Let This Moment Linger

 

Let This Moment Linger

As a boy, I used to walk along the Gallowgate, holding my old man’s hand and I can still remember that first flush of anticipation when I saw the floodlights of Celtic Park illuminate the dark, winter sky. There was a magic about flowing with the river of people towards the stadium and feeling that you were following in the footsteps of all those countless thousands of people who have followed Celtic since 1888. It was as if you gave up part of your individuality and became part of something that was much bigger than you. There’s a point on my journey to Celtic Park where I turn the corner of Holywell Street into Janefield Street and the stadium Looms ahead like the great cathedral of football that it is. That old excitement I felt as a boy is still there and in honesty I hope it always is. I felt that feeling last Sunday as I turned that corner and viewed the new banners adorning the Jock Stein Stand.

 

The game against Aberdeen was preceded by a full stadium display set up by  and paid for by the fans. It was a memorable sight and one that set the stage for a game which Celtic controlled throughout although it took 75 minutes before Jota’s thunderbolt administered the coup de grace. It was a decent start to the season from Celtic and the feel-good factor from last season, when Ange’s revolution began, still resonates. There was a moment before the match when the whole stadium joined folk singer Liam McGrandles as he sang the wonderful old love song, ‘Grace.’ I glanced around at the packed stadium and let the moment linger, thinking, ‘yeh, it’s good to be home.’ This old place has been home to five generations of my family now and that sense of history lingers. I know it’s the same for so many Celtic families and I guess it always will be.

 

This weekend we saw Celtic’s ‘never stop’ attitude tested against a stuffy and physical Ross County side. Some lambasted their ‘park the bus’ tactics while others pointed out that if they were to open up they’d be picked off and perhaps lose heavily against superior opposition. It wasn’t pretty to watch at times but Celtic scored two fine goals in the latter phase of the game to secure three deserved points. Jota demonstrated against that he was an absolute steal at £6m, a fee Celtic paid for Chris Sutton 22 years ago. He had a hand in all three goals and possesses the skills needed to open these packed defences and perhaps even trouble some of the big boys in Europe.

 

There is no telling how the coming season will pan out, few predicted Celtic’s new side would gel so quickly last season and storm to the title, but we can be confident that Ange won’t accept any drop in standards. The team has had a full pre-season to recharge the batteries and work on their cohesiveness. Players like Hatate and Maeda got the sort of rest they needed after completing the J-League season before going straight into the thick of it in the SPFL with Celtic. This season will be somewhat truncated though as it will halt for a month after Celtic’s match with Ross County on 12^th November as the World Cup will be taking place. Celtic will fly out to Australia for some sunshine then and play Sydney FC and Everton in the Sydney Super Cup. They will do this  minus any Japanese players selected for their national team in Qatar. No doubt Ange’s homecoming will be emotional for him and he’ll send out his side to win. He is the first Australian coach to manage a big European club and his success has been much lauded in his homeland.

 

The Champions League will also a huge challenge for Celtic given the quality of sides in the tournament. Pot one contains the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG, AC Milan, whilst Pot 2 contains teams such as Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, Juventus and Barcelona. Pot three looks no easier with the likes of Dortmund, Napoli, Benfica, RB Leipzig and Inter Milan lying in wait. Make no mistake about it, this is the most challenging club tournament in the world and Celtic will need to put in pretty flawless performances to make an impression in the big boys’ playground. That being said, Postecoglou’s young side are playing in a style that may suit the European arena and will certainly give it all they’ve got. The supporters love those big nights under the lights and will show again that when it comes to atmosphere, Celtic Park is among the best in Europe. The club will gain from participation in the Champions League in a financial sense but also in terms of exposure around the world. Ange’s young side will also learn from playing against some of the best players in the world. You risk the odd spanking at that level of football but I’m sure we’d rather be at the banquet than watching with our noses pressed up against the window.

 

The fans, that constant heartbeat of Celtic, always look forward to a new season with optimism. They have an exciting young team to back and a manager who knows what he is doing. He said of the atmosphere at the Aberdeen game…

‘The crowd were unbelievable. You’ll never walk alone is outstanding and spine tingling. The thing about our supporters, they’re always on it, mate. We’ve just got to make sure we match it with our performance every week.’

That symbiotic relationship between Celtic and their supporters is as strong as ever. They feed off each other and the energy of the supporters lifts the team, especially in those big European games. As a banner of recent years said: ‘We’re in here for you, be out there for us.’ I’m confident that Celtic will do well domestically this season and make a good fist of it in Europe. I’m certain the support will create a noise and spectacle in those big games that will have me looking around the old place and letting the moment linger.