CELTIC’s long reign as the dominant force in Scottish football has been tipped to come to an end after eight long years following their cataclysmic 2-1 defeat to Rangers at Parkhead at the end of December.
A shift in the balance of power in the game in this country from the East End of Glasgow to Govan is, with Steven Gerard’s team now just two points behind Neil Lennon’s side in the Ladbrokes Premiership table with a game in hand, anticipated by many fans and commentators.
Yet, Lennon fully expects normal service to be resumed when the treble treble winners return to action with a William Hill Scottish Cup fourth round tie against Partick Thistle at Firhill on Saturday evening after a highly productive winter training camp in Dubai last week.
The Northern Irishman, who urged his charges to hold on to how they felt after their loss to their city rivals during their trip to the Middle East and use it to drive them on, doesn’t feel the last 90 minutes they played, disappointing though they were, have changed anything.
He insisted his players, who have lifted the last 10 domestic trophies, are still winners and predicted their “natural instincts” will kick in during what promises to be a fraught and exciting Scottish title run-in.
“I have confidence in these guys,” he said. “I have no reason to not have confidence in them because they have been at the sharp end for a long time and they are still at the sharp end.
“They have to hold onto the disappointment and how they felt and make sure that doesn’t replicate itself again or that they have to go through that emotion again. They aren’t used to it because they have had so much success.
“They have been brilliant over the last few years, but eventually there is going to be a bad week or a bad day or a bad result here and there. We are just looking for a reaction and in the main their reaction has been excellent.
“Natural instincts will kick in again, they are winners, they want to win. We don’t want to give anything up lightly. Now we are putting the core work in and the springboard for the second half of the season."
Lennon, whose team went on a 13 game winning run domestically after losing to Livingston at the Tony Macaroni Arena back in October, conceded there is now no margin for error in their bid to win a record-equalling ninth consecutive Scottish title come May.
When asked what Celtic had to do when play resumed, he said: “Try and win every game, it’s as simple as that. And not get too distracted by everything else. Every point is a prisoner from here on in.
“The important thing is to hit the ground running when we get back. Obviously we have got the cup game first and then we have got the midweek game. I think they will be looking forward to getting back into it.
“The break has been great, but football is what matters and they will want to get back into it as soon as possible. In terms of the title race, just concentrate on what you are doing, don’t get distracted by anything else.”
The 48-year-old, who has won no fewer than nine leagues as both a player and a manager during his time in Glasgow, knows the dynamic in the Premiership can change again with just one win or defeat and wants his men to take each game as it comes.
“It can flip in one weekend,” he said. “That’s how finely balanced it is. You can’t look three or four games down the line. We have just got to say ‘bump, this is what we’ve got, let’s see what the team is, let’s adapt to the opposition as best we can’.
“I think we’ve had a great first half of the season, I really do, honestly. Just the way it ended sort of put a downer on things, but if I have to look at the overall picture it has been better than what I expected.
“It (the title race) is just like any other one down the years, really. This time last year it was neck and neck as well, wasn’t it? There’s maybe more on this one because we’re going for nine and a lot of people want to see that stopped.
“But we can only concentrate on ourselves and not get too down and not get too carried away. We have a bit of work to do and have done some of that this week.
“There’s been some intense work and the players are fresh now. The climate in Dubai was perfect and the facilities were excellent so I think they enjoyed it.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here