We can’t really blame you if you feel totally disconnected from tonight’s clash between Celtic and St Johnstone.
For the first time in 11 years, we find ourselves going into the final two games of a season with nothing to play for. That hasn’t happened since the Tony Mowbray disaster when Neil Lennon came in as interim boss after the league had gone.
At the very least, Celtic were on a six-game winning run in the league at that point. These days, temporary boss John Kennedy finds himself without a win in three and having only won three of his eight games in charge.
So you may be looking for some reason to watch this evening’s Parkhead match with the Saints. Here, we take a look at 3 key reasons to tune in:
1. Scott Brown’s Celtic Park farewell
This is the most obvious one. Scott Brown will draw the curtain on 14 years and 22 trophies at Celtic Park in tonight’s game against St Johnstone.
In what’s set to be an emotional 90 minutes, Brown will play his final game for the club at the famous stadium tonight before his summer move to Aberdeen. Despite what’s been a disappointing campaign from the captain, it’s vital he’s remembered for the dominant era of success he helped bring to Glasgow’s East End.
Celtic’s Pass to Paradise will pay a special tribute to Broony in the build-up to the 18:30 kickoff, whilst fans will undoubtedly be expressing their love for him on social media throughout.
It would be interesting to see who takes a potential Celtic penalty kick tonight too. Don’t be surprised if Brown leaves the stadium tonight with a goal, and undoubtedly a man-of-the-match award to his name.
For any Celtic supporter, Brown’s last game at Celtic Park is surely a must-see. Regardless of the circumstances.
2. Can Ali McCann live up to the hype?
In recent days, Celtic have been rumoured to have been watching St Johnstone midfielder Ali McCann.
John Kennedy didn’t do much to shoot down the idea in yesterday’s pre-match press conference. Instead, he moved to big the Northern Irishman up as he discussed how Celtic were aware of his talents [Celtic TV].
Tonight, he’ll come up against the likes of Broony, David Turnbull, and hopefully Ismaila Soro. Celtic fans likely haven’t seen much of McCann this season, and in truth he’s failed to seriously stand out in recent encounters between the two sides.
However, ahead of this one, fans will no doubt be keeping a close eye on what he can produce. They’ll want an indicator that McCann has s
some traits Celtic can work with and develop. If he’s going to be a future Celtic player, this is the kind of platform where the youngster needs to make himself known.
What an opportunity this is for him, and the timing couldn’t be perfect. A chance to boss Brown in his final game after reports of Celtic watching you? He’ll be as highly motivated as anyone.
3. Youngsters appear set for an opportunity
One final reason to tune in tonight is to see which youngsters get some minutes on the pitch in Celtic’s final home game of the season.
Kennedy has already confirmed that he’ll use Celtic’s squad to its fullest. That means the likes of Karamoko Dembele, Armstrong Okoflex, and Dane Murray will surely be in contention for a spot in the squad.
Don’t be surprised if none of the academy youngsters actually start the game. However, this is our best opportunity to throw some of them on from the bench. Fans would much rather see that than watch the same old XI labour to a 1-0 win.
Catching a glimpse of the future is always an intriguing prospect. Celtic fans love nothing more than academy players stepping up and proving their stuff. Tonight looks like an opportune night to do just that.
Hopefully, one or all of these reasons have helped encourage you to take a look at tonight’s game. We know it’s difficult being a Celtic fan just now, but let’s power on and get through it together. Better times are on their way.
In other news, John Kennedy’s latest promise hasn’t gone down well with the Celtic supporters.
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