After two months at the club Christopher Jullien thought that he knew his Celtic team-mates. Then he went to Ibrox.
The Frenchman had heard about the Glasgow derby, much like derbies elsewhere, they have them in London, Manchester, Liverpool and Milan.
After two defeats in the south-side of the city last season the home fans were expectant, they had come to gloat, to goad 800 visiting supporters in the corner and howl their derision at two men in particular. Neil Lennon and Scott Brown.
?@Chri6ViF : « Dans le vestiaire avant le derby, j’avais l’impression mes coéquipiers je les connaissais plus, c’était plus les mêmes joueurs. Le speech du coach avant le match, il prend le maillot il parle de l’histoire de tout ce qui s’est passé avant, Broony en transe » ???
— Celtic France (@Celtic_FR) October 21, 2019
In the locker room before the derby, I had the impression my teammates I knew more, it was more the same players. The speech of the coach before the game, he takes the shirt he talks about the story of everything that happened before, Broony in a trance
Jullien was something of an unknown quantity to the Celtic fans going into the match. He had midfielder Nir Bitton alongside him in central defence and two full-backs that also had no experience of the fixture.
Ninety minutes later Jullien had cracked it. A win at Ibrox is the making of Celtic players, the Frenchman had been part of 14 Celts that had defied 50,000 natives demanding a home win and more.
Back in France he can explain to the football and media community, only in Scotland and the Glasgow area in particular is his story truly understood and appreciated.
