Success is always exciting. 60,000 Celtic fans in attendance confirmed the theory that followers of successful clubs must ultimately grow bored of perpetual glory, which always seemed a bit ludicrous.
Their joy and excitement were equal to that of winning their first league title, even though it was their 12th in 13 seasons overall.
This season has been anything but easy for Celtic, beginning with the reaction manager Brendan Rodgers received upon his return in the summer of last year and the spell Rangers, temporarily rejuvenated under Philippe Clement, had on their domination.
All of those worries and disappointments, though, have vanished in recent weeks as Celtic’s standing as the best team in Scottish football was rubber-stamped in the middle of the week and celebrated in a vibrant and boisterous manner before to, during, and following this season’s last league game.
The number of Celtic dissidents who are still harboring resentment at the decision to rehire Rodgers may have decreased, but it is still very small. It is a calming impact that winning often has.
No one was booing him as he was introduced to the fans at the end of the match. “To me, this is everything,” he said to the audience. “When I said what I said about winning the title, I put pressure on myself.” However, I had faith in my staff and the team.
The presentation stage had already been hurriedly put together by then. Can you hire them for Ikea wardrobes? and another benefit of finishing first was that the large screens showed a montage of the season’s pivotal moments before the team took the field again to the sound of the Champions League theme.
Then the moment that everyone had been looking forward to arrived. Santa Claus was chosen to present the league trophy, marking the conclusion of both Celtic’s and his own redemption journey.
He had been jeered by irate fans following a home loss that seemed like a lifetime ago before Christmas. As the party got going, the phrase “the most wonderful time of the year” blasted over the PA system.
Nobody seemed to be put off by the midday kick-off, which is frequently the bane of supporters. The fans were up and out early, adding to the festive atmosphere at Celtic Park, which was bathed in sunshine.
Many of them were dressed in shorts and T-shirts. Another clue that this was no typical event was the scarves that were flying out of car windows. At 11 am, the green and orange pyrotechnic plumes welcomed the Celtic team bus, and people backed up all the way up the Celtic Way.
Joe Hart led the team on the short walk up to the front door with the league trophy in hand, just before the last league game of his illustrious career.
Another wonderful gesture to honor the retiring goalie as he enters retirement was the enormous banner that the Green Brigade hoisted at the beginning of the second half.
It said “Super Joe Hart” and was written in large letters that were, for once, readable. Hart’s expression conveyed that the gratitude was reciprocated. Every Celtic supporter within the stadium was singing his name when he was replaced in the closing seconds.
Before the game, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton brought a life-sized cut-off of his colleague Kris Boyd into the studio, joining Sky Sports in the fun. It is reasonable to presume that the photo wasn’t recent because the former Rangers front man was grinning and giving the picture two thumbs up. It’s the Rangers, Sutton joked.
Naturally, until they weren’t. As usual, the Green Brigade led the singing during the game, but this time they weren’t the only ones—voices from other parts of the stadium added to the clamor. As is customary in May outside Celtic Park, “Stand up for the champions” was played multiple times.
Naturally, there were other individuals squeezing every last bit of the day out of the day than the Celtics supporters. As the team gleefully celebrated its return to the European stage for the first time since 1987 with beach balls tossed back and forth in the now-familiar form, a small group of St.
Mirren supporters crammed into a corner of the stadium were also in a happy mood. With considerable fervor, they sang, “We’re on our way, we’re on our way… to the Conference League.”
Some may take issue with UEFA’s third club competition, but considering how long supporters of St. Mirren have had to wait to see their team play on the continent, this was a well-deserved celebration of the team’s accomplishment. Observing their team seize the lead twice only made them more witty.
The game itself wasn’t really that important, but Celtic had more to gain from their opponents than they did, especially since they have a Scottish Cup final the following weekend.
A much-changed defense gave Anthony Ralston, Maik Nawrocki, and Stephen Welsh opportunities, sparing some of the regulars from the action.
However, none of them showed much cunning in handling Keanu Baccus’ long throw, which eventually fell to Mark O’Hara for a low shot that scored the first goal.
Welsh also gave up the penalty that O’Hara struck home to make it1–2, and he left the game in the middle of the second half, appearing to have broken his arm.
For Saturday’s big game at Hampden, expect the regular defensive mainstays to be back where they usually are.
The finest player for Celtic this season, Matt O’Riley, added to his already impressive reputation in the first half by equalizing, and Kyogo Furuhashi did the same to bring his team level for the second time in an unusually competitive first half.
Celtic’s league season concluded with a victory thanks to a late goal from Luis Palma. Generally speaking, such is the tendency.
Get related news on
sportchannel.co.uk
Leave a Reply