Rodgers Has Summoned The Spirit Of The Celtic Fans, And Today The Fans Will Respond.

Brendan Rodgers played the trump card yesterday, and like any good strategic he played it at the perfect moment. There are four league games to go this season, but we’re realists here; if we win the next two then it’s all over and we can plan the party.

The next two, of course, are Hearts and the Ibrox club on our home soil. Superb.

“I think everyone is now focused on football,” he said. “It felt like there were a lot of distractions in the first six months of the season in various ways. Once the focus has really come in to football and everyone really being together … that makes a huge difference … The supporters … are a real connection and extension to the team and what we see on the field. That support they give to the team, it’s unrivalled when everyone’s on-side and they’re with us. To have that in a few of the last few games at home will be special. We’ll also need that patience as well because teams aren’t going to turn up and roll over, meaning we have to be patient … But to be at home, on the pitch, with the crowd, then hopefully we can take that advantage with us.”

And so, although Rodgers knows that the team and the coaching staff have to be at their very best, he has, at just the right time, called on the 12th man to make the difference; that is us. And today is a massive day for us to make our voices heard.

Today, if we dispatch Hearts, we set everything up for next week. What an incentive for us all.

I cannot wait for this. I said last week that this is an uncomfortable end to the campaign, but I cannot deny that there’s a weird sense of anticipation here now which has been absent at various stages. I am not saying there was ever a moment when I gave up all hope, but there have been times when it felt like we were hanging onto hope a little too tight, although we all knew that this team had the stuff to get across the line.

Now we’re right up against the line, with the two biggest matches in front of packed Celtic Park stands. What people don’t realise about that is that Hearts beating us there ended a long, years long, unbeaten run at home.

That should fill us with pride and confidence. When the fans are on their game, this team gets on its. It’s going to be brilliant.

As I said previously, we don’t need additional incentives to win these games. The team knows its business, knows what has to be done, the boss is focussed and the fans, even without Brendan’s call to arms, will be making enough noise to shatter glass.

But we all owe Steven Naismith a round of applause for the absolute guff he talked in the run-up to this one, and particularly his arrogant tosser act where he says his team doesn’t fear us, a particularly amusing statement from a man who has lost five out of five against the club across the city whilst we’ve beaten them twice and drew once.

His words should give the players every bit as big a jolt as the noise of the supporters. But the boss has specifically asked that we make that noise, and lift the roof. And so we shall, because we really are at the sharp end now and every advantage counts.

The Celtic Park crowd is the beating heart of the club. So, get the blood pumping folks, because this is a big, big weekend, and by the time the final whistle blows today we want to be six clear and putting the pressure on the other lot.

This is what it’s all about, four games to go and if we win the next two, we can set up Flag Day at the end of the cycle.