Celtic Diary Saturday August 8: Probably The Most Optimistic Article Ever.

Like everyone else , I watched the draw yesterday. And figured Malmo, perhaps the one club who made the wound that finally killed our old adversaries, would be a difficult opponent, but easy to get to, would not be the easiest of ties.

But really, deep down, who cares ?

We’ve another game to get through, and then the players can relax and get on with it.  And thats, as they say, about the size of it.

Had we drawn a combined eleven from Barcelona, Munich and Madrid  it would have only been because they couldn’t beat us on their own.

(Have you been drinking? -Ed )

Yup.

And know what ?

Looking at the world from the bottom of a glass can sometimes deliver a clarity that isn’t possible with alternative views.

From being perhaps a little sceptical of Ronny Deila

and having had a wee chat with him since

I think he knows what he’s doing.

Regular commentator to the diary Pensionerbhoy has consistently compared Deila to the late ,great Jock Stein and the effect he had on the club. Maybe a little over the top, but you have to respect an experienced opinion.

So, when the draw was made, the initial excitement faded real quick. It doesn’t matter who we have to play.

No. Really.

My chat with Ronny was all about football. I gave him my thoughts on how Celtic were playing, and how they should move forward, and when he’d finished laughing and gesticulating with a hand to the rest of the room, he said how it was going to be, and I have to admit, i bowed to a superior mind.

Pretty much a metaphor  for my domestic life, but you get the point.

Celtic played Qarabag with only one objective. To win.

We’ll play Malmo with the same objective. And we’ll do it.

Then there’s the group stages. Win the home games, pick up just one point away from home, and then it’s the last sixteen.

Sound simple ?

Oh , aye, but with the new kid on the block, it’s actually more achievable than we maybe think.

For all the talk of Virgil van Dijk moving on, or a late bid for Biton, Johansen or even Craig Gordon-he didn’t sign a new contract because Peter got the bank statement through, and had to spend quickly before Hector rang-he was offered it because at one time he was the most expensive goalie in Britain.

Cynical, maybe, because the man doesn’t have any ambition to move on. Celtic took a chance on him, and he’s proved well worth it, And he seems to see it as a two way street.

No, for all the talk about players going, you’ll notice that there’s been no mention of Ronny going. The MSM won’t do that story. He’ll tell them to

gå og knulle deg selv

The players, you see, cannot  do that. Only Johansen can speak Norwegian, and no-ones asked him either

Going back to Craig Gordon,  the last decade or so has shown the goalkeeping scout is worth his weight in gold. If only he knew a thing or two about strikers.

So, when the draw was made, it didn’t really matter.

We’ve a team that knows how to win. We’ve a manager who knows how to win, and although it’s taken a year or so, that team trusts and understands the managers way of doing things.

Watching Ronny post match on Wednesday night you could see the relief, and he said that no matter who we draw, it wouldn’t be as tough a tie as Qarabag.

He altered the natural Celtic style, and he got a result.

Now, that comparison with Stein.

When Celtic faced Zurich back in 66, the players thought that the Swis side would play the second leg, at home, differently. Stein maintained that they wouldn’t. And he was right.

Although he would go on to be one of, if not the , best managers of all time, he was at his peak, in my mind, from hs time at Dunfermline maybe through to the Leeds game.

Ronny may well go on to coach another, bigger club -if he can find one,to paraphrase his own words-but he will make his name at Celtic, in the same way as others have done.

Right.

We are going to win a European trophy.

If not this season, then next season. In fact, we might even lift both in the one go. Look, it’s fine to be a little deluded, but at least we can offer a la little evidence in support of our case.

For some, it really is delusion.

Aye, okay. The Etims Diary just made you laugh out loud again.

and it should maybe come with a warning…

Well, you’d be surprised what one man can achieve when he puts his mind to it.

Ronny will do it.

A fellow I met on the train yesterday also achieved greatness, despite the odds.

and I’m fairly certain Malmo played a part in that story as well.

Right, I’m away to stop my big dog bullying wee Izzy.

Have a good weekend.