This has been a season of great paradoxes for Celtic and a prime example of that will be seen on Saturday, when wild celebration surrounds the final home game of the season. Celtic are deserving champions of Scotland – a 12th title in 13 seasons emphasises their dominance – but this situation appeared barely feasible in mid-December. They were being comfortably defeated by Hearts at home; venomous chanting from the stands was being directed at the club’s board; the team had already made their cursory, lame exit from Europe.
Brendan Rodgers may now confidently assert his side were always likely to discover rhythm when a number of players returned from injury. The point is valid. He has been in spiky form, asserting he has been “treated like a novice” since taking on the Celtic managerial post for the second time. This salty version of the Northern Irishman is entertaining and he is perfectly entitled to settle scores, but Rodgers has been in frequent danger of playing to a gallery that lap up the “put-upon Celtic” routine.
The man who insisted he did not care what is said or written about Celtic because he listens to and reads none of it took particular exception to one columnist suggesting he was “going through the motions”. Rodgers spent no such time thanking those who pointed out he was the best appointment Celtic could have made after Ange Postecoglou fled to Tottenham, as a noisy minority of the club’s support made their disenchantment plain.
Contradictions are everywhere. When Rodgers pointedly said he would watch Tottenham take on Manchester City rather than Rangers against Dundee on Tuesday it was not only somewhat disrespectful to his working environment but also contrived.
The manager has ridiculed the writing-off of his team long before the campaign concluded, but referenced an “awkward” six months as recently as Tuesday. He earlier blamed society itself after a clumsy interaction with a female BBC reporter.
These mild displays of aggression barely suit the affable 51-year-old and ignore the circumstances around him. He has labelled this the most challenging season of a lengthy managerial career. During it, Celtic have frequently failed to sparkle. That was the case as recently as April, during a horrendously error-strewn Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen, which they eventually won on penalties.