Celtic's best certainly yet to come in the Ange Postecoglou revolution - Kevin McKenna

It often proceeds in taxis or in pubs after the immediate sting of defeat has begun to subside or the euphoria of victory has settled into a soft glow. At these times there is room for magnanimity and grace. 

“So, did you watch the game on Sunday?”

“Eh; aye.” (Does this bloke want to gloat or empathise?)

“What did you think?”

“I thought it was a decent game, to be fair.” (Need to be careful here; not give too much away)

“I’m a Rangers man myself, but I thought Celtic were unlucky.” (He’s offering me a truce. Need to declare my colours now and give him something back.)

“Och, we’ve still got a bit of work to do at the back but I thought your man Balogun was outstanding.”

“I think a draw would have been a fairer result.” (Aye okay wee man; don’t overdo it).

“I think it’ll be a close race for the title (mild optimism; keep it civil).

“I agree. And that’s good for Scottish football.”

“Aye, good for Scottish football … “

“A strong Celtic and Rangers.”

“And the co-efficient.”

“Oh, aye; the co-efficient.” (Did he just give me a wink?)

We’ve reached my destination. He gets his tip and my pain has eased a little more. By talking about it I can live with it. My Rangers driver seems to know this too: he’s been here too and probably knows he’ll be here again soon enough.

As a Celtic fan at times like this you try to recall other periods when you couldn’t buy a win against Rangers, especially the Andy Goram era. And then you seek solace in the green-remembered days of Martin O’Neill and Brendan Rodgers when it wasn’t a case of if but by how many. Funny too how we still obsess about why we couldn’t convert some of those fours and fives into sevens.

I even used to fantasise about what might have happened if we were really to have piled on the agony and gone 7-0 up, especially that title-winning game at Parkhead in 2019 when we were five ahead after an hour. Would we maybe have detailed someone to tell big Lustig to handle the ball deliberately inside the box in the last minute as a means of re-producing that golden 7-1 score-line from 64 years ago? Lustig would have been mad enough to do it. Would Rangers have had someone with sufficient local knowledge to know that this was a penalty that had to be missed?

So how did it come to this - five defeats in six – and how so quickly? Those empty Covid stadiums might have been a factor, as it seemed to have been with Liverpool. And there was the Bolingoli Incident and Griffiths being a roaster and Shane Duffy. And not forgetting the contrived outrage that resulted from that Dubai trip (wasn’t it curious why no-one seemed too bothered when we flew out)?

READ MORE: Celtic's transfer window analysed - Has Ange Postecoglou been backed enough for season ahead?

But the transfer window told its own story too, confirming the truth of what the bloggers were implying: that four of our biggest players with significant dressing-room influence simply didn’t want to be here last season. How much damage was done to morale and unity of purpose by the simmering discontent of Kristoffer Ajer, Oliver Ntcham, Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie?

And what is it anyway about this sanctity of the dressing-room that prevents the truth from emerging of what’s really happening behind the scenes? I mean, days after those big earthquakes that happen at the core of government, affecting national security and the UK economy the Sunday papers are guaranteed to provide the inside story.

Within days we knew all about the background to Matt Hancock’s affair and how Dominic Cummings was just testing his eyesight on his lockdown-busting trip to Newcastle and how the criminal incompetence of UK diplomats handed the Taliban details of Afghans who’d helped the west’s occupying forces. 

On these occasions there are stacks of people at the highest levels of government happy to talk about such matters and journalists equally happy to report them. Yet, in Scotland not a scintilla of information can emerge from the dressing-room holy of holies.

Oh sure, you pick up snippets in pubs from blokes who know a security man or someone who knows a man who works with Charlie Christie’s dad. Or that some of Celtic’s players were so angered by the slew of contrived outrage that greeted Bolingoli’s rogue trip to Spain – and Celtic’s failure to care for him – that they effectively downed tools.

Half of Glasgow seemed to know about baleful outside influences and darker stuff besides. But nothing that could be stood up or escape the scrutiny of newspaper lawyers.

I think though, that the shutting of the transfer window finally exorcised the devils of our coronavirus season. We made a lot of money from four players who gave us many moments of great joy on our way to four trebles. They are all young men from modest backgrounds who know that they have a heaven-sent and very short window of opportunity to provide their families with financial security for the rest of their lives. They know – and we know too – that their careers are prey to sudden injury and the whims of insecure coaches and boardroom capitalism. There can’t be any bitterness here.    

And I’m feeling okay after Sunday too, perhaps the best I’ve felt after a defeat at Ibrox. By dominating possession our players stood up well to the most hostile atmosphere they’re ever likely to encounter. We created the four best chances of the game by playing good football. We know too that no defence in Scotland can live with the pace and movement of Kyogo if he’s played through the middle.

Starfelt had his best 90 minutes in his toughest test. You could point to sudden frailty at a single corner … or you can simply accept that it was a great delivery and a cracking header. Every goal is preventable and on Sunday we reduced Rangers to two half-chances in 90 minutes. And Tony Ralston and Callum McGregor, two products of our youth academy, have been our best and most consistent performers.

Ange Postecoglou has already shown he can coax big performances from faltering players. Now he has a squad of men who want to be here right now. Our fitness levels have increased visibly in the course of these first 11 games, to the extent that Celtic finished Sunday’s game looking fitter than their opponents.

There is much better to come from this Celtic team.