Celtic head into the highly anticipated post-split fixtures with eight Premiership defeats to their name, knowing they cannot afford any more slip-ups.
Premiership leaders Hearts and second-placed Rangers have lost a combined seven league matches this term – Celtic are supposed to be the champions.
One thing is for sure, the champions of Scotland have not acted or performed like the title they very much earned 12 months ago.
This campaign has seen it all, from Dermot Desmond verbally battering Brendan Rodgers, cancelled AGMs, continued protests, the 33-day spell of Wilfried Nancy, Martin O’Neill returning twice, beating Rangers twice, but can Celtic win a trophy twice over before the final ball is kicked?
Speaking on STV News, Frank McAvennie kept it as blunt as possible, as his former side push for a domestic double ahead of their Hampden trip on Sunday to take on St Mirren in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Frank McAvennie: “Nobody is scared of Celtic anymore. That’s the biggest problem. Nobody is scared of them.”
When you listen to pundits across the Scottish game talk about Celtic, whether or not they are associated with the club, one common theme is starting to emerge, and that’s suggesting the Hoops have ‘lost the fear factor.’
Have Celtic lost their fear factor?
Join the debate, Celtic fans…
Pundits agree that Celtic have lost their ‘fear factor’ this season
67 Hail Hail have opened up the floor to our TalkingPoints users, and you can debate whether opponents are no longer scared.
Craig Moore thinks, from Celtic’s perspective, the dressing room, the players and the managers, they haven’t lost that ‘fear.’
That’s why the former Rangers man thinks Celtic are still in the title race, but he does believe ‘the fear factor has gone’ at Parkhead, just like it has done at Ibrox, as he told Go Radio.
Former Celtic striker Andy Walker agreed, as he listed the number of teams that have beaten the double-winning side from last season.
In all competitions, Hearts, Rangers, Motherwell, Hibernian, Dundee United, Dundee, and St Mirren have beaten the Bhoys in some capacity.
Therefore, as Moore pointed out, it shouldn’t be a surprise that opponents are thinking they have a ‘real chance’ when facing Celtic.
Moore: “We have been talking about it for many years at Rangers that the fear factor has gone. Has that fear factor gone now when teams are coming up against Celtic?
“Since January, and I am not saying a few weeks, Celtic have struggled. But they still found a way to win football matches. They have been the majority of the time arm wrestling.
“Are teams going in there now with a little bit more belief? Possibly – I don’t think Celtic have any fear. They are strong enough and have been through it as a group of winning things. That has kept them still with a chance this season.
“But I am talking about opponents, they are coming up against now. The other teams are going, ‘by the way, we have got a real chance if we can get to half-time at 0-0.’ I am kind of saying that thing about a fear factor of teams coming up against Celtic. I don’t think it’s there as much.”
Walker: “I mean, they have lost to Hearts and Rangers. They lost to Motherwell and Dundee United a couple of times. They lost to Dundee.
“So, there isn’t a great deal to fear. But the only thing I will say is that I am astonished Celtic are still in it. They have won the same games as Hearts. They don’t have an out-and-out striker. They don’t have wide players who are actually stick-on to be part of a winning team. You can’t rely on their defenders to come up with a performance.”
McAvennie: “Nobody is scared of Celtic anymore. That’s the biggest problem. Nobody is scared of them.”
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