.
But this late in the season, almost nobody has anything to play for except us and them.
People at Hearts are congratulating themselves on already having finishing third, although I’d consider it pretty funny if they were to fumble the ball this late in the day and not make it.
But from this moment on we have to operate under the assumption that if we’re going to win this we’re on our damned own. Which means with 12 games to go we’re going to have to win them all.
Every single one of them.
The whole damn lot.
Nobody is going to do us a turn here.
We do this ourselves, or it’s not going to get done.
Isn’t that every other managers job James whether they played for the buns or supported them in some way or another, the problem we have this year is we had our foot on their throat at one point then instead of putting the other one on it they totally let them of the hook by playing some piss poor football especially at home,so there lies our very own self inflicted wounds.
Everything you say is spot on James and I was going to come on and comment on this, regardless of whether you did an article or not ! I said to a few in midweek that if a so called ‘ on form,’ Hearts team went to Ibrokes and capitulated by more than 3, then the ball is burst ! Naismith is a fully paid up ex Ibrox player and cheerleader and a snivelling wee git. He’s fully aware that they are playing for third and games like today are irrelevant. His cup final is next Sunday.For all that we’ve messed up this season, let’s win this title, and It will be 100% under our own steam now. Wednesday at Killie will be another ‘interesting’
game. Another
‘in form,’ team!
Watch this space !!!!!!!
Like yourself James, I’m hoping we go on a run and win all of our 12 games. I feel the Joe effect might just spur the players on, as he’s respected in the dressing room and they’ll want him to retire with a league and cup double. I think it can happen.
As for Hearts – cheating their own supporters every season by not trying a leg against Sevco. Been the same for decades. They’re not known as the ‘cousins of William’ for nothing.
I am not having this, James. Rather than moan about Hearts not trying a leg to help out the huns, we should be absolutely astonished at how that shower of shite deservedly beat us at Celtic Park a couple of months ago.
This is not conspiracy job. This is the huns turning the screw because we let them.
Hearts rock up to ibrox with industrial vats of lube. Anyone who expected anything except a heavy defeat for them today is deluded.
It’s a mentality thing as well james… I just feel Clemente has got them playing a certain way, which is working. He has revitalized there players who were doing nothing under the previous manager, dessers looks a completely different player. I just hope Brendan can get something out our players, tomorrow is must win, we need to stay just the 2 behind till ibrox, as I really feel we will beat them at ibrox. Have our players got the bottle, let’s see what they are made of, they know why needs to be done tomorrow, 3 points is critical.
I was out on Monday night and one man said sevco’s got a tough game on Saturday without hesitation I told him he was talking crap
I said anybody with any knowledge of Scottish football knows exactly what’s going to happen at Ibrox Hearts will lose by 4 or 5 and they won’t lay a glove on rangers sadly I was right Naismith should’ve been sacked on the spot he’s a disgrace just like his wee pal at Livvi
We should not be relying on others doing us a turn,I find that quite astonishing from you James we are Celtic & we win in our own merits ????
Yeah I agree. James you are a gifted writer and and an entertaining read. But the odd article does stick in my craw and this is one of them. We shouldn’t need to be looking to Hearts (of all teams) to do us a turn.
It should be Aberdeen. LOLZ.
Hahaha yeah if it was gonna be anyone I’d prefer it was them 🙂
So what’s new? It, as they say, was ever thus and, for the record, always wiil be, Or maybe will always Lawwell be.
Spot on james
Lets get the points on the board tomorrow.Let them write us off.This aint over by a long stretch.Keep the faith Bhoys.
Just over a year ago we were at home to Livi and TRFC away at Hearts (who were on a run). Recall sitting on the supporters bus going to the match and radio punters astonished by the team that Neilson put out – Hearts lost badly that night and wheels came off their season. Think Neilson said after that “they wanted to try something different” as his excuse for the performance.
Having said that, it’s up to us to win our games, one at a time. Turn up, play as the Champions we are and stay united.
And remember it ain’t over until Albert Kidd says so!
11 wins and at least a draw at Ibrox and we win the League, Can this Celtic team do it? Unless there is a big improvement in pace, movement off the ball and shooting, in fact just about every part of our game I don’t think they can.
The calibre of player brought in over the past two windows hasn’t been good enough, McGregor ,O’Riley and Kyogo are our best 3 attacking players but they don’t have the support act of two good wingers on the park. Our defence isn’t the problem this season we’ve lost roughly the same amount of goals as last season, it’s the lack of goals scored that’s our problem.
A convincing win today could change things, but I don’t have a lot of faith in any of our wingers these days, and a Celtic team without decent wingers will never win any titles.
Well at least we know what to expect…. Win our games, however, there is something not right at our club right now, no spark….
We can’t start looking at other clubs to help us,we’ve never done it in the past. Whether there’s ex-Rangers players now managers at other clubs it doesn’t matter. We were 8 pts clear in December and now were 2 pts behind so we got ourselves in this mess. Lets not start taking cheap shots at other teams for not beating them.