Madness and Love

 

Madness and Love

Watching the forlorn figure of Reo Hatate wander round behind the goal of the Jock Stein stand after he was substituted in the match against Shakhtar was somewhat poignant. He no doubt thought he had not had his best match in the hoops and removed his shirt as he trudged around the track. His slack pass in midfield had eventually led to Mudryk’s beautifully taken goal but it was certainly wrong to blame him as the talented Ukrainian side were in possession 80 yards from Celtic’s goal. Sometimes you see a goal of such quality, you just have to say, ‘fair play’ and take it on the chin.

As if sensing Hatate’s despondency, the Celtic support started chanting Reo’s name. It grew into a warm embrace which told him, yeh, we have some moaners in our fanbase but we’re all in this together. We all want what’s best for Celtic. It reminded me of Didier Agathe saying after taking some abuse from his own fans after a European tie, ‘It’s not that they don’t care. It’s that they care too much.’ Agathe had a point; Celtic means so much to so many. In games like the one with Shakhtar, the fans are so engrossed in the game, they contest every decision and try to drive the team on to victory.

Sometimes, a minority get frustrated when it isn’t going well and make it obvious by groaning at a misplaced pass and moaning at players who don’t do as they would wish. We live those games, breathe them, kick every ball and when things aren’t going right, that positive energy we fans give the team can easily turn negative. ‘It is,’ as my old man used to say, ‘an easy game to play from the stands.’

Few teams fuse with their supporters as Celtic do and countless opposition players and managers have commented on the atmosphere Celtic’s followers generate. Some supporters rightly say that they’d rather they’d comment on the Celtic team than the fans but on occasion it is a remarkable symbiosis. Sporting Journalist, Paul Heyward wrote in the aftermath of Celtic’s victory over Barcelona in 2012…

‘’A club set up to feed the poor in Glasgow’s East End took a bite out of the rich in a front of a home tribe so passionate that even Barcelona’s Clasico veterans were taken aback. “No words to describe the atmosphere at Celtic Park,” wrote Gerard Piqué, who knows so well the cauldron of Real Madrid v Barcelona. “The stadium is a marvel – the fans, the people, how they support their team,” Xavi added. “It’s an example for every team.” “The stadium was spectacular,” said Tito Vilanova, the Barcelona coach. “I have been lucky in my career to have been to many grounds, but I have never seen anything like it. This was their 125th birthday and I wish them many more years.”

There is a certain weariness among Celtic fans about continental managers and players praising the atmosphere at Celtic Park in the aftermath of dismantling Celtic’s team on the field. Celtic's epic victory over Barcelona was ten years ago now and in the decade since then the Hoops have barely landed a punch on the giants of European football. Football develops fast and the elite teams of the modern era have developed in terms of technique, ability, speed and stamina. Celtic’s team of 2012 was modest in terms of cost and achievement in Europe but they did possess a fighting spirit and sheer stubbornness that even Barcelona’s golden generation couldn’t break. They also fed off the crowd and, vitally, scored the first goal. That gave them belief and something to hold on to. Paul Heyward commented on that phenomenon with the memorable words…

‘Somewhere between madness and love, this fanaticism did for Barcelona on a night when the Celtic team and their disciples were indivisible. Money can’t buy you that.’

Watching Postecoglou’s Celtic play Shakhtar, it was clear that our players gave all they had in the match and matched a decent European team in both home and away fixtures. In the end a draw was about right although either side could have snatched the win. The fans see progress in the 18 months Ange has been in charge and most accept that the Champions League is a hugely challenging environment for teams of modest resources like Celtic and it will take time to acclimatise to its demands. In all of the games Celtic has played in this season’s group stages, they have given their opponents a real match and even against the mighty Real Madrid, only succumbed after an hour of give and take. The need to compete at that level for the entire match is crucial to making an impact in this, the world’s toughest club tournament.

Toni Kroos, Real’s German playmaker, may have talked of managing the game well at Celtic Park but the truth is had McGregor’s shot which struck the post or Maeda’s miss from six yards found the net, the outcome could have been very different. The Spanish press were impressed with Celtic with one sports reporter writing…

‘Postecoglou has brought Celtic into the modernity of the game and to his credit is doing so without big stars. The team played well, with dynamism, ambition and disdain for defensive tactics. Hence, the value of Madrid’s victory. Real went through some worrying moments in the first half and was surpassed by its rival, who reached the area with ease and had several shots.’

Celtic are a young, developing team with no stand out stars who can turn games with moments of magic. Rather they are attempting to play a modern and, by Scottish standards, sophisticated style of play which relies on energy, effort, organisation and above all else, functioning as a team. It takes time and experience to adapt to the rigours of Champions League football and Celtic need to get back there as soon as possible to gain this. It may not be so easy, with Scotland’s co-efficient taking a pounding this season but we do have grounds to be optimistic.  Postecoglou’s young team will develop further and with a few additions and a more ruthless mindset, can do better in Europe.

Jota was lost to the team at a crucial time and Kyogo, who could do no wrong last season, has had a dip in form but both will be back in time. Players like Grieg Taylor have improved exponentially under Postecoglou’s tutorage as indeed has McGregor and Ralston. The team seem to know where they are going and what they are doing. Clear and strong leadership has been vital to this.

Next week Celtic head to that cathedral of European football, the Santiago Bernabeu with no one giving them much of a hope at the home of the current European Champions. We know gaining any kind of result there will be immensely difficult but we do expect our players to be brave and realise that they are on a stage they may never experience again. Enjoy it, do you best but most importantly, learn from it. It may seem an intimidating arena but it is no more noisy or passionate than Celtic Park.

So, on the slim chance that Reo Hatate reads this article, I hope he will understand that those who moan when things go wrong do so because what they feel for this club is, in the words of Paul Heyward, ‘somewhere between madness and love.’ The majority of us know that complaining is counter productive and simply want to drive our team on to be all it can be. Celtic players carry our hopes and dreams on their shoulders when they wear those iconic hooped shirts. We have come so far since an Irishman named Brother Walfrid set the good ship Celtic afloat. Players come and go, managers too, but we, the fans are here forever. This is our club, our heritage, our joy. All we ask is that you give your all and make us proud.