Celtic fans are concerned only with winning this weekend. Let others worry about second place.

It amazes me sometimes when I look around the media and the fan forums of other clubs and see the sheer idiocy on display. Right now, everywhere you look across the city, people are discussing what the best outcome is for them this weekend.

The smart ones know the best result they can hope for is a draw, as that would cut the gap on both sides in front of them. But as usual, many don’t seem to grasp that.

The media is also caught up in this debate, trying to work out which result would suit them best. Again, it’s obvious that a draw is the ideal scenario. Yet we still have people—like a certain Village Idiot—admitting they’d rather see Celtic win. Honestly, it’s baffling how people can be this dim. It’s like arguing with a Trump supporter.

There are even fans across town suggesting we’re in a dilemma over whether we actually want to win this game. Try to get your head around that logic.

The thinking seems to be that because we’re likely to win most of our games and the league anyway, we might fancy sacrificing points in this one to keep Aberdeen five points ahead of them. I’ve genuinely seen people put that argument forward, as absurd as it sounds.

I’m really looking forward to the weekend’s match.

For me, it’s just another game and another three points to aim for. I want us to win, and I couldn’t care less how it impacts other clubs. I don’t care what the Ibrox fans think about the result, or what the media says about Aberdeen’s chances of finishing second. As long as we finish first, whoever finishes second is of very low priority to me.

Would I like to see Aberdeen keep up their form after the weekend?

Of course! I’d love to see them keep winning and hold onto second place. But would I trade a single Celtic point to make that happen? Absolutely not. And let’s not forget, we’ve got a cup semi-final against the same team coming up. I’d rather we beat them convincingly at Celtic Park and dent their confidence ahead of Hampden.

My focus, and the focus of every Celtic fan, is on what happens with Celtic. I don’t spend my time looking over the fence with envy or worry. When I do glance over, as I have these past couple of weeks, it’s only to have a laugh at the state of things. Celtic is what fills my every waking thought, and the betterment of Celtic is all that concerns me.

This weekend, we face our biggest title challengers. I want to be ahead of them by the end of it, not just on goal difference, but with a three-point gap. If the Ibrox club closes the gap on Aberdeen as a result, I won’t lose a minute’s sleep over it. Aberdeen’s manager has done an excellent job, and he has every right to feel confident going into this game. But if they leave Celtic Park on the end of a hiding, that doesn’t mean their season will fall apart.

There’s a narrative floating around that if Aberdeen lose at Celtic Park, it will shatter their confidence and ruin their hopes of finishing second. That’s nonsense. They’re coming into this on the back of seven straight league wins. Losing to the champions, at the champions’ home ground, is no disgrace. It’s not going to unravel their season.

Aberdeen are more than capable of bouncing back. They’re more than capable of beating the Ibrox club at home when they meet them in a few weeks. Let’s not forget, the Ibrox club can’t buy a win at Celtic Park, so anyone thinking a defeat here will crush Aberdeen’s confidence needs to think again. There’s no reason why that has to be the case.

Here’s the reality: Aberdeen will drop points at some stage. We will drop points at some stage. The Ibrox club is going to drop a lot of points over the course of the season. That’s football. This weekend’s game is important, absolutely, but it’s not going to decide the title.

As I said in my previous article, if Aberdeen gets a result at Celtic Park, they’ve got nothing to fear for the rest of the season. That doesn’t guarantee they’ll have a successful campaign or finish second, but it proves they’re capable and should be taken seriously.

I want us to win this weekend, and I fully expect us to.

In fact, I expect us to win comfortably.

But I’ve also been impressed with how Aberdeen has played so far, and I hope they continue to rack up points after this. I hope they push us as hard as they can. As my good friend Eric said the other day, and as I’ve written several times recently, we need a challenge from outside Glasgow. Especially with the state the Ibrox club is in, because no one knows how long they can maintain a challenge—or if they’ll even be in a position to do so for much longer.