The Celtic fans usually sing their Lisbon song on 67 minutes during a match.
Mobile phones pressed into service as ad hoc torches complete the performance art.
Long before the disco lights were installed at Celtic Park it made for quite a sight.
On 67 minutes last night, at two nil up against St Johnstone, Celtic brought on Odsonne Édouard to replace Oli Burke.
He was probably the last thing that the men from Perth wanted to see.
The young Frenchman, now free of his injury, was back to augment the Celtic frontline.
When he first arrived at Parkhead the PSG starlet was on loan.
However, the champions were able to agree on a deal that was a club record.
The man he replaced last night wants to travel the same road to Parkhead permanency.
Last week I’m told that the WBA player was in contact with his representatives to see if his sojourn at Celtic could be made permanent in the summer.
The young Scot isn’t the only re-enforcement to bolster Celtic’s attack and the home crowd at Parkhead have yet to see what kind of striker they have in Vakoun Issouf Bayo.
The list of first-team players almost on their way back is formidable, although the temporary absence of Filip Benković is an undoubted blow to a depleted backline.
Consequently, by the end of the today, Rodgers would dearly love to have another defender to add to his squad.
The well-documented hunt for a right-back has been extensive.
A league campaign from this stage on becomes a rather attritional affair.
Moreover, as it stands it cannot be denied that Celtic have greater playing resources than anyone else in the league.
Six points and a superior goal difference means that any aspirant title challenger cannot afford to stumble.
At the start of last month, an ex-professional player who now works in the media gave me his considered opinion on the putative title race.
I enjoy chatting to him as he is not the average ex-player in the media type.
He eschews the normal lexicon of fitba cliches and is excellent company over lunch, able to converse on a wide range of subjects.
For the record, he has never plied his trade for any club in Glasgow, living or dead.
He told me that if Celtic were ahead at the end of the year then he reckoned that the champions would strengthen during the January transfer window.
With quiet confidence, he predicted that Rodgers’ men would win the league by “about eight points or thereabouts”.
For the avoidance of doubt, I hope he is correct.
Phil – you should run a “Guess the Pundit” competition. Now that we can rule Kris Boyd and Barry Ferguson out of the running, My money’s on…
DEREK JOHNSTONE.
😂😂😂😂😂
I too hope your diner friend is bang in the money,I’m hoping that the margin is more than than retired footballer come gourmand has declared.Although,the gap isn’t too important,as long as CFC🍀 make it eight in a row.
I’d like a bigger margin just so ‘that lot’ know they still have much work to do,even if they do manage second place.
As much as we like the challenge,we don’t want to give them any confidence at all to store away for the next campaign,would we?
At this late hour CFC🍀 have announced the loan signing of Jeremy Toljan;who is seemingly ‘delighted and excited’ at the move.My only hope is that by the end of the season that he will have become ecstatically loving his time thus far and hopefully be looking to make the move permanent due to the three titles he’ll have helped attain.
HH✅
I hope he’s wrong – I want 21 points!
Hail Hail 🍀🍀
6 points clear and a widening goal difference, more of the same please.
St J’s never had a shot at goal throughout the 90 mins. Perhaps Tommy Wright will play a more expansive game at home and push some of his players into the Celtic half!
Probably not as the last time he did that James Forrest ran riot.
Sorry Phil, but “about 8 points or thereabouts ” is a little too close for my liking. The obvious shenanigans of the men in black with their penchant for “honest mistakes” means that kind of a gap is misleading. If they don’t get a CB in for cover before the end of today, IMO they are seriously gambling with winning the title. You can get by at RB if they don’t fill it but you can’t get by in middle of defence.
I did appreciate the “living or dead” remark. Given the GD it looks like a 7 point margin. The next 5 away games are critical. BR has to stick with Bain as his distribution is better, and the Brown/McGregor combination in CM home and away.
Ian Paisley arrived at the Pearly Gates…
St. Peter : ” Eh…Can I help you..? ”
Paisley: ” I’d like to come in please.”
St. Peter : ” I know who you are…and you’re not welcome here.”
Paisley : ” Ah…but I’m not the person you think I am….Last week I gave the local Catholic Convent £100 to help fix their roof….I’ve changed.”
St. Peter : ” Look…based on that…I’ll go and ask the Boss what he thinks…hold on.”
Back comes St. Peter….
” I had a word…told him your story…and he told me to tell you…Here’s your £100 back….now get tae F*** “
Your ex-player friend certainly sounds like excellent company. Ex-Chelsea, Everton, Motherwell, Killie by any chance?
I’d say more like ex-Ewood Park, Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage…
Hope not as he’s become a bit of a prick in recent years. Chip on his shoulder cos Celtic rejected him as a boy. Decent player. Poor pundit
With both Sevco and Aberdeen away from home after the split, I think we really need to get an unassailable lead before that.
Add to that the fact that Sevco will have Aberdeen and Kilmarnock both at home in the run in.
I see too much scope for “honest mistakes” in all of those games.
We have 10 fixtures between now and the split including Sevco and the Dons at home. NOW would be a really good time to go on a long winning streak.
Celtic are top of the league on merit.
Aberdeen and Kilmarnock are near the top of the league on merit.
Sevco rangers have usurped their place through financial doping –
and still the SFA sit on their hands just like when the old Rangers died.
Can the Scottish game be any more corrupt?
Watch this space.