PREMIERSHIP FANZONE
It’s a rather odd feeling, realising for the first time since the 1913-14 season we are not going to finish in second place.there are a number of reasons for that and I’m not only referring to some shocking refereeing decisions at the weekend and before.
We struggled with our home form in the middle of the season and too many points were dropped that shouldn’t have been. Given our previous good home form in recent seasons it was frustrating that we seemed to lose our way for a while. More recently, injuries have not been kind and the list of injured players has grown so much Willie Miller now brings his boots when he’s commentating, just in case!
The season is not done yet though and third place still needs to be secured. Celtic, more than any other club,live their history just as much as the present and sometimes history means more. It does when it comes to the Lisbon Lions. Billy Mcneill is one of the bricks of Celtic. That iconic pose is the founding stone of modern Celtic. Our captain in our greatest period and a successful manager straight after Jock Stein and in our centenary year.
Stevie Chalmers scored the goal that laid that stone. The most important goal in our history. Both men woke up that day just football players; by sunset theythey had become forever legends.
Billy once said: “There is a fairytale about the club.” Both men knew all about that as they played a starring role in the greatest fairytale of them all. These Lions will always roar as long as Celtic exist. Whether it’s Accies, Livi or St Mirren who put the final nail in our coffin is immaterial, although I’d prefer it isn’t confirmed this coming weekend as I’ll be stranded with dozens of United fans on a stag do.
Saturday’s game was a microcosm of this season’s calamities, as we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against a ten-man side in the dying seconds, with clown-car defending and inexplicable decision making in the final third. Rebuilding for a Championship title challenge under a new manager is the faint silver lining in the storm clouds gathering over Dens, as we currently only have eight senior players under contract for next season. You don’t need to be a pessimist to worry about who’ll be brought in to try to steer our ship back on course.
Gary Cocker