TALKING CELTIC

FIRST things first. Firhill is not the Etihad, as Patrick Roberts discovered to his dismay on his first visit to the West End.

Secondly, this Celtic team doesn’t seem to care for their surroundings. Salubrious or not, Brendan Rodgers has created a team capable of turning it on wherever they go.

Stuart Armstrong and Leigh Griffiths were the men of the night, with Callum McGregor supplying the late cameo, as the Parkhead side steam-rolled Partick Thistle to claim a 4-1 win and tally up their 17th domestic game without defeat this term.

Pictures, too, tell a story and the narrative of this Celtic team is the cohesion and unity that Rodgers has given them.

When Armstrong netted the second goal of the night just three minutes after the restart, only Craig Gordon was out of the equation as the midfielder was mobbed by his team-mates. Every outfield Celtic player swarmed Armstrong to celebrate the goal, a show of camaraderie and spirit that has appeared to underpin what this Hoops side is about this term.

When Griffiths followed that up with a fine second, he couldn’t resist his own jig of delight.

The striker has kept a steady counsel as he has found himself benched for much of the season, but his own relief was evident as he celebrated his first goal since Bonfire Night and his tenth of the season. It was a fine strike, too, and a reminder of just how clinical Griffiths can be in an opposition penalty box.

Cristian Gamboa, one of three changes Rodgers made, deserved credit for his part in it.

RODGERS preaches an aggression and a relentlessness that was evident in the way the full-back bullied his way into an intercepted pass before pinging the ball to Tom Rogic.

The Aussie put Griffiths through but the striker was beaten to the ball by Adam Barton in the box. However, the striker’s quick feet not only robbed the defender but he then rolled away from him with a balletic turn before curling the ball into the net.

It ought to have been game over but Celtic, for the second week in a row, conceded a goal that by their own standards could only be described as cheap.

Callum Booth’s free-kick wasn’t cleared by Celtic and Liam Lindsay was first to get