What a day, what a result, what a manager, what a...
I could go on and on of course. But... who would have thought earlier in March this year when a jaded side bereft of confidence, direction and managed by someone who showed himself to be naive when it came to running the expectations of a club the size of Celtic? For me, at that point, I felt we were years away from the Champions League group stages, that we had let our newest and biggest rivals gain a march on us and that many fans would be disenfranchised from the club. That game though was a kickstarter moment for the board. And in paricular Dermott Desmond who had decided that Peter Lawwell's financial steering was heading us to rocky shores. In the surprise capture of Brendan Rodgers in the summer, backed by the signings of genuine quality based on football ability and what they could bring to the team, rather than "gems" bought with a hopeful sell on policy, the turnaround has been sensational. Celtic has went from a bit of a mess to a club back in the big time and with a manager that has brought the most entertaining football to Celtic Park in some time.
The signings Rodgers have brought in have all contributed. None more so than Scott Sinclair. As Brendan himself has said "We are lucky to have him in our league". He is genuinely a player that can play at the highest level. With a patchy club history, he has made some poor choices in the teams he has went to. With a spell at Chelsea and being farmed out to all and sundry, he was unable to break into the London moneyspenders and eventually made a move to Swansea where he would have his most successful spell of football to date under... Brendan Rodgers. A period of good form, meant another move, successful in money terms, but a backward step in relation to his football development, to big spending Man City. From there a couple of moves down the way after failing to break in to the City side followed ending at Villa Park. After Aston Villa were relegated though, and Rodgers came to Celtic Park, this talented winger was on the radar of the new manager and with Celtic having a more ambitious policy was captured.
Of all the signings Rodgers has made, Sinclair looks the best. Almost perpetual motion, on and off the ball, with a new found desire at a club that loves its players to express themselves, with 4 goals in 4 SPFL starts, Sinclair looks settled and happy. The journey has been a long one for him, but he now is in the position to acheive what greats such as Lubo and Henrik have, and that is a legendary status among the best fans in the world.
