Up in the Gents on the first floor of the Main Stand at Parkhead, three nicely soused fellows fresh from hospitality summed up the state of play in the title race after Celtic’s hard-fought 3-1 win over Falkirk.
‘Ah’m delighted, really delighted,’ said one. ‘Ah canny believe we’re this bad and still in wi’ a chance ae winnin’ the title.’
A little later, at the bus stop on the Gallowgate, across from the Forge Retail Park, a few older guys — proper terracing Tams, to coin the time-honoured phrase — from the cheaper seats sang broadly from the same hymn sheet.
Following a lament for the happier days of watching Ange Postecoglou field a team that had a defined style and shape and went out all guns blazing, the realities of following the current Celtic side and their comparatively stodgy way of winning came into focus as the wait continued for the No 61 bus back into Glasgow city centre.
‘Listen, ah think we’ve all accepted we’re no’ getting’ any better than this,’ ventured a man of some vintage in a black baseball hat. ‘We’ve just got to get behind the team and support them now.’
From the VIP section to the pensioners with their concession tickets behind the goal — and everywhere else in between — that just seems to be the mentality with supporters of the champions now.
Kieran Tierney is hailed by his team-mates after scoring Celtic’s second on a sun-kissed day
Their eyes don’t lie. They know the team’s not up to scratch. They know the footballing operation of the club has been run dreadfully badly and, if they’re being honest, would most probably admit they deserve nothing from this chaotic campaign.
They still have the board and major shareholder Dermot Desmond in the crosshairs, for sure, but that can wait for another day.
For the moment, there is somehow still a Premiership trophy within touching distance despite everything — not to mention a Scottish Cup final to get ready for — and a temporary truce is most definitely in place.
That wasn’t just evident from those snatched conversations around the environs of the stadium in the twilight of Saturday evening. It came across loud and clear in the rumbustious atmosphere during the 90 minutes in the sunshine. It was there two hours before kick off as punters gathered to welcome the team to the ground.
And it might just make a difference as manager Martin O’Neill and his players steel themselves for these final four games of the league programme.
O’Neill has long called for unity in the business end of the season and it looks like he’s finally got it. For a short time, at least. Anyone who watches Celtic must realise that a championship triumph remains heavily odds-against, though.
They just aren’t playing consistently enough or well enough. The squad is imbalanced and has been poorly assembled. In the attacking positions, there just isn’t enough in the way of cohesive, quality play.
Daizen Maeda scores the first of his two goals as he continues a timely return to form
James Forrest is back starting games. Not one of the five signings brought in during January made the line-up at the weekend. Only one, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, made the squad.
O’Neill, in fairness, didn’t sugar the pill post-match either. He admitted it was a basketball game at times.
He admitted his players lost control for a while. Asked if he felt his side now had momentum, he refused to go down that road.
‘We are still a long way from home,’ he said. And they are. Falkirk had a number of chances at Parkhead and kept the contest live until the end.
Brad Spencer forced a fine save from Viljami Sinisalo at 0-0. Dylan Tait should have scored with a close-range header with his side 1-0 down.
When substitute Kyrell Wilson made it 2-1 with 20 minutes remaining thanks to a real howitzer of a goal, everything felt up for grabs.
Were it not for a timely intervention from Liam Scales, another shot from Wilson a little later might have asked greater questions of Sinisalo, who gleefully clutched the deflected effort to his chest with both hands.
Celtic’s hardest games of the split, on paper, are still to come. Yet, the fact those two clashes with their title rivals Hearts and Rangers will take place at Parkhead offer just a scintilla of hope.
When the punters are fully behind their team like this, Celtic Park is not an easy place to visit.
They didn’t turn on the players when the pendulum looked like swinging in the opposition’s favour and a collective decision has clearly been made to keep it like that.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor applauds the home fans after another hard-fought victory
One reminder of the unhappiness that has been placed on the backburner remained in the form of a flag featuring the crossed-out faces of Desmond and members of the board hanging over the hoardings in the far corner, but it was overshadowed by huge banners invoking the ‘Spirit of 86’ — when a decidedly more illustrious Celtic team managed to overtake Hearts on the final day and clinch the crown.
There was a really good vibe around the arena from the off and the sight of Daizen Maeda showing signs of rediscovering the form that made him last term’s Player of the Year just offered another reason for the Bhoys not to give up the ghost quite yet.
His harrying, pressing and energy was off the scale. His first goal came after he dispossessed Keelan Adams — who, it has to be said, had a shocker — and he then set up Kieran Tierney to make it 2-0 after winning back possession again.
It was, of course, Maeda who then popped up to make it 3-1 seven minutes from time. He hadn’t netted in 17 outings before scoring another one out of nothing in the cup semi-final win over St Mirren and that’s now three in two.
By hook or by crook, O’Neill is managing to keep this malfunctioning outfit hanging on in there. Even his own fans can barely believe it. Whether visiting the powder room or parked on the bus, that’s plain to see and hear.
Placed in context with the money spent on the operation, Celtic are a poor outfit and everybody knows it, but this is a season which has taught us to expect the unexpected — and that’s what followers of the green-and-white are now banking on as they cheer on a team they openly concede would be nowhere near the prizes in any normal campaign.
