Derek McInnes, the Celtic Lion is coming for you!

Derek McInnes — the nasty, gruesome rat, the manager of the Ibrox mob — has apparently decided that the secret of beating Celtic is to harness the power of a capacity Ibrox crowd. A poisonous atmosphere, thousands of supporters roaring their team on, and suddenly the Champions of Scotland are supposed to be blown away.

Wait a minute, McInnes. An early-season blow on Celtic? The Champions?

How dare you speak as though Celtic are some wee club waiting to be intimidated by a noisy stadium? How dare you compare the power of Celtic to the level of a lesser side? I mean, honestly, what are you thinking, you perma-raging eejit?

I have to admit, I find this sort of talk absolutely fascinating.

Because what exactly is this “power” you are expecting from a capacity Ibrox crowd? Is it the noise? The insults? The objects thrown at Celtic staff, the manager and the boys in green and white? Is it the sectarianism, the disgusting words directed towards Celtic players and staff? Or is it simply the belief that, if enough people shout loudly enough, Celtic will somehow forget who they are?

If that is what you mean, McInnes, then you are one mistaken wee rat.

And if you mean something else, then I suggest you explain it a wee bit more carefully, because I do not accept for a second that the atmosphere at Ibrox is some mystical footballing force capable of overpowering Celtic.

Celtic are Champions. That is not a decorative title. It is not something we carry around for photographs before handing it back when the pressure arrives. It is something we earned.

It is something that belongs to the Bhoys, to the manager, to the supporters and to the history of this magnificent football club.

And Champions know how to deal with difficult places. Champions know how to deal with hostile crowds. Champions know how to deal with opponents who believe that their stadium, their noise and their poisonous atmosphere will somehow do the work for them.

I have watched Celtic walk into intimidating environments before. I have watched us face pressure, hostility, expectation and all the nonsense like this.

And I know one thing: the louder the challenge, the more I want to see the green and white Lion of Celtic Park stand up.

Because that is what I expect from Celtic. I expect us to be better than the officials can influence. I expect us to be better than the atmosphere can influence. I expect us to be better than the opponent can influence.

And I expect us to be better than the ridiculous idea that a capacity crowd united in ugliness automatically gives a team a better chance to win a football match.

Of course, a full stadium can inspire a team. Of course, supporters can create an incredible atmosphere. I am not denying that.

Celtic Park has done it countless times, and I know precisely what it means when Paradise rises together. I know the feeling of thousands of Celtic supporters singing, shouting, believing and pushing the team forward.

But there is a difference between supporting your team and believing that your crowd is some kind of weapon that makes you superior to the opposition.

There is a difference between creating an atmosphere and using it as an excuse for everything that happens inside the stadium.

And there is a very big difference between believing in your team and believing that Celtic are going to be frightened because you have filled the ground.

McInnes, I hope you understand that Celtic are not coming to Ibrox to admire your crowd. We are not coming to be impressed by the number of people in the stands. We are not coming to be intimidated by the noise.

We are coming to play football. And we are coming to win.

That is the mentality I want to see from Celtic. Not arrogance. Not complacency. Not the idea that we can simply turn up and collect three points because we are Champions. No, I want something much more powerful than that.

I want hunger. I want strength. I want discipline.

I want the Champions’ mentality.

I want Celtic to look at the occasion, look at the opponent, look at the atmosphere and say: Right. Let’s show them what we are.

Because that is what Champions do.

They do not need to shout about how powerful they are. They demonstrate it. They do not need to tell everyone how intimidating their stadium is.

They make the football do the talking. And they certainly do not need to rely on a poisonous atmosphere to give them an advantage.

If anything, I would suggest that the more McInnes talks about the power of the Ibrox crowd, the more I want Celtic to make him regret it, because we know the real reason he’s doing it; if we score first that crowd becomes our weapon, not his. They turn against their team. They boo every individual error. Their fury starts to intimidate their own players rather than inspire them. That’s what he fears and we all know it.

I want the Bhoys in green and white to walk into that stadium with their heads held high. I want them to look around, take in the noise and then get on with the job. I want them to remember that they are representing Celtic Football Club. Not some wee team that has wandered into the wrong part of Glasgow.

I want them to start aggressively, score first and turn the tables on McInnes.

We are the club that has won the league five times in a row. The club that has already shown this season that it can score goals, create chances and play with real quality. The club that has players capable of changing a game in a moment. The club that has a manager who knows what it takes to win.

So, McInnes, Mr Raging Bear, you better not pee yourself when the Celtic Lion comes to get you! But I have a feeling that the atmosphere you are so proud of might become a wee bit less comfortable when Celtic start playing the football we know they are capable of.

So, McInnes, stick your “I’m sure the Ibrox mob will win because of that poisonous atmosphere and capacity crowd” nonsense where the sun does not shine.

Celtic are coming, and I, for one, cannot wait to see whether those famous Ibrox ballads of hate can withstand the arrival of the Champions and the roar of the lion.

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