After a weekend in which Celtic surpassed Rangers by seven points, Tam McManus outlined the key reasons why Celtic are the dominant force in Scottish football.
The last few days were defined by Matt O’Riley’s 97th-minute goal against Motherwell, which gave Celtic supporters another memorable come-from-behind victory while their opponents stumbled to a 3-1 home loss to Aberdeen.
And McManus has explained why, in comparison to the other teams in the league, Celtic are so dominant in Scotland.
When playing against Celtic, McManus admitted, “I’ve been on the receiving end of that a few times as a player. You think you’ve had them and you’ve got a result, you’ve got a point or a win, and then they come up the park and score.
“Celtic always plays to the very last second. And even when the score was tied at 1-1 with a few minutes remaining, Celtic would have a chance to win it, which is exactly what happened.
“[James] Forrest made a fantastic run to get the defender out of the way, and [Matt] O’Riley then sneaks in at the back post.
“I thought Motherwell played really well and they deserved a point,” the commentator said. But to me, that’s where Celtic and Rangers diverge.
Celtic triumph in the games. Rangers would have lost or dropped a point. Celtic has won 11 out of 12 championships because they can still win when they’re not playing well.
It’s difficult to list all the teams that Celtic has humiliated in this manner over the years. Off the top of my head, Dundee United in Ange’s first season leaps to mind.
At Celtic Park, Liel Abada’s last-second goal brought Rangers to the game, which Celtic won 3-0 to take the league lead.
Then there was the well-known Ross County goal by Anthony Ralston. That was one amazing night.
But over time—decades even—Celtic has consistently found a way to win games with thrilling late comebacks. They always do it.
It’s also one of the fun (and occasionally heart attack-inducing) aspects of being a Celtic supporter. Would the public prefer it that way?
In other news, a ‘Superstar’ striker who formerly auditioned for Celtic has been crowned the top prospect in international football.
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