Sybaris Ali 
Mark Runnacles/Getty Images Sport
Just under a year ago, some fans were at breaking point, while others had already reached it before Celtic slumped to a 0-0 draw at home to Dundee.
However, this one game against the Dark Blues wasn’t the biggest catalyst for the fans frustration that night. Tension had reached boiling point. From lacklustre performances to poor results, former Hoops boss Ronny Deila felt the pressure and it certainly got to him.
To be fair to Deila, the players at times simply didn’t turn up, but the Norwegian was tactical narrow-minded. Although it was finest of margins and referring decisions which in reality cost the manager a domestic treble, despite his faults. And while people will point the finger to Deila and the players, the board had to share the blame as well. Crowds were dwindling, the football was getting poorer and in all honesty, some fans wanted to forget all about the season.
Having already been dumped out of the Europa League in the first half of the season, Celtic’s campaign then hinged on a domestic treble. Something which hadn’t been achieved since Martin O’Neill’s tenure as Hoops manager. After a disappointing League Cup exit to Ross County, the Hoops were then knocked out on penalties, in the Scottish Cup semi-final. It capped off a disappointing season for Celtic, but it did allow the current regime to be kick started. I guess, every cloud has a silver lining.
Ronny Deila, left Celtic last season with a 61% win ratio in the 57 competitive games he managed in the 2015/16 campaign. Leigh Griffiths, who was the Hoops top goalscorer, hit a staggering 40 goals last season but Tom Rogic was the only other player to reach double figures last campaign with 10 goals. Only Kris Commons reached double figures in assists last season with 12, but he’s nowhere to be seen this season due to Rodgers’ demands of his players.
2011-2016 @kcommons15
229 appearances
91⚽️
Scottish Premier League 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Scottish Cup 🏆🏆
Scottish League Cup 🏆Here's some of his best🍀 pic.twitter.com/qcrb0ttu1a
— Read Celtic and The Trinity Tims (@ReadCeltic) December 16, 2016
By way of comparison, four players are already in double figures and Armstrong has nine goals this season, while Kieran Tierney and James Forrest are already in double figures for assists this season.
Though the 2015/16 season may not have been the best, many Celtic players offered a small flash of magic in matches. For example, Rogic’s stunning winner against Kilmarnock was one of the standout highlights last season. This and the emergence of Kieran Tierney really did offer fans a glimpse into the near future at Celtic.
Rodgers Revolution
Deila, who left his post at Celtic after securing the Hoops fifth successive league title, opened the door to speculation into who may be the next manager to take the helm at Celtic. Several names were thrown into the mix but in the summer of 2016, Brendan Rodgers was appointed as Celtic manager. The signing of Rodgers was a big statement of intent by the Celtic board, as they aimed to get the Parkhead side back into the Champions League, as well as exert dominance across Scottish football.
Rodgers, who is a lifelong fan of the club, admitted that it was a dream come true to join his boyhood team. For fans, it signalled that Celtic, were heading towards a bigger and better future under the Irishman. Almost immediately, Rodgers implemented his style of play in training and soon, the Hoops were ready to kick-off the campaign. Added to that, the signings of Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair offered Celtic fans a chance to see some much-needed flair and skill, which hadn’t really been on show for several years.
Patience, though, was Rodgers’ biggest wish for fans in the early part of the season. This patience, was none more so tested when Dembele’s penalty late on against Astana sent the Hoops through to the play-off round of the Champions League qualifiers. A very nervy performance but a level of steel and mettle was shown that night which has since grown in leaps and bounds.
Having successfully navigated the play-offs, the Hoops were then juggling between three different competitions. A rather eye-opening experience in the Camp Nou, showed the fans that there was still a long way to go before competing in Europe’s elite competition. The turning point though, was that thrilling night between the Celtic and Manchester City.
Who else gets goosebumps watching this? pic.twitter.com/ZzNCH3yYeJ
— Read Celtic and The Trinity Tims (@ReadCeltic) February 23, 2017
Fans may have feared for the worst when Pep Guardiola’s side who were winning games for fun, turned up on a blustery night at Celtic Park. Rodgers and his side proved why they deserved to be in the Champions League with a stunning performance against City.
With Rodgers in charge of the club in little under six-months, he had managed to get the Hoops in the Champions League Group Stages and have them playing good football again. He sealed the end of 2016 with a League Cup trophy, as well as ending the year undefeated in domestic football.
New Year, New Horizon
Celtic’s final game of 2016 was a 2-1 win at Ibrox but as a new year dawned, a new chapter was about to be written into the Celtic history books. The Lisbon Lions 26-game unbeaten domestic run was on the line. The Hoops smashed through the record, which up until this point is at a staggering 31 matches without defeat in domestic football.
With the league virtually over, Rodgers and his side are just three games away from a potential domestic treble, with the Hoops facing St Mirren in the quarter-final stage of the Scottish Cup. With the side playing some great football and powering away from the rest of the league, fans should really savour what has been so far a terrific season for the Hoops.
In essence, it is great to see a Celtic side play good attractive football again, but there is an argument to say that the Hoops can play at an ever higher level, given that Rodgers is allowed time to implement more of his ideas.
This current Celtic side are lightyears ahead of the team that they were last year and with Rodgers inheriting the majority of Ronny Deila’s squad, there are huge differences between the two sides.
Celtic look a different force altogether from anything we’ve seen for a while. You can only imagine what the side could become, if Rodgers can continue to improve Celtic. It’s amazing what progress can be made in a year. Just look at what happened to our club in that time. What will we say one-year from now?
