Workhorses and grafters were preferred as the league, the cups and Tony Mowbray were lost with barely a whimper.
Two goals in four games this season has propelled McCourt back into focus with his place in the affections of the supporters assured already.
Could this be the breakthrough? Is this the season? Will Neil Lennon trust the Derry Pele to help fill the creative void left by the McGeady’s departure.
Answering YES, YES, YES to those questions is Roddy Collins in an interview in today’s Sun.
Collins helped revive McCourt’s career after he left Rochdale with a spell at Shamrock Rovers widely credited with renewing the players enthusiasm and joy for the game.
“Paddy can do in five minutes what other fellas struggle to do in 90 minutes plus extra time,” Collins declared.
“They run about like headless chickens and will NEVER be able to achieve what Paddy does.
“Ask Paddy McCourt to do a 12-minute run and he’d look at you like you were daft. And rightly so.
“He’s a unique talent so if he’s match fit just give him the ball. People are obsessed with players being six-foot-plus. They want them big and powerful and pacy.
“But what does that get you? Lads built like doors running into each other. This stuff about his fitness is the biggest load of cr*p I’ve ever heard.
“Give him the ball, get Samaras out of his way and just let him play. If you give him the space on that left wing he will run amok in the SPL.
“Don’t be worrying about his fitness, just watch him go and see him become a legend.”
Collins’ brush with the blarney stone was clearly a lengthy affair and it’s unlikely that he’ll ever be asked to speak at a coaching conference at Inverclyde.
Until McCourt completes a dozen games on the bounce the fitness question will never be far away.
You can almost feel the anger building up in Collins as he answers the question head on- or with the right hook his brother Steve ‘Celtic Warrior’ delivered to make him world middleweight champion.
Roddy responded: “Why do you have to run around like a lunatic? Give him that space, no deeper than the halfway line and you see what he can do.
“Why change him, why have him tracking back and helping out the defenders. Paddy McCourt will fill a stadium. Just leave him alone and let him play.
“I’m sick of it. I’ve a pain in my a**e listening to these weaklings who wouldn’t have the bottle to play him for 90 minutes. He might do nothing for 85 but you don’t take him off the park.
“Give him ten games and in nine of them he’ll have the crowd off their feet. People will pay money in a recession to be entertained. They want to see pure talent.
“That’s why Paddy is made for Celtic.”
Follow Video Celts on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
I agree 100% with what Roddy Collins had said.
Celtic are lucky he’s not some petulant prima donna or he would have been off long ago after being treated abominably by Strachan and Mowbray.
He’s had to make way on a regular basis for chumps who couldn’t lace his boots. This club is know world wide for it’s reputation for playing ‘pure, beautiful , inventive football.’
In the current team only Paddy Mc Court meets all three standards. And then some.
I’m off to the airport soon to head to Killlie and I’m going to be very annoyed if he doesn’t start.
I say that as a Lennon loyalist and someone who’s been going to see Celtic for over 40 years. Away The Derry Bhoy!
I’d just love to see him given a fair go… as the post said and rightly… he’s the sort of fella that will have Celtic Park full again… I just hope that Lenny has the bottle to give him a run of games.
Surely the mighty ‘tic can take that risk in the dreadful quality that is the SPL.
‘Mon Paddy, lets get us singing again!
The bhoys dribbling ability is genius. He’s too good to be sitting on the bench
Hopefully another performance from Celtic & Paddy McCourt today will see the growth of the Fenian Army.
rhebelrhebel.spreadshirt.co.uk