Gary Hooper certainly isn’t paying heed to any recent Celtic anxiety. He reckons the Bhoys will have a strong end to the transfer window and, ultimately, an enjoyable season under Brendan Rodgers.
Hooper, who scored an impressive 82 goals in 138 appearances during his time at Celtic, believes that having players such as Kyogo Furuhashi available means that the reigning champions will always have an edge over any rivals.
The former Bhoys striker reckons that despite a sticky patch at the moment, Rodgers will come good and deliver the success he built his name on during his first spell at Celtic Park.
Hooper said [Sunday Post, 27/08 print edition]: “When I see some of the talent in the current Celtic set-up then I feel confident that it will be a successful campaign. Of course, you are always looking to improve and I’m sure Celtic will keep an eye out to see what they can do before the transfer window closes.
“They have brought in a talented manager in Brendan Rodgers and he was exceptional in his first spell at the club. He is back and he will be as determined as ever to keep the successful times rolling.
“I think Kyogo is brilliant. He is an intelligent footballer and so dangerous in the final third. To have a player of his talent is going to give you an advantage most weeks and that’s one of the reasons why I fancy Celtic to win the league again. He scores goals, moves really well into great areas and brings his teammates into play at vital times.
“Listen, it’s not easy to win a title. It takes a lot of hard work and wee bit of luck over 38 games. But Celtic can do it. I think Brendan will lead the club to three-in-a-row and then they can take it from there. I’ve a feeling the Celtic fans are going to have a season they will enjoy and remember for positive reasons.”
So there you go – a lighthouse of optimism in the current murky sea of injury issues, poor results and transfer woes. Right now, everyone is talking about what a difficult situation the Bhoys are in and all of the punditry is focused on the negatives.
Hooper is going against the grain here and putting forward a bullish view that everything will turn out well in the end. Celtic fans would love to have a bit of that moving forward.
But it is a difficult week ahead for the club. With a derby on the horizon and the pressure on to deliver transfers, only positive actions and results will cheer up the support at the moment.
In other news, Kenny Dalglish calls for Celtic action and insists club have cash to “make something happen”.
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