Every Hoops fan knows that the 2023/24 season, particularly on a domestic front, has now well more than dipped below initial expectations. The return of Brendan Rodgers for a second term at Parkhead has not gone how anyone (including him) would have liked after he departed Premier League side Leicester City and came in as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement, as he chased Tottenham Hotspur’s money.
Since the start of the year our form and performance levels have raised concerns in the fan base, and going into January Rodgers himself had made no secret of the fact that he was actually hoping for quite a busy window, both in terms of incomings but also outgoings, and very simply put that did not happen and few on the Punters Page would have seen that disappointing outcome.
Fans will also be aware that our inconsistent form has seen us blow what at one point was a seven point lead at the top of the table, and we are now going into the month of March with a two point deficit.
With recent struggles well covered in the media, it is not so much an issue of defeats (every side in the division has lost double, or above, the games we have), but it has been an inability to kill teams off and take all three points as we have been held to too many draws. That is what has cost us in the title race so far.
However, with three wins in the last five games, and two draws, our form and clinical edge looks like it might be returning once again, and our last victory did mark back to back wins and we did it in some style with a 7-1 absolute hammering of Dundee on home soil on Wednesday evening.
For many fans in attendance there was a degree of nostalgia involved when it came to our gaffer’s first spell in charge and the way we used to blow teams away with a professional, well drilled and thoroughly competent display.
Cameron Carter-Vickers opened the scoring seven minutes into the game, and with Adam Idah, Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda, Greg Taylor and Callum McGregor all finding the net by the end of first half stoppage time, our lead was absolutely commanding.
Naturally, given the battles that lie ahead, we took our foot off the gas in the second half, but we still saw 18 year old substitute, Daniel Kelly, boost his own future potential by adding our seventh with his first senior goal in the 63rd minute.
Dundee did go down to ten men with Finlay Robinson being shown red for two cards very late on, and it was a bit gutting to see them then get one back through Michael Mellon in the 84th minute, but whilst it was a frustration, we were in friendly mode and the game was well and truly over.
Following the performance in the last game, even though we won, Rodgers more than clearly got the reaction from the squad that he wanted when it came to levels and stepping up to truly show our quality and the game was a joy to behold.
“Nights like that take me back to when I was first here – the performance, the intensity and everyone enjoying it. We’re here to win, but Celtic is about playing football that gets the supporters excited.”
Everyone in the fan base will be hoping that this is a statement that shows things have clicked within the group properly. The last match had struggles, this one was pure jam from the first minute and exactly the type of performance we have all expected, all season long. This cannot be a hint of things to come – this has to be what came for the remainder of the season.
If that is true, we will be celebrating and it is on Rodgers and the players to prove that this is now true.
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