Brendan Rodgers made a plea to Celtic supporters in the build-up to this weekend’s match against Hearts.
The Bhoys boss asked for patience from the stands, backing the players even if things weren’t going their way mid-match. He got much more than that.
Celtic Park was bouncing from the off to help inspire the 3-0 victory over Steven Naismith’s side. Kyogo Furuhashi’s early goal was a factor, of course, but you always got the feeling that fans were right up for this one.
That atmosphere is a crucial part of the Bhoys’ push for a trophy double. Two of the three remaining league matches are at home and there’ll be plenty of fans at Hampden, too.
The vibrancy of the crowd on Saturday wasn’t just noticed by Celtic fans but pundits, too, and the BBC Sportsound commentary team were left impressed with what they witnessed.
Celtic fans make their mark on victory over Hearts
Commentator Liam McLeod said to former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner mid-match: “I have to say, probably except for the Champions League when Celtic were scoring goals against Atletico Madrid, and when they beat Rangers here in December, I haven’t heard Celtic Park like this, this season, outwith those games.”
Bonner agreed, responding: “It’s been an incredible atmosphere. They’ve appreciated the hard work of Celtic too. Not just on the ball, but off the ball, people getting into tackles. That sort of aggression and tempo – they were used to it under Ange – today it’s really, really good and they really appreciate that.”
After the match, the former Bhoys star continued with his observation, stating: “It’s been a while since I witnessed this sort of atmosphere inside Celtic Park. It was about the tempo and energy of the performance, but also the quality. Every single player was up for it. You could just sense a feeling around the ground looking forward to that Rangers game.”
Celtic need this energy against Rangers
Bonner is right. In a way, the Celtic support were signalling how fierce they’ll be in the stands next weekend when Rangers visit. The atmosphere will be fiery, full of noise and colour. Exactly how it should be.
If the fans can set the tone in that one too, it’ll give the home side a huge boost in the quest for victory. Home advantage must be used to its full power.
The team will respond to that, as will Rodgers. Then, Celtic will be especially hard to stop. On and off the pitch, everyone connected with the Bhoys can play a part.