It hurts doesn’t it? It hurts so bad.
Another false dawn. The bookies and every pundit and their dogs favourites, the weight of expectation too much to bear?
And there you have it. The difference between us and the petrol tank pretenders.
When the gauntlet is thrown down you accept the challenge, show your mettle, your resilience, your courage and the mark of true champions.
It’s what separates us from the chasing pack.
Every Celtic man out there yesterday stood tall, puffed out their chests, puffed them out so much that the shamrock on their chests swelled to twice its normal size.
There were no passengers, no one hiding, you know why?
There was nothing to be wary of.
The way the Scottish media hammered us after Cluj was shocking, but let’s be honest, it gave them the opportunity to try and plant seeds of doubt in the players and supporters heads and it almost worked.
There was one fundamental ingredient missing for it to work, the most important ingredient… To be a winner you have to know how to win and our team and management are packed full of them.
We’ve lived with that weight of expectation for the last eight years and each time we’ve risen to the challenge.
I watched on baffled as media “experts” had written us off despite the fact that we’re the eight time defending champions, it reminded me of the media down south’s four yearly love fest with Engerland and how it’s always coming home but never actually makes it.
So while every Celtic fan will be filled with pride this morning and brimming with confidence for the rest of the season a special mention must go to Neil Lennon and Scott Brown.
Firstly our captain… A true leader of men, a winner and who epitomed everything that made yesterday possible. Pumping his chest wasn’t just a call to arms it was a timely reminder it was a response to everyone who had written him and Celtic off… A True Captain.
And lastly Neil Lennon. His resolute defence of the club these last few weeks has been admirable, the club he loves as much as every last one of us.
He took the media to task and yesterday he took some of the Celtic support to task.. And rightly so. I don’t think it was critical as much as it was his call to arms. Forget what you’re reading in the rags.. Trust in us, believe in us, support us as you always do and we’ll repay you with these performances and let you go to work on a Monday morning with your heads held high.
If anyone deserved it was our Leader and our very own Captain courageous.
COYBIG.
David Early
Also on The Celtic Star….
Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – ‘I wanna, I wanna, I wanna be Edouard,’ Alfredo Morelos…see HERE.
‘Bossed It,’ Odsonne, the Rangers TV Commentary and Lenny exorcised the ghost of Cluj,’ Niall J…see HERE.
David Potter on Celtic’s Beautiful Sunday…see HERE.
‘There’s the house toilet wrecked’ Captain Bluebeard, ‘I’m raging Rangers (sic)’…see HERE.
Ibrox Emptied! – Gerrard’s False Dawn and Rangers Fans’ Tears…see HERE.
