SENTINELCELTS

It’s been a long road my friends, I insist this journey only properly began in Dubai with those poolside pints leading to a somewhat cleaning of the Aegean Stables, it’s had twists and turns plus joys and burns, but we’ve made it, we finally not only have a chance of the fabled, the often thought beyond us, hallowed land of knockout European football, and not in the second tier either but mixing it up with the elite.
One win, perhaps a draw, but one win needed.
Two games left, and fancy that Lady Luck smiled upon us and handed us the first of the two remaining games at home, against the weaker of the many competitors, a team with nothing to play for.
The script is written, right?
The beauty of football is that the script is never pre-written, we must watch the scenes play out live and the lucky get to play a role in proceedings.

Forget your Sydney Opera House and Royal Albert Hall,,tonight Parkhead shall eclipse them all, tonight it’s the greatest stage on earth, it’s actors one more great performance away from hero status.
It’s the ultimate thigh rubber.
It’s the biggest two halves of football in decades for you, me, everyone.
It’s finally arrived, the moment of truth.
And I’m working of course.

Regardless, this position look like a bridge too far for soo many years, we all fondly remember Seville, going through under WGS etc, but looking back those teams were built for the moment. I see a lot of young or youngish players now, we will see their names for years. It’s a big test aye, but you’ve gotta be in it to win and regardless of the result, we are putting ourselves on the map again.
Tonight’s experience, no matter how it goes, is invaluable to all involved in football operations plus boardroom affairs.
Victory tonight would not just be wonderful, but open many doors.

The next level of player,,all of them want a knockout phase club.
The final nail in the Old Firm model once the glorious balance sheet is totted up.
The next level of manager when Brendan goes.
The feeling that it was all worth it, we hopped aboard the train with a hope the journey would go well.
The door to the warm fuzzy feeling that we got here ourselves, with integrity intact, through honest means and endeavor.
The door to Celtic being more than a pat on the back club, being an unwanted draw, the door to footballing respect is also open tonight.
Brother Walfrid would be proud no matter the outcome, his vision is currently soaring amongst the eagles, majestic in its own right.

Right, with the hype out of the way onto my actual footballing prediction.
Reo will live or die by tonight.
It’s literally turn up or see ya later time for a player I like but often dissapears.
Kyogo will live or die by tonight.
He loves this tournament, puts in extra effort, but yet his conversion ratio isn’t that high for whatever reason. I love the wee man, but tonight the starting striker of Celtic must score if given opportunities. He cannot squander this huge moment.
Callum as a starting 6 will live or die tonight. Jeezo, if ever we need a good/great game from a better Captain than I felt he was, tonights the night or he’s either phased out, played elsewhere.
Greg Taylor will live or die tonight.
He can kill any BS tonight, any uncommitted nonsense while also delivering the perfect leaving gift. A poor game and he will be given the proverbial lift to the airport.
Trusty will live or die by tonight.
He’s a bit hit and miss, it better be the former or he’s in danger of becoming deemed not good enough.
I actually don’t think Big Cam has been great, and Bernardo isn’t as dynamic as last season like Adam.
Arne, he’s growing into life as a Celtic player, but surely tonight’s like this are why he left the much better Bundesliga. Surely he wanted games like tonight’s.
I could go on, but the point is that most players have a collective AND individual need to pull off a win, to put a real shift in, to leave everything on the park.
As if the pressure wasn’t big enough.

Hatate, first name on the teamsheet. A group game, especially away, it’s Bernardo instead,, in a one-off must win, he’s your man. He’s done it before, he just played to be match-fit, there’s literally nowhere to hide tonight and we all (including the player) need to know if Reo can help us scale heights unknown in many year. Or become a burden.
He might get well rewarded, he might be signed up longterm, but he’s got about 60 minutes to prove part of the solution rather than the problem, or be offered the same lift to the airport as mentioned above. I’m keeping the faith, the op-Tim-ist in me says Reo pulls it out of the bag, the rabbit from the hat, the stands will dance to his tune once again.

Celtic have no other real choice but to go for it, and that can be a dangerous game to play. But under the lights, roared on by the support, another one off must win under a manager who clearly knows how to motivate for big games,,,aye, I’ll take those odds regardless of the opponents.

Boys, men, reputations and ambitions, I’ve seen them all topple under at Parkhead. Big name actors under the greatest scrutiny, under those unforgiving floodlights that could tell some stories, senses assaulted by a roar/warcry that spawned movies like Braveheart,,many think they’ve seen it all until they experience the pinnacle.
Make it a fortress tonight.
Make the team believe.
Make history.
But more important than that, you’re making us proud Celtic.
And for that,,,You’ll Never Walk Alone. Sing it, sing it with all that you’ve got, for truer words have never been spoken.

By Mahe sentinelcelts@gmail.com