In the aftermath of our glorious Viaplay League Cup Final victory over theRangers at Hampden Park, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou was adamant that although that auspicious occasion was cause for much celebration and fanfare, this week it’s all about cinch Premiership League action as we head to Paisley to face St Mirren.
Celtic have endured just one defeat this season so far and it came at the hands of Stephen Robinson’s men way back in September. That day we looked lacklustre and lacking in the basic qualities that have made this team and Angeball so recognisable since his arrival in Scottish football. To say we were off the boil would be an egregious errors of fact – we were atrocious.
No, it was a display that was reminiscent of Neil Lennon’s team that huffed and puffed against the inferior opposition we face in the Scottish Premiership during our fabled Ten-in-a-row season. The midfield that day included an Aaron Mooy who wasn’t completely match fit, along with David Turnbull; who to be fair to him is not the quickest player in the world, and it showed alongside a toiling Mooy to be a severe deficiency against an industrious Buddies team.
The dreaded third kit curse appeared to strike too – for those that believe in those spooky conceptions – for we couldn’t kick a ball that day in that grey and pink strip that was an eyesore to boot. Despite the foul for one of the St Mirren goals on the day, the men from Paisley thoroughly deserved their win and three points against the Scottish Premiership Champions.
Ahead of this one, Ange has confirmed that all eyes and minds are on the upcoming duel with Stephen Robinson and his chargehands. Speaking exclusively to Celtic TV, he said: “It was a great day for the club. The players did their part and on the big occasion, I thought we performed really well and we had to show all facets of our game.
“There was a fantastic atmosphere and that continued on into the night and it’s fair to say when I went for breakfast with my beautiful wife the next morning, Glasgow seemed to be quieter – I reckon it was a big night on Sunday for some of us. I enjoyed the day and I was really pleased and proud with the performance the lads put in for such a big game. It was going to be a significant day and I’m really proud of everyone that it turned into a special day.
“It doesn’t matter how much success you have during your career, you don’t take any of it for granted. It’s all hard-earned and nothing is ever given. As much as I enjoy every part of the role that I have every day, when those moments come along you want to make sure you share it with the people that are important and for us, that’s the ones on the pitch and in the stands.
He added: “We’ve got a big week coming up starting with St Mirren at the weekend and then a midweek game which we haven’t had in a while and that will be our focus. A key part of everything we’ve done so far, and even on Sunday, is that it’s not just the contribution from the starting team but from everyone. We will need everyone next week with three big games and that will be our message, have a strong week of training and get ready for the first challenge at the weekend and make sure it’s another strong week for us.”
Paul Gillespie
