I know that I wasn’t alone in the Celtic Family when I held my breath as Kristoffer Vassbakk Ajer stepped up to the penalty spot at Hampden yesterday.
Life comes at you fast and with her own chaotic plan.
When the teenage Norwegian joined Celtic in 2016, he was marked down by many as “a project”.
That term has folk in the Hooped corner of Planet Fitba rolling their eyes.
Such acquisitions are usually doomed never to be a regular fixture in the first team.
After a lengthy period, they would, finally, be loaned to see out their contract with a club that they should never have been at in the first place.
However, the kid has come good.
A promising central midfielder has been re-imagined into a centre back on loan at Killie.
When the lad made the long walk to face his vastly more experienced ex-teammate, I silently favoured Craig Gordon.
Still smarting from Odsonne Édouard’s Panenka, I was sure that the cruel scriptwriters had it in for the Quadruple Treble with a Shakespearean dénouement at the death.
Instead, the scriptwriter’s decided that young Irishman would be the hero in gloves.
Conor Hazard was suitably humble post-match.
Goalies are joined together in a trade that often brings them to a melancholic place, and he didn’t forget his brother in the Keepers Union.
At times like this, I’m reminded that Albert Camus was a keeper.
There is no way that an attacking midfielder could ever have written L’Etranger.
At their heart penalty shootouts can be seen as deeply absurd.
In the game itself, Celtic’s defensive frailties were in evidence again yesterday.
It would appear that the most rudimentary of tasks are beyond their collective abilities.
Moreover, losing the lead three times in a cup final does not bode well for the rest of this season.
It is a simple statement of fact that Celtic will not win the next domestic trophy.
However, yesterday the Hoops got it over the line.
Had that the penalty drama gone the other way then I would be in an entirely different place today.
If Hearts had prevailed then the temptation to latibulate for the rest of the season would have been overwhelming.
No doubt the Ibrox klanbase would have been cheering on their low-calorie cousins throughout the gruelling contest.
Even those two words seem to have an air of unreality about them.
Quadruple treble…
I was first taken to see Celtic when Jock Stein was in charge of players who would win the European Cup.
Even the Lions could not have conceived of such a period of domestic hegemony.
So when the big Scandinavian put his laces through it yesterday, it was a full stop on an incredible period for the Hoops.
Just smile that it happened.
The good folk in football were quick with their congratulations.
Much has been written this season about the putative lack of team spirit in the Celtic camp.
Well, there was little evidence of a lack of togetherness yesterday.
It was a lonely task, but the Norwegian wasn’t alone.
When the ball hit the back of the net, his teammates set off to thank him.
The men behind the Ajer.
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Your headline includes ” looking back “…but now its time for us to look forward.
For Sevco to be the ones who stop our 10 in a row…is unthinkable…but its looking likely, the way things stand.
And there’s no use looking back on why this should be…we just need to get back to winning every game from now on.
Yes its a tall order…but based on what I ‘ve watched this season…I cannot see Sevco dropping too many points as the level of opposition, in the main, is deplorable…so its going to have to be us who inflict the damage.
Can we do it…? Of course we can…
Will we do it…?…One can but hope.
Hail hail.
Regarding comments made about the lisbon lion era achievements and the quadruple treble of today and a comparision, there can be none while the Lions as a team in todays market would have been broken up and sold for profit and never have stayed together as a team, not so this team of today. not that that takes away the achievement of today.
Sorry not a valid argument-
1. the current Celtic team and Scottish football have a much inferior record in Europe compared to late 60’s ( never mind 70’s & 80s – this is the real measure of quality.
2.The financial difference between Celtic and all other Scottish clubs much greater now – so far easier for Celtic domestically from 2016.
Phil
The quadruple treble when compared with domestic trophies won in same period between 1966 & 1970 merely shows the relative poverty of Scottish domestic football 50 years later.
Your comments on Hearts (not my team) are a typical old firm supporters arrogant slur which is why every time either member of Old Firm play in a domestic match the majority of Scottish supporters are supporting the other team.
AOBTUS – Anyone But The Ugly Sisters
where does the team old firm play?
The Old Firm survive due to Celtic needing Rangers financially and play in Glasgow. Twa cheeks of the same arse according to all non Old Firm supporters.
Sorry you don’t like this but the truth hurts sometimes.
The very fact that Phil relates Hearts to Rangers proves my point – Old Firm fans see the rest of Scottish football through prism of Old Firm.
It was absolutely nerve wracking…and I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that I thought we had blown it…and that Sevco reserves would lift the Cup.
After Ryan had his penalty saved …I thought …here we go again…Defeat out of nowhere.
But I was delighted to be proved wrong….and I hope young Hazard gets all the praise in the world…he was brilliant.
There is no Old Firm; that died in 2012. Every time Celtic or Sevco Scotland ( trading as The Rangers) play in a domestic match…… Sorted it for you.
The Heart of Midlothian and not ‘cousins’ in any shape or form to ‘The Rangers.’
Their fans sing the same offensive racist songs.
The Hearts song is terribly offensive – it must be banned😜
Our perception of you is …shall we say…different ?
I couldn’t watch the penalty shoot out first time in my 68 years
Phil, have you seen the German film- The Goalkeeper’s Fear of The Penalty- a masterly exposition of the existential terror of the goal keeper. I cannot remember the Director but I remember seeing it in Glasgow in Mr Cosmo’s in the 80’s.
I haven’t.
It sounds like something that Rainer Werner Fassbinder would create!
The movie director was Wim Wenders, who also made the fantastic Wings of Desire
Many thanks
Had a chortle at the last line.Nice play wordsmith,though I don’t think playing ‘latibulate and seek’ will catch on,traditional ‘hide and seek’ is much easier said.
Thanks Phil 🇮🇪
Quality finish in every sense of the word 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thought he was Norwegian
Ajer 100% spot on
Hail!!!! Hail!!!!