Saturdays game against Motherwell came as a pleasant surprise to me. Not just because we won more than 1-0 and not just because the team played some great football at times but because of the revival coming from the stands.
The tone was set when the Celtic fans stood on their feet and participated in a minutes applause for the late great Bobby Collins. Celtic then played You’ll Never Walk Alone over the PA system in tribute to the man who played 320 times for the Hoops. While this wasn’t a rousing European night rendition of the famous song, it was audible and it was great to see so many scarves in the air.
It took only 5 minutes for Celtic to take the lead through Kris Commons to send Celtic on their way to another victory. As the game wore on and Celtic started playing some great passages of football. Commons fantastic touches, Forrest running at defenders and even Van Dijk having a go, the fans were entertained, and it showed. The noise from the crowed much more enthusiastic than in the last 3 home games for sure.
Celtic went 2-0 up thanks to an emphatic penalty by Commons and that just added to the positive atmosphere around the ground. A spontaneous ‘Stand up for the Champions’ making its way through the stadium in appreciation. Going to show that if the product on the pitch is to a certain standard then Celtic fans will respond.
In the second half all three points were assured after former Celtic captain Stephen McManus bundled the ball past his own goalkeeper. His name coming over the tannoy getting a cheekily loud cheer by the fans.
Now I’m not saying the atmosphere at Celtic Park was outstandingly fantastic on Saturday, but for me it was a step in the right direction. There are too many negative people out there who will tell you any atmosphere died with the GB and I believe some would want it that way. It’s simply not the case, our fan base is ever evolving and we must now look to create an atmosphere and not be over reliant on any one singing section.
If we can move forward on the pitch, we can move forward in the stands.
Hail Hail
