Last week was going swimmingly until the last 10 minutes. We were set for a superb victory over Dundee United and three very welcome points which would have kept the gaps to Partick Thistle and Ross County intact. Instead, it all went horribly wrong and we ended up second bottom of the table. A game against Celtic is not the best way to try to bounce back, but it means there is absolutely no expectation. For some reason this seems to be when we're at our best against Celtic - the three wins I can think of against them in the last few years coming after shocking results the week before - so there is some hope.
For teams like us, trips to Parkhead and Ibrox are pretty much a free hit, regardless of the form we're in. If we get a point (or even all three) then it's a huge bonus. That's especially true this season as Celtic have been superb in the league, so it would be a bit of a shock if we managed a draw - or even a goal! Our record at Parkhead hasn't been great in recent years and I don't think we've even managed a goal there since Danny Lennon took charge, something that has to end sooner or later due to the law of averages if nothing else.
April 1990 was the last time we managed a win at Parkhead, while we did of course beat them in the League Cup last season. In between it's been pretty dismal - aside from the 4-0 gubbing of them almost exactly four years ago - and too often we concede an early goal against them and are left chasing the game. We did rather better in January and survived the first half, then completely switched off in the second. Avoiding that is an absolute must or else we have no chance of sneaking anything more than a heavy defeat.
So, what changes do we make tomorrow? In the last few weeks we have gone with a rather attacking line-up against Kilmarnock, when it worked, and Dundee United, when it worked for 80 minutes. Fielding as many offensively minded players tomorrow would probably be rather risky and could lead to a heavy defeat. However, going defensive also sees us lose at Parkhead more often than not, so we might as well go down fighting, field our attacking players and hope we can do what we did for 80 minutes last week and cause the shock of all shocks.
We have Jim Goodwin back for this one and he'll probably come straight back into the team. Arguably he shouldn't as we were fine against Kilmarnock and OK against Dundee United until the disastrous finale. However, if Lennon decides he's going to be defensive then Goodwin will probably come back in - just so long as Eric Djemba-Djemba doesn't start as well. Jason Naismith went off injured last week but is expected to be fine, although if he's not we could shift Josh Magennis or Conor Newton to rightback as David van Zanten is definitely out. Gary Teale is back in the picture but nowhere near match fit so will only be on the bench, with the mysterious Stephane Bahoken also still out.
The debate over whether or not Neil Lennon is a good manager has come to the fore once again for those of a non-Celtic persuasion. Yes, they are going to cruise to the title this season with relative ease, but that's not difficult - and it's worth noting they should have done that last season but tried their best to mess it up. When it has mattered domestically they have not performed - witness their Scottish and League Cup defeats - while they were rather poor in Europe this season. One trophy is a pretty poor return considering the lack of competition Celtic have, but their fans seem relatively happy with their manager even if some of those with no vested interest don't really rate him. Another seven points will wrap up the title for them, so I suppose it's a bonus that they can't secure it tomorrow.
In fairness to Lennon he has made their defence pretty solid - domestically at least. Before Aberdeen dumped them out of the Scottish Cup they hadn't conceded a goal in Scotland for more than two months, with Fraser Forster being outstanding in goals. He broke the club record for consecutive clean sheets and Lennon now seems to be resigned to losing the big keeper in the summer. Virgil van Dijk has also been outstanding at the back, as well as when he ventures forward, and the Dutchman is another player likely to be in high demand come the end of the season. It'll be tough getting past him and Efe Ambrose, although Emilio Izaguirre is still a bit suspect at times on the left. With Adam Matthews and Darnell Fisher they are spoilt for choice at rightback even though Mikael Lustig is injured.
As if having an extremely prolific forward who's not technically a striker wasn't annoying enough, Celtic decided to sign Leigh Griffiths in January. It was bad enough when he was haunting us repeatedly when he was with Hibs but now he gets to do it all over again for the Hoops. I suppose it's better he does it with them rather than for a team we have a realistic chance to beat. Having him and Kris Commons is just unfair as the latter has scored 25 goals this season and managed a hat-trick against Killie last week. Anthony Stokes and Georgios Samaras have done OK, but Teemu Pukki and Amido Balde haven't done a great deal and haven't even scored against us. Yet...
The midfield also saw a change in January as Celtic decided to cash in on Joe Ledley rather than lose him for nothing in the summer. He was punted to Crystal Palace on deadline day, by which point Lennon had already recruited highly rated Norwegian Stefan Johansen. Putting him into a midfield that already includes the tenacious (and annoying) Scott Brown and Charlie Mulgrew, who has been moved forward from defence, is a good move, with James Forrest and Derk Boerrigter capable of doing a job on the wings. Beram Kayal is back but Nir Biton is now injured.
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