RIO FERDINAND claimed it was the perfect antidote to the murkiness of English football, Gary Lineker revealed the television studio shook after a goal and Liam Gallagher quoted a Slade song to describe what he had been watching.
It seemed everyone wanted to have their say or tweet about Celtic’s titanic tussle with Manchester City at a pulsating Parkhead. It was a night which seemed to grab the attention of just about everyone on planet football.
The former lead singer of Oasis said of the atmosphere to “cum on feel the noize” but what Brendan Rodgers and his players were feeling most was the love which came their way in droves, especially from England which does tend to view football north of the border as a waste of time.
Those who don’t follow Celtic won't like this but Wednesday night did do a lot for our game. It showed that at least one team can take on a seriously good side, coached by a legendary manager, and score three goals. Scottish football is actually okay, don't you know.
A touch over 60,000 people bounced up and down for 90 minutes. It was good PR except Rodgers believes that nights like this show those few still clinging onto the dream of one day the club being invited to the VIP party in the Premier League are deluded. Why would anyone invited such a monster into their home?
Rodgers said: “The reality is that Celtic would frighten most English clubs. Having been in England since I was 16 years of age – and when I’m gone from here, whenever that is and hopefully not for a number of years – I would say the same thing.
"Celtic going to England would be a massive, massive barrier for lots of clubs. Make no mistake about it, if Celtic get invited into the pyramid system and however it works they’re in the Premier League: they become one of the top four, minimum top six, clubs in the country. What they then have behind that is something that lots of them don’t have, which is a history and a fan-base worldwide and in the UK.
“That’s a massive, massive threat. I think some of the bigger clubs might welcome it, if they already have their place there, but you would have three-quarters of them terrified by it.”
Rodgers made the point there was a reason why Celtic get invited to testimonials but a one-off game is quite different from being permanent visitors. It is pie in the sky, although Sky and BT Sports would rather like something to be worked out.
Let’s not get carried away. It was a point, albeit a good one, from a Champions League group which even now third place is the priority. Still, if Rodgers can’t bask in the glow of his best result so far at Celtic, and I do include the win over Rangers, then it’s a rum do.
Rodgers said: “I think it’s nice for the nation as well. We’re top of the league up here and playing that way, working that way, and because Manchester City are one of the great clubs in the world and play in the most competitive league in the world and they’re blowing everyone away, and you have that match up and we showed that despite all the quality they have we weren’t inferior.
“There were elements of the game we can learn from, of course, but it was a wonderful advertisement for the football club but also for the nation.”
To domestic matters and with Leigh Griffiths fit again and Moussa Dembele playing out of his skin, it will be interesting to see if the two can play in the same team.
Rodgers said: “They probably can. In a certain system. My job is to make the team work. I would love to be able to fit everyone in. I have a squad of 26 here who are all fully fit and fighting, working and I wish I could give them all a game.
“It is the hardest part of football. Guys are throwing everything into their life for you and focussing on many things in terms of diet and nutrition. I see guys changing their lifestyle and giving everything to be the best they can be but then I can’t give them a game.
“There is a way of working that I work and I have to make the team work, and unfortunately some players will miss out at different times. Leigh was unfortunate when he got injured. He was playing, he was scoring goals now he is out of the team and Moussa is playing. But we will need everyone.”
From a full house in the Champions League to Dens Park at the weekend for one of those unpopular kick-off times of just after noon. Rodgers isn’t one for resting too many players and his trick now to get their levels back up after what was an almighty push.
Rodgers said: “You have to press the reset button again. It was a great night, a huge night but we have to go again. We played a great game against Rangers and then we went into the Barcelona tie.
"Now we’ve flipped it by having a great performance against City and now we want to play well against Dundee. We need consistency. Kilmarnock was great with six goals, last night on the big stage we did well and we have to cope with performing, performing and performing. It’s my job to narrow the focus.”
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