"We don't care if we win lose or draw, darn the hell do we care,
Because we only know that there's going to be a show,
And the Glasgow Celtic will be there."
Ah, the old Celtic Song, don't you just love it?
Do you remember when the fans used to sing it and mean it? When the fans really, really didn't care if we won lost or drew? Nah, me neither, but then again I've only followed the team seriously since the mid-sixties.
We cry out for a competitive league, we cry out for some entertainment at Celtic Park and we cry out for the wee diddy provincial clubs to have some balls and ditch the ten-men-behind-the-ball tactics and make a game of it when they come to Paradise. But going by the online reaction to yesterday's game it seems that we want to have these things and still be guaranteed a win every week or else the manager has to go. Some folk might call it the 'new age tim' syndrome but these fans have always been with us and they always will be. They used to moan and groan about Stein's Celtic ffs!
Yesterday saw Celtic drop two points at home to Craig Levein's excellent United side after surrendering a two goal lead. The bhoys were outstanding in the first half and some of the sublime passing and movement from the Celts had the crowd purring with delight. Scott Brown was at the heart of everything that was good about the team's performance and he produced a master-class whilst rampaging around midfield looking for all the world like a hybrid of McStay and Aitken in their heyday and it was a travesty that they finished the half with only one goal to the good.
Celtic started the second half in a strangely subdued manner and the outstanding Scott Brown was replaced by the invisible Scott Brown but nevertheless we contrived to go two-up when Georgis Samaras scored his second of the day in the 57th minute. Georgis, at this stage already a target for the howls of frustration from the more fickle amongst the support, celebrated with a scowl and 'getitupye' follow-up boot at the ball. The fans scarcely had time for an embarrassingly subdued "Ooh Aah Samaras" before the game turned on it's head.
United's first, three minutes later, came from a free kick awarded when McManus brought down Gomis 20 yards from goal. With an effort that Shunsuke Nakamura would have been proud to call his own Dixon struck the ball crisply over the wall and into Boruc's top left-hand corner. The equaliser came in the 77th minute after substitute Feeney outstretched McManus in the box to prod home.
United seemed happy to accept their point at this time and although Celtic mounted their customary late cavalry charges, roared on by the capacity crowd, they also had to accept the point when referee Conroy blew his whistle. The unthinkable scenario of allowing the huns to encroach a little in the title race so soon after gubbing them in their own midden had become an unpleasant reality.
But do you know what? That's football for you.
I want Celtic to win every game they play - just as every other football fan on the planet wants their team to do - but it ain't ever gonna happen for any of us. And if you never experience any of the lows then the highs won't seem quite so high.
I left the ground yesterday a little frustrated about the result and a little frustrated about the basic ability of some of our players. But I also left the ground having thoroughly enjoyed a good game of football and relishing the next one already.......