Celtic’s feats merit respect, not a shrug of the shoulders

CELTIC can be under no illusions. Finishing a Scottish league season unbeaten will be met with a national shrug. Avoid defeat against Hearts tomorrow and Bored Brian from Bristol will race Billy Bunter of Brentford to log on and post the first ‘who cares?’ comment on MailOnline. Throw in a few ‘pub league’ and ‘irrelevant’ comments and it’s full-steam ahead for a game of SPFL Bingo. There’s no point arguing the toss. Nothing to be gained from employing reason or stats or pointing out that no Scottish club has gone a whole league season unbeaten since Queen Victoria was on the throne and the Marquess of Salisbury was in 10 Downing Street. Scottish football has become an easy target. A victim of sneering derision, low broadcasting revenues, wilful ignorance and the myopia of talkSPORT pygmies. No one is under any illusion that the national game is revelling in some kind of golden age. Where it matters most, it’s hopelessly uncompetitive. Take the club co-efficients as a guide and you would struggle to make a case for the SPFL featuring in Europe’s top 20 leagues. That’s not the fault of Brendan Rodgers. But the manager of Celtic is now damned if he does. And damned if he doesn’t. Ronny Deila had to go because Aberdeen crept a little too close for comfort. Rodgers came in and upped the ante, racking up a 30-point lead, winning a sixth successive title at a canter and drawing twice with Manchester City in the Champions League. And still they get it in the neck from English fans saying they’re a Championship team. While SPFL rivals claim they have only achieved what they should with a huge budget. It may be time, then, for a little historical context. It’s 119 years since Willie Maley became the only Celtic manager in history to go an entire league season unbeaten. Jock Stein and Martin O’Neill won Parkhead Trebles and reached European finals. But

they couldn’t do it. Rodgers would be the first to admit; there are no Willie Hendersons or Paul Gascoignes or Willie Millers playing for Rangers and Aberdeen now. But Celtic can only beat the teams they face. And they have done it in resounding fashion. There should be no ‘ah, but...’ here. Not this time. Finishing a 38-game league season unbeaten commands respect. Whatever Brian from Bristol says.