Upcoming rival boss says Celtic are "as daunting as ever"

By John McGinley

September 20, 2021

Raith Rovers boss John McGlynn says the thought of visiting Celtic Park on Thursday night is “as daunting as ever” despite recent stumbles from the Bhoys.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have lost three Scottish Premiership matches already this season, sparking debate about the fragility of this Celtic team.

Fife side Raith visit on Thursday night with grand ambitions of causing a League Cup upset, but McGlynn has insisted they won’t be getting any “pie-in-the-sky” notions.

As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said of the encounter: “Going to Celtic Park is as daunting as ever. Yes, we did well in the Aberdeen game, but this is a different kettle of fish. I’ve gone through there with very good Hearts teams, and it’s a difficult place to get a result.

“Hearts found that out this season in the cup after beating Celtic in the Premiership at Tynecastle.

“We have to be at our best, but we know what Celtic did to Dundee and St Mirren at home this season, so we know what they are capable of. We are realistic about the tie, and we don’t get caught up in pie-in-the-sky stuff. But at the same time we have to be optimistic.”

Raith are coming into this game off the back of four wins in five, including that excellent result against the Dons that McGlynn mentions.

On Saturday they scraped past Greenock Morton with a 1-0 win. That puts them into fifth position in the Scottish Championship, still in striking distance of a promotion push.

But, to be brutally honest, they shouldn’t be causing us any real problems at home on Thursday night. Despite Celtic’s recent troubles, our home form has actually been excellent under Ange Postecoglou.

I am fully expecting progression to the next round, backed by a performance that gets us up to tempo again and ready for the challenge of Dundee United on Sunday.

In other news, The important context for James McCarthy’s start at Celtic and that worrying report.