THERE was much gnashing of teeth amid the growing consternation among the fans at Parkhead.
All perfectly understandable, of course, as Brendan Rodgers’ team footered and fumbled their way to a frustrating goalless draw in the first leg of a crucial European tie.
There was a distinct lack of firepower to threaten the opposition who had been set up to stifle the hosts with an eye to getting the job done on home soil.
Mercifully, though, we were spared the loud and hysterical demands for the mass removal of the guys in suits in the comfy seats. Not even the merest hint of that haunting little lullaby that goes along the lines of ‘Sack The Board’ from irate supporters.
On this occasion, the club’s followers concentrated on events taking place on the field of play.
ALONE WITH HIS THOUGHTS…Brendan Rodgers during his first stint at Celtic.
Not quite an identical scenario to events under the lights in the east end of Glasgow six days ago, but fairly close. I’m talking about a scoreless stalemate with Rosenborg in a Champions League qualifier on July 26 2017.
It had been anticipated the Hoops would roll all over the Norwegians on their way to the later stages. Didn’t quite happen that way. Annoyingly, the beautiful game often stubbornly fails to follow the script and, in doing so, has the capacity to send unsuspecting onlookers into a frenzy of discombobulation.
A lot of football followers are not massive fans of tales of the unexpected. Alas, it comes with the turf.
Rodgers went into the encounter without the striking services of the injured Moussa Dembele and the suspended Leigh Griffiths. Without experienced back-up, the manager had to rejig his strategy and switch Tom Rogic from his usual midfield berth to act as a false No.9.
It didn’t prove to be a resounding success.
As the evening wore on and disillusionment set in among the disgruntled support, we had to accept the inevitable; Celtic were doomed not to score a goal on this occasion.
As the woe brigade grumbled their way to the exits, it was left to a positive Rodgers to remind everyone that “a 0-0 draw is not a bad result in Europe.”
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME…James Forrest fails on this occasion, but he made up for it in the second leg against Rosenborg in August 2017.
And, thus, the remark was proved accurate a week later when James Forrest rifled in the only goal of three hours-plus of action. It had just reached the 69th minute in the Lerkandal Stadion in Trondheim when the winger lashed a ferocious right-foot angled drive into the roof of the Rosenburg net.
That strike earned a final qualifying confrontation – against, ironically, opposition from Kazakhstan. Celtic got the job done with a 5-0 win in Glasgow. It got a little sweaty in the return, but the visitors managed to get through 8-4 on aggregate.
The door was then swung open to the riches of the group stages of Europe’s elite competition and Rodgers’ team were drawn against Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Anderlecht.
But that’s an entirely different story.
The moral of this particular little tale is quite evident; nil desperandum, dear reader.
GREEN FOR GO…James Forrest races away in joy after rifling in Celtic’s winner over Rosenborg in Trondheim.
I believe Celtic can get through this daunting test. It doesn’t matter that it’s Kazakhstan. Or Kirkcaldy. Or Kirkcudbright.
The heat could be problematic, but the club employ scientists to advise the players on how to cope in such situations while you and I have to hope we don’t encounter a dodgy referee on a card-happy day.
We boast an elite manager and superior players in comparison to the opposition. Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor, as well as goal hero Forrest, have already starred in this movie.
I just hope the players have practised their penalty-kicks. We don’t want a repeat of the Hampden fiasco in May.
Get the job done, Celtic, and emphasise why you should be regular diners at Europe’s top table.
*DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Kairat Almaty v Celtic this evening – only in your champion CQN.
