‘The quest for the 9 starts tomorrow. It’s going to be a rough old ride,’ Niall J

NORMAL service resumes for Celtic tomorrow. Celtic start the league campaign with the usual on Flag Day celebration and this time we have a home tie against a traditionally stubborn opponent in St Johnstone. The widows of Billy McNeill and Stevie Chalmers have honoured the club by agreeing to unfurl the flag signifying Celtic’s 8th consecutive title. Once the undoubtedly emotional and proud moment is cheered to the rafters the Celtic players will have to settle down to the business of 9 in a row.

There has been quite a turnaround in playing staff from last season, but with the majority those leaving and only four new starts in place there isn’t too much involved when it comes to settling players in. Having the majority of players already experienced in the ways of Scottish football will be a big advantage as everyone at Celtic is about to feel the full force of ‘Stop Celtic’.

Last season Celtic were on the receiving end of more than their fair share of dubious refereeing, unfathomable administrative charges and of course the usual questionable media coverage.

Possibly the most ludicrous was the charge levied at Scott Brown following The Glasgow Derby at Celtic Park in March.

As the Rangers lost their discipline as their dying embers of a title challenge were all but extinguished they assaulted the Celtic captain. Scott Brown was elbowed by Alfredo Morelos and a punch thrown by Ryan Kent only failed to land due to the evasive action Broony took. After the final whistle Andy Halliday took exception to Brown’s celebrations and also made attempts to get at our captain, you could only assume his intentions were not to concede the title graciously.

Obviously the governing body was incredibly supportive and The SFA charged Brown under rule 77 of the disciplinary code, which states that players, managers and officials “shall not act in any manner which is improper”, as well as being barred from “threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour”. The rule the midfielder was charged under related to acting “in the best interests of association football”. You couldn’t make it up.

This is the most recent example of what Celtic are up against. Anyone who thought this was bad has another think coming. This is likely to be small fry when it comes to stopping Celtic’s juggernaut.

P.G. Wodehouse

P.G. Wodehouse wrote. “Unseen in the background, Fate was quietly slipping lead into the boxing-glove.”

The Rangers can say all they like about having a team equipped to beat us over the course of a 38 game season. They don’t and inwardly they know that.

Their players, supporters, and board all know it and as such I’d be fully expecting every dark art and manipulation by foul means or fair to be part of ‘Rangers’ armoury this season and Celtic need to be ready.

8 consecutive titles, 3 Trebles in a row. A Celtic side who haven’t lost a domestic trophy they have competed for since season 2016/17 and now the possibility of becoming the first Scottish Premiership side to win 9 league championships in a row twice. No way are they confident. It’s all bluster.

Believe me this animal is frightened and when cornered they’ll come out fighting.

This is a side who’ve had to dredge the depths for signings. The quality they do have has long since seen their peak. Off the field they are far from stable as the Mike Ashley affair has magnified. The spectre of serious financial penalties loom large. To win titles a team needs to know it’s got proper backing behind it. A ship sailing to its destination needs predominately calm waters. The sea is choppy at Ibrox.

If you’d signed a contract as a player at Rangers would you feel comfortable at the moment that the contract will be honoured? That your wages were guaranteed? Would you feel distracted with bills, mortgages etc to pay? Could you focus on the job at hand? Not sure I could.

This is why we have Jim Traynor attempting to control the narrative in the media. He must know where the bodies are buried to encourage writers in the Scottish Press, online media and Television to try and make out a positive spin on a boardroom crumbling under financial pressure that’s no easy piece to write, not at all simple to justify. For most journalists indeed you’d think they’d see through it wouldn’t you?

That’s why ‘supporters’ groups are being used to deflect to stories of BBC bias. It’s why nonsense stories of the Club rejecting mega buck Chinese deals for their unwanted striker are published as fact when they lack credibility. It’s simply to deflect from the financial basket case that ‘Rangers’ are fast becoming.

The season hasn’t even started, the media infiltration will soon turn to Celtic. The negative stories will follow. Unsettled players on the eve of big matches will be the norm. No doubt Neil Lennon and the board will have a fractured relationship. Our players it will be reported are being treated leniently in comparison to others. The media will be a tool used to ramp up the pressure and to influence.

This influence will likely be supported by Fleeting and his refereeing cabal. They will revert to type. We’ve already had the Scott Brown incident last season where the victim became the accused. In the past we’ve had penalties given against us in the derby when the referee had his back turned to the incident. We’ve had referees and linesmen concocting stories as to why goals have been disallowed and getting their ‘story straight’ only for it all to unravel later. Too late for it not already to have adversely impacted on a Celtic result. They’ll call us paranoid of course and that’s because we are. That’s because as the saying goes they are all out to get us. This will magnify this season.

Much like the Brown affair, Hampden and their committees will pass judgement after the final whistle has gone in support of their apparently maligned referees. Retrospective bans will no doubt be dished out like confetti at a wedding on trumped up charges just in case a referee alone wasn’t quite enough to influence proceedings sufficiently at the time. They’ll ensure suspensions will follow to weaken Celtic in future games. More than one way to skin a cat will be the mantra.

Off the pitch supporters will also face it. Heavy handed Police and stewards like the flags in Dundee or the kettling of the Green brigade, child abuse songs in our direction, their
knee deep sectarianism ignored. It will all be turned up to 10. We’ll all feel the wrath.

But we have a team to ride this out, they’ve proven that mentally they are every bit as dominant as they are tactically. We also have Neil Lennon to stand up for us. No more the ignoring of injustice to Celtic by the previous manager. Confrontation was not his strong suit. Lenny however is a different breed of manager. This is exactly why we’ll be glad to have Neil Lennon in post this season and next.

Our manager has had it worse than any of us. If anyone knows what it’s like to face up to the ire of the questionable governance and media manipulation it is Neil Lennon. If anyone knows what it really feels like to be despised and got at by the other side of the City it is Neil Lennon.

Neil Lennon won’t flinch. He’ll fight our corner and defend Celtic whenever it is needed, I have no worries on that score. There is a simple Jock Stein quote that I just love and I think it is likely to be how Neil Lennon feels also.

“My proudest moment? Every Friday morning when I look at the board at Celtic Park and see my name on the team sheet for tomorrow’s game”.

To back Lenny up we’ll need a strong board and Peter Lawwell supporting him all the way. They simply have to get behind Celtic now more than ever beyond the administration and the balance sheets. As with the QC employed successfully over the trumped up Scott Brown charge they’ve shown glimpses of backing us properly when injustice has reared its head. They were successful on that occasion and we’ll need more of the same this year. When the players are wronged and the supporters treated unfairly we need to see real action from this board. It’s not always been there but this year is the time to put that right.

We know this season will be brutal, it will be tough and unfair. We’ll have challenges from all quarters. We will have many frustrations and ups and downs but at the end of it is the tantalising prospect of 9 in a row.

To quote a Tibetan proverb “When he took time to help the man up the mountain, lo, he scaled it himself.”

When Celtic supporters and the club pull in one direction we’ve proven we will prevail no matter what is thrown at us.

The quest for the 9 starts tomorrow. It’s going to be a rough old ride.

Niall J

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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