The momentum pendulum swings back in Celtic’s favour, but now is not the time for complacency
Eric Knott 
Stu Forster/Getty Images Sport
Brendan Rodgers showed us once again yesterday why he is the top manager in Scottish football.
Many people, including myself, questioned his “elite manager” credentials in the aftermath of the defeats to Kilmarnock and Hearts.
In my previous article to this, though, I stated that the Celtic manager had a knack for stepping up to the plate on occasions like yesterday.
So it transpired.
I also stated I couldn’t give a prediction on the game, simply because of the threat I felt the Ibrox side had when it came to penalty bingo.
For a moment yesterday, I thought they were going to be awarded another one.
When Willie Collum decided to take a look at the incident involving Alistair Johnston and Sima, I feared the worst.
To say I was shocked Collum deemed there should be no further action taken, is an understatement.
Everybody at my CSC was too.
Oh, I knew there would be wailing, and weeping and gnashing of teeth from Ibrox, after they were denied what they believed to be a stonewall penalty.
It came as expected, from both the manager and the club after the game.
It looked all the more foolish, when the build up play showed Sima was offside.
Interestingly enough, the Messiah thinks that many of the refereeing decisions were “strange”.
Here’s what he had to say:
But I have other questions also about the handball, to get a penalty in the first half, it’s a clear penalty. And why no second yellow card for some tackles? Then in the end a lot of game there was a lot of yellow cards. Some strange decisions in that way, but I am focussed on my team and we did a lot of good things
Funnily enough, when all the decisions were going his way before this, his first defeat, he noticed nothing strange.
Nothing strange about all the penalties his team was awarded.
I’d love to know if he thinks it’s “strange” that his club hasn’t conceded a penalty in 73 games?
I guess it only becomes “strange” when you lose to your greatest rivals.
And just like all the great pretenders before him, they are always found out when they face Celtic.
But as always, Ibrox managers are incapable of accepting defeat gracefully.
Clement also took the time to question the fact that there were no away supporters at yesterday’s game.
Something he also cannot seem to accept:
We had more shots in an away game with no supporters allowed. That is a really strange thing that a federation allows that. That a team can decide who is coming in or not
Well, if Phillipe would really like to know why there are no away supporters allowed, maybe he should present that particular question to his own board?
They are, after all, the ones who instigated this whole situation.
I’ll give him a free pass on it this time, simply because he’s new to the game here.
I’m sure he’s as yet unaware of the events of the 11th of March 2018.
But with a little bit of research, I’ve no doubt he would be able to come to a very clear understanding as to why there are no away supporters at Glasgow derbies anymore.
I’ll give him a small hint, it has absolutely nothing to do with Celtic.
Clement was pissed off because there were no away supporters at the game, that’s all thanks to his club.
He was pissed off that they didn’t get a penalty, well, that’s because they constantly get them.
I guess not getting one is now anathema to Clement?
I wonder if any side he managed prior to now was ever awarded as many penalties in 15 games as his current side has since he took them over?
It’s highly unlikely.
The simple fact is we were the better side yesterday.
Brendan Rodgers, once again, served up a tactical masterclass.
Like I said, he has a knack for doing that in games like yesterday’s.
It’s why people class him as an “elite” level manager.
I wrote an article recently, in the aftermath of the Hearts defeat, whereby I stated that Brendan Rodgers needed to block out all the recent white noise, and focus solely on winning the following 3 games.
He did exactly that.
In those three games, Kyogo regained his scoring touch, we discovered that there is a player in Paolo Bernardo after all, and yesterday, Maik Nawrocki looked as if he had been in our central defence for years.
Not just twice.
To you and me, that should be a good thing, but unfortunately, it comes with it’s own pitfalls.
Because, while I’m happy Paolo Bernardo and Maik Nawrocki are showing promise, at the same time, I’m worried that this will draw more complacency from our notoriously complacent board.
No doubt, after yesterday’s performance, they will think everything is rosy in the garden again.
Lawwell and Lawwell Jnr. will be patting each other on the back, thinking that the summer recruitment is now almost at a 40% success rate.
Which in Lawwell terms would be classed as a qualified success.
We know better.
Now is not the time for complacency.
While a win against the Ibrox side always brings a feel good factor, it does not paper over the cracks that have been in evidence recently.
Brendan Rodgers NEEDS reinforcements in January’s transfer window.
