CORONATION FEAT
Scott can’t wait for Celts to be crowned champs as they chase unbeaten dream
HIS MISSUS is thriving again on the cobbles – and Scott Sinclair is adamant the ball’s not on the slates as Celtic bid to become the Invincibles of Scottish football.
The Hoops attacker admits a Coronation Street scriptwriter would have struggled to pen a debut season as dramatic as the one he is enjoying with the Premiership champions.
Celtic are 90 minutes from the title, nine league games from ending the SPFL campaign undefeated and another two matches from a Treble that would be a fitting tribute to mark the 50th anniversary of the Lisbon Lions.
The Parkhead club announced yesterday they are hosting a charity concert at the Hydro on May 25, five decades to the day they became the first British team to win the European Cup with their famous victory over Internazionale.
They’ve rounded up Rod Stewart, Russell Watson, Sir Alex Ferguson and even Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers for the event, two days before the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden.
Eddie Reader will also perform and Sinclair is determined to make the former Fairground Attraction singer not the only one demanding perfection these coming weeks in front of an audience of Celtic fans.
Brendan Rodgers’ side may have been less than convincing recently in their 1-1 draw against Rangers and narrow 2-1 victory at Dundee but Sinclair believes the international break will give the squad time to draw breath before one last, mighty effort to write history.
He said: “We were not at our best in the last few games – the draw against Rangers and then the win at Dundee.
“We’ve done so well this season and the expectation is so high, people expect us to win 3-0 every week.
“Football is not like that but now we have a break to refresh and go again.
“A declining pattern? Definitely not. It would be great for all the players to kick on now.
“It’s one of those situations where we’ve done so well people just expect us to win easily every week.
“Everyone now has the mentality of motoring through and getting this done – the whole squad. We always try to plough through. The manager has the expectation of us to keep going and going.
“But there are times when you have a break or go away just to relax and make sure you are ready when you come back.
“We’re always looking positively. We go into each game to win and in the remaining matches it’s up to us to maintain that game by game.”
Sinclair has transformed his career these last 12 months – from a bit-part player at an Aston Villa side staring relegation in the face to an integral part of a Celtic team on the brink of a domestic clean sweep for only the fourth time in history.
It’s not just his own stock that’s on the up – his wife, actress Helen Flanagan, is also back in the big time in Weatherfield after a five-year absence from Britain’s most popular soap opera.
Sinclair added: “This season has probably gone even better than I could’ve expected.
“When I came up here I didn’t put too much pressure on myself. I was trying to get the enjoyment back and I’ve done that.
“You can see that in my football and how I am on the pitch. That’s down to me not putting pressure on myself and just getting on with playing.
“Of course, Brendan being here was a massive factor as I’d known him from Chelsea and Swansea. Nowadays you need a manager who likes and believes in you.
“At Villa I had four managers in a couple of years and each coach prefers his own players. It is great for me to be under Brendan again to help get my football back on track.
“I’ve had so many downs in my career, so to get through it means I understand how good things are right now.
“Playing for Villa and Man City in the Premier League is great and you get a decent contract but then you get older – I’m 28 next week – and you decide what
makes you really happy. It’s about trying to get a balance.
“And to be only one match from the title shows how hard we’ve worked and the spirit within our team.
“I’ve gone from tough times to this point now, so you just enjoy the moment.
“Off the pitch, it’s also fine. Helen has obviously gone back to Corrie. So she’s at her parents’ from Monday to Thursday and comes up here at the weekends. At the moment it’s working.
“From a team point of view this season has been excellent. It’s not over, we still have work to do, but on a personal level I’m happy.”
Sinclair has played for three clubs who have won the European Cup, although he left Chelsea two years before they won the big one when they defeated Bayern Munich on penalties in 2012 in the Allianz Arena.
Villa, inspired by sub keeper Nigel Spink, also won the trophy in 1982 with a 1-0 win, again with Bayern Munich on the losing side, but Sinclair confessed that victory isn’t as celebrated as much as Celtic’s success under Jock Stein.
He said: “Winning the European Cup seems bigger here than it did at Villa. It’s talked about a lot more.
“The forthcoming event is great for the fans.”
I’d say this season has probably gone even better than I could’ve expected SCOTT SINCLAIR