This season has been an unusual one at Celtic Park. We’ve had players like Jota and Abada leaving, we’ve seen the Green Brigade banned, we’ve watched our side get knocked out of the League Cup early on, and the team churn out poor performances and scrape wins. Then there were the highs of a surprise win at Ibrox with a depleted squad and an 8 point lead being built, before that was squandered. Then, as Brendan Rodgers predicted, Celtic came alive just as the other side of the city toiled, and the league was won.
So a season of highs and lows nears it’s close. Two weeks ago there was a phenomenal atmosphere as Celtic beat Hearts at Paradise, then it was party time with victory in the Glasgow Derby the following week. Last night the title was officially secured and at the weekend we will get presented with the trophy.
With the league celebrations out the way, attention will quickly turn to the Scottish Cup final. If Celtic can win that then there will have effectively been a five game, month long party to conclude a peculiarly topsy-turvy season.
And how satisfying that could be.
It certainly has been some season with the level of inconsistencies throughout it imo?
The transition from where we were a year ago with a historical 8th treble achieved, yet so many questions arising, especially when preforming levels had dropped off with injuries starting to impact ourselves?
The return of Rodgers was always going to split opinions within our support?
Was actually in support of the return of Rodgers, yet did question it upon many occasions throughout the season all the same?
Biggest issue I had was with the transformation of our established players seemingly not been able to get to the standards of there capabilities with the transition between Ange and Rodgers as managers?
Now it has taken far longer than I was actually expecting, and could be possibly best summed up with what we actually produced in our 3 games at killie away through the season?
We stunk at our 1st visit there.
Our inconsistencies with decent enough 1st half, to totally rotten in our 2nd visit?
To be totally brilliant last night and producing a display of champions by some considerable distance on show in the end imo?
A fitting double would be very memorable for our season of inconsistencies, and would be very surprised for it not being achieved as things stand imo?
Yet on the bigger picture, I actually feel our club is in a better position than where we were a year ago?
The structure is forming within the playing squad, even if some considerable amount of work still needs to be applied during the summer all the same?
Far easier to identify where the strengthening is required and possibly less decision making for Rodgers upon who and where players might be fitting into his plans for next season, than the amount he faced when he first returned imo?
The feel good factor has eventually returned to the club in possibly a stronger manner to where we were a year ago, despite all the challenges we had to face and overcome throughout this season?
So a fitting Scottish cup victory would be perfect for achieving another worthy double in the process?
Actually starting to feel far more comfortable of actually facing up to the CL challenges that awaits also?
Mainly because, although we could get fairly decent teams together over the past couple of campaigns, we still haven’t managed to get the likes on the pitch all at the same time, due to the squad depth never being in place for such a challenge at that level of football?
That remains the challenge ahead during the summer, and still believe it can eventually be achieved in a stronger manner than the last few European ventures have been for ourselves with squad depth imo?
So plenty to be pleased about currently, but still only think we are only really starting to where we could be heading for imo?
Just hoping the board have the same vision, which sadly remains the unanswerable question within the club also?
There’s only one person holding back our club and that’s Peter Lawwell.
The sooner we get shot of him the better then we can be rest assured everyone is singing from the same hym sheet.
Don’t give up the fight to have him removed.