Charlie Nicholas seems determined to re-invent himself as a pro-Celtic pundit rather than the guy we’ve all come to know and dislike over the past decade or so when he was working at Sky Sports and writing his weekly newspaper columns with regular digs at the club he supported as a boy. Here’s his latest and he’s beginning to sound like a contributor to a Celtic Fan Media site that Charlie of old…it even seems that Charlie has earned the right to have his name in green at the start of our articles….
Charlie Nicholas – “we have let Rangers borrow our trophy for one year but now we’re taking it back.”
You know Ange Postecoglou has won over even the most pessimistic of commentators when Charlie Nicholas continues to sing the praises of the Celtic boss. Nicholas after all knows where his bread is buttered when it comes to the media in Scotland and hasn’t been backward about coming forward to put the boot into Celtic over the years.
Yet despite being one of those to question the Celtic manager in the early part of the season, Nicholas has been fairly effusive in his praise of Postecoglou and his incredible Celtic revolution over the past few months, apparently it has even been enough for Charlie to venture to Celtic Park to take in a game or two.
And Charlie continued to remain in positive mode – for the time being anyway – when he looked forward to this weekend’s Glasgow Derby in his Daily Express column published this morning.
It’s a game where three points will essentially see Celtic become Champions, with a nine-point lead with three games to go, but a goal difference of +19 plus the 2 x the winning margin on Sunday – it’s the equivalent of an extra point – that even an Ibrox mathematician would struggle to argue could be surpassed (although with their new narrative that this is the worst ever Celtic side to win the league is up there with we can still win the league while 13 points behind after having no towels left to chuck after losing at Ibrox to Hamilton, then anything should still be possible) and Charlie Nicholas just can’t see past a Celtic win on Sunday, with the former striker stating ‘we have let theRangers borrow our trophy for one year but now we’re taking it back’ as the felling coming from the Celtic camp.
“The Premiership trophy will be coming home to Celtic Park after this weekend. The mood seems to be that we have let (the)Rangers borrow our trophy for one year but now we’re taking it back.
“Sunday’s match is a must-win for (the)Rangers but I still think the title is over because Celtic’s games in the run-in are all winnable. I know Ange Postecoglou’s side were defeated by their bitter rivals at Hampden but I don’t see them losing this one at home.
“I don’t see Ange changing too much on Sunday in terms of his approach. He will send his team out to get at (the)Rangers and to try and blow them away. That is what he does. The only thing that might alter is his team. Tom Rogic or Reo Hatate might not start. I do think the manager will change his midfield and for that reason they will win it. The big home crowd will help them over the line and going into the last 20 minutes or so Celtic will prove too strong.”
I’m not sure I agree with Nicholas regarding Ange not starting the game with Tom Rogic and Reo Hatate this weekend, after all Rogic had his rest at the weekend – being used only as a sub against Ross County – and if Ange was going to rest Hatate you get the impression that would have happened against Ross County rather than theRangers.
But stranger things have happened and Ange Postecoglou may well try and surprise our opponents on Sunday after all, but that would be less surprising than the consistent praise Charlie Nicholas appears to have for Celtic these days.
Niall J
I find it creepy the way Nicholas has turned his coat again since losing his Sky gig.