Celtic Gave Them Hope.... Then Ruthlessly Took It Away

"Their can be no true despair without hope"

Happy New Year Bhoys and Ghirls and if anyone is nursing a hangover today at least they are safe in the knowledge that all is right in the world again. Celtic met their newest rivals at Ibrox yesterday and what followed was a tremendous game of football that eventually saw the good guys come out on top with a 2-1 victory. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the scoreline was the manner in which it was achieved with Rangers actually going ahead, leading to their fans hopes rising faster than a mason ref up the Scottish football ranks. Just as all good stories do, it inevitably ended with the heroes coming back from the brink and successfully winning the day.

Celtic, desperate to protect a season long unbeaten run, travelled to the other side of Glasgow with the intention of being the first team to topple Rangers at their own patch in 15 months and if anyone believed it was possible, the first 25 minutes told a completely different story. Rangers started like a train and looked the more likely side with players clearly bursting a gut to inflict some early damage on the champions. Strangely enough, Celtic's normally reliable centre half Erik Sviatchenko looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights and when the first goal did come on 12 minutes, it was the big Dane who was at fault. Trying to be too cute, he attempted to slip a pass from central defence into the midfield but succeeded in finding an opposition player which led to a Josh Windass ball in behind the Celtic full back. James Tavernier fired a low cross across goal and there was Kenny Miller at the back post to slide the ball home from a few yards out. Ibrox erupted as Celtic's sloppy start convinced the hordes that they could hold their proud home record and take a sledgehammer to Celtic's unbeaten run. This is where it gets hilarious.

Social media has never been the most sane place where Sevco Rangers fans are involved and yesterday proved no different. As is usually the case with the zombie fans, time has given them a false sense of superiority and after being taught two lessons by Celtic in the league and cup they were ready to believe that the hoops weren't that good and that their side would do the business at Ibrox. All evidence pointed to the contrary of course, but when has that stopped the more intellectually challenged elements of the Rangers support indulging in a bit of masturbatory W.A.T.P. shenanigans. Before Celtic had placed the ball back in the centre circle all kinds of posts were appearing on Facebook and Twitter proclaiming that the Gers were indeed BACK. 55 was back on and Brendan Rodgers was stood in the shadow of the tactical genius Mark Warburton. Their hope was misguided and sad but it was also real and in true Celtic fashion we were about to complete a famous comeback that would sicken their very souls and put them back in their box where they belong.

Scott Brown, or as he is now more commonly known - captain marvel, was quick enough to realise some of his teammates were in passenger mode, perhaps caught up slightly in the occasion and waiting for something to happen rather than instigating it themselves. What does any good captain do when his teammates freeze in a big game? He gets them fired up and Brown did this magnificently by launching into James Tavernier and taking him clean out the game. Captain marvel knew what he was doing and when the booking came he responded with a fiery reaction which roughly translated meant "Come on Bhoys get yer arses in gear" They did and suddenly Scott Sinclair was running the useless Tavernier ragged down the left side. Despite an earlier offside call which was wrong and denied us a clear goalscoring chance, SS found himself through on goal again and his low shot deflected slightly off Rob Kiernan and bounced back off the post before Clint Hill cleared for a corner. Celtic were starting to turn the screw for the first time in the match and Rangers appeared to be slightly rocking.

Scott Sinclair took the in-swinging corner and the ball flew away to the back post where Moussa Dembele stood in wait in the crowded box. What followed was a thing of beauty as the Frenchman caught the ball with his right foot, setting himself up for a thunderous left footed volley towards the top right hand corner. So fast was this rocket of a hit that time seemed to stand still and collective hearts stopped as Ibrox fell momentarily silent.... was the ball in the net? Someone thought so because a lone "YASS" punctured the silence a nanosecond before the Celtic fans erupted with joy. Moussa wheeled away to celebrate as his grateful teammates gave chase. What a goal, what a game, what a player! Rangers and their fans were now in the middle of a slide towards the inevitable and the fact that Celtic didn't score again before halftime did the Ibrox outfit a massive favour. Had Celtic took the lead in that pulsating final ten minutes of the first half it could have been a cricket score.

After the usual treat of seeing Neil McCann practically bubbling at half time, the second half kicked off and largely went the way the first had ended. Celtic probed as the Rangers defence looked set to completely buckle under the pressure. Scott Sinclair was simply unplayable on the left side and James Tavernier will never want to see the Celtic star ever again. Quite simply wee Scott terrorized the man the Rangers fans dubbed "best fullback in Scotland" and his torture was just a joy to behold. Celtic missed chances of course, Moussa Dembele, after great work by Mikael Lustig scuffed a shot straight into the arms of Foderingham before a brilliant right footed volley smashed off the bar. Sevco Rangers were carrying the usual luck that original Rangers did in these matches and although the goal always looked like it would come, there was always the danger the opposition would sneak a goal or that Brother McLean would cement his popularity at the ludge with a well timed penalty. Thankfully neither came to pass and Celtic were about to break the zombies hearts and ensure 2016 ended in nothing but hurt and despair.

Patrick Roberts was brought on to replace the relatively quiet James Forrest and the on loan Man City winger made a MASSIVE difference to the shape and general play of the team. On 69 minutes Roberts steered a brilliant pass to Armstrong and the born again midfielder played a beautiful cross to the back post where Scott Sinclair was waiting to place it into the net at the expense of the despairing Foderingham. Sinclair's goal was well deserved and despite Kenny Miller hitting the post late on, Celtic could quite easily have had another three goals. As the final whistle sounded it re-iterated that the hoops will take some beating. Happy days and even better that the zombies were given hope before we ruthlessly took it away. 

Hail Hail & Happy New Year

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