The Asian Cup is going to deprive us of the majority of the Celtic front line.
Kyogo, Maeda and Hatate, will most likely travel.
Oh and Yang are already confirmed for South Korea.
This is why we cannot mess around in this transfer window.
This needs to Brendan Rodgers’ window.
Not Peter Lawell’s.
Not Mark Lawwell’s.
I see rumours today that we are looking to sign Scott McKenna from Nottingham Forest.
I’m not sure this is the kind of “quality” we need, and because he’s playing in the EPL, his value will be hyperinflated.
I’m sure there is better value for money out there.
While he’s a tried and tested Scottish Premiership defender, I can’t imagine his price tag will make him a worthwhile acquisition.
It remains to be seen if there’s any credence to this rumour, with PLZ soccer being the source.
The bottom line is we now have an advantage over the Ibrox side again.
And of late, when we’ve had advantages, we have a habit of letting them slip.
We cannot afford to allow that to happen again.
While Clement made the typical and expected soundbites an Ibrox manager would make after a defeat to us, he is no fool.
He is still a decent manager.
The Ibrox side will improve under his management.
Therefore, we need to improve more than they do.
The pendulum swung in our favour yesterday.
We cannot allow it to swing in favour of Ibrox again.
They are down, but they are not out.
It’s time to put their lights out.
Give Rodgers what he needs, and we can do exactly that.
Get it done this January Celtic!
Aodhán Ó Conchobhair 
I said the exact same thing yesterday regarding the Lawwells & Co.
In their minds there is no longer a need to spend any of the £72m as we put Sevco to the sword.
I’d hope DD being the astute businessman he purports to be MUST know we have to build from this position of strength, maybe his son and heir could make him see the sense.
We were almost caught by that mob recently, do not ignore the signs!!!!
Eric, I was never in doubt that Celtic would win yesterday and I don’t know why? Well, I do, despite the fact we’re injury ravaged and not playing anywhere near our best we’re simply better than “them”. TRIFC are deceptive they’re worse than they look! If they weren’t getting the “patterns of assistance” that they’ve had this league would be over already. I said to the wife yesterday when she asked me if I was nervous “not at all, we’ll win with something to spare” and we did. It wouldn’t be Celtic though if they didn’t make us sweat the last ten minutes but even then we were never in any real danger. I, like you though, feel that the win might mean the board and particularly the Lawell’s feel we don’t need to flash the cash, we must though as you have to spend from a position of strength and make sure this title is consolidated as the CL money next season is expected to exceed £60 million and we can’t have them getting that money. Brendan has to tell the board get me the players I want or I walk because if he doesn’t get his own players then he’s being shortchanged. If he does get his own players but we don’t win the league he could be out the door anyway. It remains to be seen though what will happen but this board are on the precipice of a supporter mutiny if they don’t deliver in January.
Eric,
Collum has been caught bang to rights here. He is a cheat and has been exposed as one. Rangers cannot let this go and take it all the way. When we do Collum will never referee a game in Scotland again. Watch this space.
Are you for real Billy? Is there some sort of conspiracy in Scottish football when it comes to refereeing?? I’d never have thought it! Amazing that your club only decides to speak up when it goes against them, isn’t it? It was never a penalty Billy, because your player was offside and proven to be offside on Sky Sports in the aftermath of the incident. Therefore, your argument is null and void. Your club doesn’t like Willie Collum because he teaches in a Catholic school, simple as, and we all know that’s why they’re going after him. End of. At least have the balls to admit that much. There was no penalty because your player was offside. But believe me, if your club wants to expose the corruption in Scottish refereeing, I’m all for it, bring it on. Just beware that when that can of worms is opened, all the corrupt officials who favour your club will be exposed as well, and there are a hell a lot more of them than one individual like Willie Collum. You know that as well as I do. So quit your bollocks talk and take your beating.
A happy new year to you and all your regular contributors, Eric. A brilliant 3 points on Saturday, despite the Ibrox assassins booting us all over the park.
Well knock me down with a fucking feather! Billy the willy is so enraged he forgot to add his usual bile about child abuse in his comments today! You fuckwits really are a deranged bunch, you still want a penalty even though 2 zombies were clearly offside, thats just a taste of how the rest of scottish football feels billy the willy. You were beaten by sheer class and quality with a real leader leading his men in to battle. Whats really comical about it all is that philipe the Great has choked at the first proper team he has faced, he’s now starting to sound as deranged as billy the willy, and that takes some doing!
