Yesterday we completed our mission in the league. 93 points. The title. Five wins out of five after the break, and the best unbeaten run of the campaign to tie it all together and to secure the prize. The football we played in these last weeks was excellent.
The vibe at every stage yesterday, from going into the ground to when I left it with a big smile on my face was tremendous. In the pubs and bars all over the country, our supporters were in great spirits. We’re on a supreme high right now, and it feels good.
The boss still wanted to make his point on the way the media covered him.
“Criticism is fine, it’s all part of the game. It’s when it becomes personal, that’s when it oversteps the mark,” he said. “From August 26 the headlines were negative and I actually showed the guys today before we came here the story was created throughout the season. The narrative and various headlines, some were professional and some were personal. But I’ve always said that we write our own story. It’s not just a professional sport story, it’s life. You’ll get written off, you’ll get criticised but as long as you stick to your own storyline you’ll be okay.”
Remember the media reaction when Rodgers said that “we will write our own story”? He was accused of trying to foster a siege mentality. But that wasn’t it at all; what he did was remind the players of how good they were and made the confront the reality of the title race. I wonder if he didn’t ask them to consider the sort of headlines there would be if we had finished in second spot, and the Ibrox club had the summer to gloat.
Well, today belongs to us and we are heading into the cup final on a real high. Their club, on the other hand, is in some considerable turmoil and their manager is floundering. He has behaved like an idiot in the past few months as his side has started to unravel, and yesterday even the hapless Naismith was able to take points off him.
That didn’t stop Clement offering up excuses for his own bad performance. Injuries again. The mess he inherited. The failures of others at the club. One that he’s been cruising on for many months is that he “closed the gap”; yesterday Hearts ripped that out of his hands, and in any other media landscape he would have been crucified over that.
But this is a man who feels the walls closing in on him nonetheless. I wrote last week that Rodgers could end his career, and the truth of that is clearly starting to sink in with this guy. He has spent the entire season praising refs – except when it has suited him not to – and yesterday he was even forced to resort to trying to pressure them for next week’s final.
Next weekend is now shaping up as a real fork in the road for him. If his team gets their hands on the trophy, he buys himself some time. A lot or a little? Let’s put it this way; Van Bronckhorst won a Scottish Cup and reached a European final. He didn’t last eight months. There is no question that Clement’s results and tactics and style have raised real concerns amongst their fans, and those concerns are not going to die down over one game.
But if he loses that game, his neck is in the noose and he has to hit the ground running next season or he is going to fall through the trapdoor. This much is clear to him. If he loses to Rodgers for the third time, going four without a win, he’s in real bother. If he goes out of the Champions League and loses any ground in the opening fixtures – the first derby will be at Parkhead – then he’s going to find himself in a very bad place, very early on, and he won’t survive it.
Time is the one luxury he no longer has. As predicted, the Ibrox fans would have forgiven him if his own narrative of his time here was accurate – that he had come in and “closed the gap” – but he had gotten his team in front and the season ends with them even further behind. Their fans recognise that, and they are judging him harshly based on it.
He has virtually exhausted his “benefit of the doubt.”
Everything over there is in flux. It is their fans who are furious now, at their players, at their board, and lately at the manager himself. They are so pissed off that they resorted to an old standby yesterday at Tynecastle; fighting with each other. It’s not just in the stands that their club is a house divided. The whole club is in turmoil.
A large number of players know they have no future under this guy. He has slated them both in public and private. Some of them are going to have to play next week. He has injuries, and is talking about players who can play 30 minutes, others who can play perhaps 50 minutes and those who can play 70 minutes; half of his team is going to play carrying some sort of knock, and many of them probably shouldn’t be near a cup final side.
He will try to cobble together a winning team from that; I obviously won’t wish him luck, but he’s going to need it. His team is a mess. His management is a mess. His club is a mess. For the first time this season the media is asking questions and so are the fans. They are willing to see how the summer goes – some of them anyway, others want him gone if they lose the final – and he will certainly get the chance to put his own mark on the team, but we all know that once the seeds of doubt are planted over there, they only grow.
