Fight it out till the end

 

Fight it out till the end

Watching Celtic this season has been a fairly traumatic experience for their supporters. The free-flowing football of the Postecoglou years and the ruthless efficiency of Rodgers time in charge gave way to stuttering and unconvincing performances at times this season. The decline in goals scored by the club in the SPFL from 112 last season to 70 this season (with one game to go) represents a 38% reduction. Goals conceded climbed from 26 to 40- a 35% rise. Few teams will challenge for major honours with declining stats like that, and yet Celtic now sit just one win from being crowned champions again. How has that come about?

Celtic have won 15 SPFL matches this season by one goal and that fact demonstrates their inability to kill teams off in the manner they did in previous years. In 2024-25 season they won by one goal in the SPFL on just 3 occasions. Last season they were averaging 3 goals a game. This season it’s a shade under 2. Despite this and the self-inflicted wounds of the 33 days under Wilfred Nancy, Celtic found the spirit to fight right to the end in games and have scored goals in the dying moments of games on 10 occasions. The most memorable being the likes of Araujo at Kilmarnock (90+5 mins), Hatate at Ibrox, (90+1 minutes) and of course Iheanacho at Motherwell this week. (90+9 minutes) The relentless drive they have demonstrated in Martin O’Neill’s time in charge has seen the team win 7 matches on the bounce since losing at Tannadice in March. That surge in the spring has brought them into contention. They may not be the most flowing Celtic side of recent times and injuries played a part in that, but those lads have fought like wounded tigers right to the end and deserve their shot at glory.

The penalty decision at Fir Park led to an outpouring of hysterical hyperbole that demonstrated than many don’t want the fairy tale bubble of Hearts winning the league to be burst. The Hearts manager described the decision as ‘disgusting’ and was trying to build up a siege mentality with his ‘everyone is against us’ comment. It’s an old psychological ploy much used by the likes of Alex Ferguson in his day. I wonder if Mr McInnes was ‘disgusted’ when Lawrence Shankland scored at Ibrox after handling the ball in the build up? I wonder if they were ‘all against him’ when St Mirren had a perfectly good goal goal chalked off against Hearts in Paisley? Was he ‘disgusted’ when Austin Trusty was sent off at Tynecastle as the ‘last man’ forty yards from goal with the attacker going wide? When Celtic fans carp about Hibs scoring after the ball struck the scorer’s arm, or no penalty being awarded when a Hibs defender clearly pushes a Celtic attacker into touch in the same game, they’re told to move on these things will even themselves out over the season.

Hearts have had a terrific season and have doubled their points tally from last year. It has been good for Scottish football to see a third force emerge in the top league and should they get the result they need at Celtic Park this weekend then I’ll be the first to congratulate them. Should Hearts fail and Celtic make it five championships on the bounce then it won’t be because of that VAR decision at Motherwell, it’ll be because they drew with Livingston, lost to Hibs, St Mirren, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock. It will also be because Celtic never gave up and hunted them down to the very last day of the season.

Let’s see how things play out on the final day of the 2025-26 SPFL season and recognise that the table never lies; whoever finishes in top spot will deservedly wear the crown. Pressure brings out the best in some and the worst in others. Let’s hope that whoever wins, the manager of Hearts shows a bit more class than he has this week. One thing is for sure, Celtic will be in there swinging till the very last whistle sounds. They’ve been over the course and know what it takes. If Hearts can enter that cauldron and emerge with the point they need then there should be no complaints. If not, then Celtic will have pulled off one of the more memorable title triumphs. One that demonstrates that if you just keep going there is always a chance. I’d be far from disgusted if that happened.  

Roar Back

 

Roar Back

Our cousins in Canada have an adage to help you know what to do in the event of running into a bear. It goes; ‘If it’s black- roar back, if it’s brown- sit down, but if it’s white- good night.’ That thought came to me as I considered Celtic’s demand that Rangers don’t sell any of their allocation of tickets to the final derby of the season to their own particular band of unruly bears. When you consider the long and fairly serious list of misdemeanours the Union Bears have involved themselves in, it seems that Rangers FC are somewhat wary of taking them on. Consider the ban imposed by Celtic on the Green Brigade which saw them miss over thirty games this season. Now consider the lack of action at Ibrox after a long series of incidents involving their ultras.

Following the scenes at the end of the Scottish Cup tie at Ibrox, which Celtic won on penalties, many expected Rangers to come down heavily on fans who invaded the field, assaulted Celtic staff, threw a flare into a crowded stand, assaulted a police woman, punched a steward in the face and were only prevented from engaging in serious violence by the thin yellow line of police and stewards. Why did Rangers’ post-match statement lambast Celtic fans for the dumb vandalising of the Broomloan stand and completely ignore the far more sinister behaviour of their own ultras? Could it be they are afraid to take them on?

Celtic are 100% right to ask Rangers not to issue tickets to the mask wearing element that causes many of these problems. They are responsible for the health and safety of everyone coming to Celtic Park for the derby game and point to the record of this group as a risk factor should they be allowed in. The SPFL deliberated on the matter and said in a statement issued today…

‘The Sub-Committee determined that, based on the evidence presented, it would not overrule a risk assessment carried out by the party legally responsible for the safety and security of the event, (Celtic FC) or interfere with the mitigation measures it considered to be necessary to comply with SPFL Rule H36.‘

Rule H36 states that a reasonable allocation of 5% of a stadium’s capacity should be offered to away fans. To be clear, Celtic are willing to give Rangers the stipulated tickets provided they don’t pass any on to the Union Bears. The ball is now in Rangers court. Their fans’ forums have been full of predictable ‘Tarriers seeking unfair advantage’ and ‘Celtic run Scottish football’ type of tosh. I perused a few and not one comment said, ‘you know, the Union Bears have been out of order.’ How easily they slip on the coat of victimhood they once said Celtic wore. They need to own the bad behaviour of a section of their fans and look to change the culture of toxic masculinity that hangs around Ibrox like the smell from a bust sewage pipe. No problem can be solved until you admit it exists.

So, we enter the final act of a season that has been as unpredictable as any in many a long year. Not since 1983 have we seen three teams in with a realistic chance of winning the title so late in the day. The relatively poor season by both of the big Glasgow clubs has allowed Hearts a once in a generation shot at the title. Last season they finished seventh with just 40 points. This season they already have 73 points and could conceivably double their points tally of last year. So, praise where it is due. They’ve improved massively.

Celtic hit 112 SPFL goals last season and have currently scored 62 with just 4 games left. That lack of scoring power has greatly impacted on their season. The inability of the board to sign a proven, reliable goal-scorer is negligent and their decision to employ Wilfried Nancy was a gamble that failed spectacularly. His 25% win rate is the worst in Celtic’s managerial history and those 33 days did huge damage to Celtic’s hopes this season.  

Whatever happens in the final weeks of the season, we all know Celtic will need a major rebuilding job in the summer. That can wait for now though as the team faces five games that will define their season. Rangers need to decide if they’ll bow to Celtic’s demands and not allocate tickets to the Union Bears ultras group. If they agree, I have no doubt some will slip in and the rest of their fans will show solidarity by dressing in black and ignoring the rightness of Celtic’s case. If they refuse, we’ll see two thousand empty seats and may well see the allocation for Ibrox affected next season.

Perhaps we should paraphrase that Canadian adage about dealing with bears; if they’re black- roar back. If they’re brown- sit down. If they’re white- good night. But if they’re louts- keep them out.