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.