My Celtic Lions had to dig deep for the weekend’s win. We did.

After the game in the Europa League with Braga, it wasn’t just me who was gutted but the whole Celtic support. Watching our beloved club play that way and lose was painful. The question now is simple: what’s happening with the Celtic Lions? Is it all on the board, or does Brendan Rodgers carry his share of the blame too?

The situation at Celtic isn’t good.

The board, as usual, live in a magical bubble, showing no real ambition to sign top-class players or properly back the manager. But Rodgers isn’t blameless either. He looked embarrassed after that Europa League match and yet persists with the same system that clearly isn’t working. That stubbornness could cost us.

Still, I believe in Celtic. I believe in Rodgers too.

He’s a clever man, and I think he will find a way through this. But the club badly needs improvement. We need reinforcements in key areas, and until we can get them we need tactical flexibility if we’re going to achieve anything this season.

Coming back to Paradise to face Motherwell, the Lions had to win. The performance in Europe was nowhere near good enough, and the fans demanded a response. Right from kick-off, Celtic looked sharper – more pressing, more intent, more aggression. That hunger to get forward was obvious.

The champions needed points, goals, and above all, belief.

The first half wasn’t without its frustrations, but there were positives. The pressing was good, the movement was better, and The Hoops were creating chances. Some were blocked, some were wasted, but they kept at it.

Defensively, there were big interventions as well. Then, in the 25th minute, came a breakthrough. Our new Nigerian striker stepped up and buried a penalty after a Motherwell handball. It was a good moment for the big man, especially after the disappointment of having one ruled out against Braga.

Of course, Celtic don’t do things the easy way. Motherwell equalised, and the half ended 1-1. That lack of focus – the tendency to switch off – continues to be a problem.

A little bit of credit must go to Motherwell; both sides went at it with intensity, and the tension in the ground was real. They made it hard for us.

The second half carried on in the same fashion. Celtic pushed, pressed, and created, but nerves frayed again when Motherwell scored a penalty. For a moment, I feared the worst. The thought crossed my mind – “what if we lose this?” – but I pushed it away.

And then came the turning point. Nygren, the big Swede, scored again to make it 2-2. The mistake between the keeper and the defender was shocking, but this is why you have players doing the high-press, and it paid off.

Suddenly, belief surged back into the team and the stands. Celtic were desperate for the win, desperate for three points to steady the ship. You saw that in the response of big Iheanacho when he immediately urged the midfielder to grab the ball and get it back to the centre spot. Like everyone else, I enjoyed watching the footage of him after he was subbed, when he acted like a guy still on the pitch … and celebrated the winner.

In injury time, we got our moment. Daizen Maeda – our Japanese samurai – dived at a cross and powered home a header. Paradise erupted. A brilliant, dramatic winner, and a reminder of what this team is capable of when they dig deep.

So Celtic beat Motherwell 3-2.

It was a hard-fought, emotional victory. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt like a glimpse of the real Celtic again – the champions of Scotland, showing their character and fighting spirit.

Days like that remind you why you believe. The Lions need to build on it, improve, and show more of the same in the weeks to come. If we do, we’ll retain this title.