Eric,
If it was offside then how was Separate Entity FC awarded a bye kick and how did it take at least 20 minutes for it to be mentioned. The answer to that is Collum was scrambling about looking for something to cover his arse. Also it was not offside as if you look at it again Greg Taylor was playing Sima on. Pure and simple cheating Eric.
Billie
266 people only wanted to go to a football match but they were killed or seriously injured by your old club.
All those deaths could have been avoided if your old club had cared about safety.
Why did you support a club that done that to innocent people?
Wasn’t offside!! PMSL!
Daft illiterate hun
Incestuous prick Chris and a very stupid RC.
RC?
No idea what you mean.
When will you be Neely Dunn with your child abuse hard on?
You are on the wrong site for your grooming.
What kind of club could ignore previous fatalities and still got the fans to walk the plank in a death trap without improving it for safety?
Disgusting bigoted club that was unique in carrying out a policy of apartheid to Catholics for nearly 80 years but when challenged by Uefa over this your wee shite bag coward general manager Willie Waddell lied to Uefa and said they didn’t have the scummy policy.
It sums up how pathetic the old club was that they had to lie rather than tell the truth!
The scum couldn’t even own up to it.
Old Rangers..cowards to a man as well as being responsible for the deaths of their own fans!!
Chris,
You are a DHIM TIM.
What was the funniest part of your old club dying?
Your personal highlight?
You’re still a Dhim Tim.
Did you cry like a wee baby when news broke that the CVA had been rejected?
Surely a JFK moment?
Have you eaten jelly and ice cream since?
Chris,
What was your response when the Famous Glasgow Rangers stopped Separate Entity FC from winning nine and three quarters in a row. Were you suicidal ya Dhim Tim.
11 out of 12 and odds on with bookies to make it 12 out of 13.
We lost the empty stadiums league but bounced back to be odds on for 3 in a row.
If I was a hun and could only boast about a solitary league win from 3 years ago then it would show me as desperate.
Dim you say?
And you all still think there is a Masonic conspiracy against you. Beggars belief.
It also helps that your new club are shite.
But of course you have to play on a level playing field because there is no David Murray to lie to HMRC and give side letters to players, completely against the rules thereby not paying tax.
If only your old club had told the truth and didn’t lie for years then the soldiers that they hero worship would have had extra money from taxes to pay for proper modern military equipment.
But what can you expect from a club that dipped the charity money in a benefit match v Milan.
It Has now been proved that Collum lied about the penalty against Separate Entity FC. It is now proved that Separate Entity FC
Have the referees on their payroll and all the time the DHIMS Are screaming conspiracy. It is now proved that you are all mentally ill and are paranoid. Where does this all start. Are you taught this in your schools and churches from an early age or are you all born with it. Answers on a postcard please.
Billie
The world will be a better place when sickos like you who has a hard on for child abuse take your last breath.
How desperate must you be to complain about a decision that was already offside so was moot.
Strange how you have been silent about the penalty that should have been with Turnbull that VAR didn’t overturn where Collum should have called for the ref to check the monitor.
On the offside penalty claim, Celtic haven’t complained about the linesman ignoring the offside which happened before the Johnston incident.
Now that is more relevant than the Johnston incident.
How desperate must the huns be to complain about a penalty that would never have been awarded anyway due to offside before it!!
I can see from your comments that you are not playing with a full deck.
Get help you sick hun.
Chris,
You are still an ugly F———-R. Rumour has it, When you were a baby yer mam fitted Venetian blinds to yer pram. You are an annoying little prick, No wonder ye have no pals
Wee Chrissy no pals as you are now known.
Billie
You are as funny as lung cancer.
I see you calling out how I look and my friends, is that what you do on all the sites when you are on grooming, your way of indoctrinating into someones life.
I imagine your hard drive is sickening.
The sooner you die like the rangers the better the world will be.
Very tetchy Chrissy no pals
Sad little ugly F———R that you are.
Billy Boy
says:
4th January 2024 at 4:48 pm
Very tetchy Chrissy no pals
Sad little ugly F———R that you are.
—————–
Hard to believe that this has actually been posted from an adult.
More to be pitied.
A sad pathetic hun trawling Celtic sites.