Our club has a calm, soothing week ahead. The players will train in good spirts and head to their pre-match hotel in a confident frame of mind. I suspect most of the players on the other side of the city will experience some level of anxiety. Their manager certainly will. Instead of taking the pressure off the players – as Rodgers has done with ours – he has only increased it by making them the scapegoats for his own failures as a boss.
I don’t know how he lifts them enough to make a game of it. He will try to, and some of them will rouse themselves up for the fight … but our headspace is right and our players are better and our manager is elite level and theirs is not. This will be a long week for those of us who cannot wait for the game. If it was tomorrow, it could not come too soon.
We’ll need tae win it ourselves. Can expect all sorts of shit from the media in the comin days, tae try and get the ibrox lot fired up, tho ah suspect they will be anyway. And don’t forget, they’ve their ‘friend’ beaton on var. (Need tae watch for soft penalty awards against us). Importantly, we should have our best players available and ahm more than happy about that. Nae such thing as a certainty in these games. Tho If we show up the way we can, we can take this one from them as well.
I don’t usually let anything a Liebrox manager says stick in my craw but he managed to make that happen. As soon as the league was lost he turned on his own squad and started talking about physicality and the lack of it at his disposal. I thought this guy was supposed to be a tactical genius. Ever since he took over from “the brains behind the Stevie G operation” all we were ever subjected to was how he had improved things over there. I haven’t seen any improvement since van Brockhurst was sent packing. In fact they have regressed. I am in no doubt whatsoever, now that I’ve had time to assess his “qualities” that Baldermort is nothing more than a a grifter and he is taking that lot for a ride. Good. None deserve it more than they do.
I am perfectly at ease about next week. I believe we will win. I think it will be tight but we should win with a little bit to spare. But even if we don’t, I will not be worried. It would only serve to paper over the cracks that are already apparent. It would only ruin my day, not my Summer.
Champions again ?
Hi James
I was looking for an email to contact but couldn’t see it.
I have you every thought about doing a series on our Quadruple Treble. I genuinely don’t think we get the credit we deserve for that. Not even the invincible treble and it really gets me pissed off. The difficulty of that team doing that will never be seen or matched again. It’s disrespectful to hear Ibrox come away with ‘we just need a few players’ ‘rangers are coming’ in the shadow of those sort of records. And recent records.
Any way keep up the good work
Champions again
Mark
100%. That’s a legendary achievement and we definitely don’t get enough credit for it. Even among Celtic fans I don’t think it’s praised enough. If James makes it, I’ll buy it.
I agree that’s why I posted. I think if any one can tell that story it’s him.
Have to say this.
Congratulations to the Celtic women who scored a 90th minute winner today against Hibs to pip the hun women to the title on goal difference.
Well done ghirls.
90 mins ? The Hunnettes will moan about the Ref being a Kafflick and that it was a dodgy watch in a fenian kindae a way.
Phil of Clement, his team, mentality, excuses and waffle have been covered extensively on here by yourself and our comments.
As you say, it is wonderful to be in such a good and positive space at this time, and looking forward, to the cup final.
We all deserve to have a feeling of assertiveness, given our form, these past few weeks !
Again, this is not arrogance or over confidence, just a feelgood factor that is present, when you know your club has that assurance!
I doubt the same can be said over Ibrokes way, and their fanbase must be a little bit concerned, going into Saturday’s game.
Maybe their arrogance will keep them ticking over, but at the end of the day, it is hard to ignore the cold, hard, facts!
Once again, we have the better manager, team and fanbase, and that is always significantly crucial in these games!
In BR & the bhoys we trust !
Huge congratulations to our ghirls today ! A tough game, decided by a fantastic winning goal in the 90th minute !
Have to admit I didnt see anything of the rangers game or clemente’s reaction. I didn’t even know it was a draw until an hour ago monday morning.
It’s good to see the players fully backing a manager and vice versa unfortunately I get the feeling Clemente’s personality would never let that happen.
The Belgian waffler is no comparison to Brendan and our team are on a high and should see us win comfortably on Saturday by a couple of goals, 3-1 to the bhoys. Hampden in the sun.