Celtic fight to the finish as Danny Rohl’s words ignite Rangers fan fury

What a night of football that was. It may not have been top quality across the matches, but it brought tension, thrills, and late goals. The results at Parkhead and Fir Park made the league table much brighter for Celtic fans.

That late goal against Livingston and Stephen Welsh equalising for Motherwell narrowed the gap at the top of the table. Hearts lead Celtic by just six points now. Rangers' draw at Motherwell meant they are just one point ahead of Celtic now. Plus, Martin O’Neill’s side have a game in hand on both those teams.

It was great to see the joy on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s face after scoring a wonderful goal on his debut. And equally enjoyable to see Welsh roar as he netted against Rangers. Two Celtic bhoys making a terrific late impact.

Martin O’Neill and his never say die Celtic mentality 

While Celtic fans breathed a sigh of relief after beating Livingston, they took time to acknowledge the terrific job O’Neill is doing. He and his coaching team are galvanising the players and building a never-say-die mentality. Those recent late goals in the league and Scottish Cup show that in practice. 

Elsewhere, it’s a familiar cycle of doom, despair, and angst for Rangers fans.  As happens regularly, they have reached the stage of the season where they turn on their manager. There was a lot of finger-pointing at and blame for Danny Rohl after his side sputtered to that away draw on Wednesday. 

Poor selection, inexplicable substitutes, and dreadful tactics were the main concerns. Question marks over recent signings were raised too. But for one of the many downbeat followers, Rohl let slip an awful admission which instantly condemned him as unacceptable. 

Now I don't often agree with the fans over there. They don't often post much that is sensible. But can you imagine any Celtic boss saying before a domestic match that he’d be happy with just a point? It’s unimaginable, even in this difficult season. 

Celtic new recruits need to bed in quickly

There is a long way to go yet this season. That could work in Celtic's favour and perhaps against them. O’Neill and his squad have thirty-nine league points still to play for. There will be tough games ahead for sure. Hopefully, as the new recruits bed in and find their form, they can help O’Neill continue his strong domestic record. 

Over at Ibrox, the knives are out. The whispers are getting louder, and the side isn't on much of a Rohl at the moment. Of course, there is still the challenge from Hearts too. Both sides could do Celtic a favour when they meet each other on Sunday.  Let's see how that plays out.