THE reaction of some elements of our support following the midweek draw at St Mirren suggest medication may soon be required. This was Celtic’s seventh game in less than three weeks and the only one which they’d failed to win. For most of those games Celtic have had to operate shorn of any of their first-choice strikers, or their back-ups.

This 20-day period saw us lift the first major trophy of the Postecoglou era and defeat one of the best sides in Spain with what was virtually a reserve team. That Real Betis also fielded an under-strength team is missing the point. First of all, Celtic don’t win many games against Spanish opposition: this was only our eighth win in almost 60 years. We’ve lost 23 against Spanish teams. Secondly – and much more importantly – it provided an unequivocal statement by Postecoglou that his preferred method of playing football is being adopted at every level of the club.

In barely more than half a year our Australian head coach has effected a revolution inside Celtic. You might have expected him to have had his hands full simply in fashioning a first-team squad capable of challenging for the title following last season’s pandemic season collapse. Youth development could wait.

It’s clear though, that the manager has been working just as much with our fringe and youth players as with the first-team squad. I’ve never before seen so many Celtic youth team players being encouraged to play so freely and so fearlessly. I have hazy recollections of Celtic’s Quality Street kids of the late 60s and early 70s breaking effortlessly into the Celtic first team. Players such as Kenny Dalglish, David Hay, George Connelly, Lou Macari and Paul Wilson were gradually introduced over time. This was a luxury that came with belonging to one of the best sides in Europe.

Modern-day expectations mean that young players are introduced into a far harsher environment. Home-grown players must begin to perform more quickly and make an instant impact. Overseas players on Hollywood wages will always be given more time and opportunity to settle. Players like this were never around to impede the progress of Celtic’s young stars of the 60s and 70s.

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What Postecoglou is achieving at every level of Celtic is thrilling.

Certainly, this season was always destined to have a feverish aspect to it. Stopping the Ten last season had a fairy-tale aspect to it, but it was actually meaningless. It would have been an achievement unworthy of any comment beyond Scotland apart from a few cynical remarks by English television pundits.

This season is much more important because – for the first time in more than a decade – the winners of the SPL are granted automatic entry into the group stage of the Champions League.

Lying six points behind Rangers with more than half the league programme remaining is not a cause for alarm. And more especially when three of our four games against Rangers remain outstanding (two of them at home).

In six months Postecoglou has answered all of the questions asked of him. He has also developed a knack for knowing what the next one will be. Only very rarely has he had his preferred, gold-standard first team available to him. In those few occasions though, when this has happened Celtic have made a valid case for being the best team in Scotland. What’s more; they play with no fear.

This was evident at Ibrox when, still developing as a team, they faced down the best Rangers team of the last decade and 50,000 hostile fans and produced a display that ought to have secured at least a draw. Postecoglou knows that with his first team available to him and competition for places restored Celtic have more than enough to secure this championship.