I’ll be at Hampden on Sunday afternoon and there’s a part of me wishing I was taking my boots there with me.
Because the sight of Martin O’Neill walking back into Celtic’s dugout is going to bring a lot of old memories rushing back to the days when I was out there playing against his side the first time around.
It’s mental, isn’t it? Here we all are 20 years later and he’s right back where it started. And isn’t that why we can’t get enough of Scottish football?
The English will tell you that the quality isn’t always great. They’ll look down their noses and say our game isn’t a patch on the Premier League.
But they can shove that borefest where the sun don’t shine.
When it comes to sheer drama, passion and incredible story lines, they don’t even get close.
Just look at what’s been going on up here over the last six months or so. First, out of the blue, I get the call to take interim charge of my old club and fulfill a lifelong ambition. Not even I saw that one coming.
Then Russell Martin gets the job and loses it after 122 days. In between times Hearts have stormed to the top of the table.
Celtic respond by parting company with Brendan Rodgers after winning 11 trophies out of 13. Dermot Desmond has his say and winds the clock back to the turn of the century by throwing his tracksuit jacket at O’Neill.
Honestly, you just couldn’t make any of this stuff up and I’m already counting down the hours until Sunday at 2pm when the Old Firm go head-to-head for a place in the first cup final of the season.
How can anyone not love the mayhem of it all?
The one thing I’d warn Danny Rohl right away is not to underestimate the man standing in the other technical area. Not for a moment that I think he will.
I like listening to Martin speak – he’s always entertaining – and he is probably trying to paint a picture of a 73-year-old who is just glad to give his old club a helping hand in a time of need.
And if you believe that then you need your head looked at.
OK, he might be getting on a bit in years but he’s the same winner now as he was back then. He’ll be absolutely desperate to get one over on Rangers and not just for old time’s sakes.
He’s also a smart man and he’ll have worked out a plan for this semi final. Be in no doubt at all about that.
But then again, that’s Celtic’s business. And right now all that matters to me is seeing my old club getting back on its feet again and taking some encouraging steps in the right direction.
First and foremost, Danny has spoken about reconnecting the fans with the team and that’s music to my ears. It tells me he gets it.
He also seems to have realised already how to make that happen – by sending out a team which, at the very least, is prepared to battle and scratch for the badge on the shirt.
Yes, Rangers fans can be very demanding but only because they want to see their side winning games of football.
On the flip side, they’re also not that hard to please. So long as they see a group of players out there who are prepared to run their nuts off they stick with them even at times when the football isn’t always full of pretty passing and patterns of play.
Give these guys honesty, grit and sheer determination and they’ll have your back all the way.
And that’s what I enjoyed so much about Wednesday’s 1-0 win at Easter Road.
First of all, the manager deserves praise for quickly figuring out a system and formation which suits the players inside his dressing room.
All I hear these days is about philosophies and coaches with very specific, signature styles of play, no matter what’s actually happening out there on the pitch.
I’ve never bought into that. In my mind, the best managers are the ones who are flexible and able to think on their feet.
What’s the point in sticking to one way of playing the game when everyone else out there knows exactly what that looks like?
To my mind, it’s always better to keep the other guys guessing.
Danny has already switched f
About the Author
