Celtic 4 St Johnstone 0 – “The 2010s may become known as Celtic’s “Scott Brown” era,” David Potter | OneFootball

Tonight may have been about Scott Brown as he played his 619th game for the club, but it was a very rewarding night in other respects as well. It was rewarding but it was also annoying and frustrating as well in that it gave us a glimpse or two of what things could have been this season. Had Celtic played like this in a few other games, things would have been a lot different and a lot better.

Let us see it in perspective, however. St Johnstone weren’t all that bothered, although some of them at least ought to have been, for they had a chance to stake a claim for a Scottish Cup final place. It was the end of the season and the game did not really matter. If there is anything worse than the stomach churning anticipation of a Celtic game, it is NOT having that stomach churning anticipation, I failed to get excited about this game, I must admit.

And yet there were many things to be happy about. Adam Montgomery’s Celtic career is off to a good start. With a name more associated with great deeds at El Alamein and D-Day, Adam is not the first Montgomery to play for Celtic. In the 1890s there was a Willie Montgomery. And who was he? No less a person that Willie Maley who used his mother’s maiden name to hide the fact from his employers that he was playing semi-professional football on a Saturday afternoon!

Well done, Adam, but also well done the rest of the team, not least Karamoko Dembele who took a fine goal and gave some indication of what might be yet to come. Edouard scored a great goal tonight, but then showed more of his nervous clumsiness that has bedevilled him all this unhappy season.

Not really a failure in the Celtic line-up tonight…but how many of them will play at Celtic Park again? Next season (about two months away) will be all different. St Johnstone provided very little tonight, but we still envy them their appearance in a Scottish Cup final. They have had a good season, and what a pity we did not get a look at our new hero Zander Clark!

And so to Scott Brown, the hero of the hour. Little more to be added to what had already been said. The period that Scott played will be looked upon as one of the silver ages of the club – not quite the golden ages of pre-World War 1 or the late 1960s of Jock Stein, but certainly up there along with the Martin O’Neill era of the early 21st century, and the 2010s may become known as Celtic’s “Scott Brown” era, And how sad it was to hear Kieran Tierney and Brendan Rodgers paying tribute to him. Things would have been so different if they had stayed!

But what has gone, has gone. The important thing is the future, and who can tell what it will bring? I would love to think that, next year at this time, we will be singing the praises of Adam Montgomery, Karamoko Dembele and David Turnbull as we return to our treble winning ways. We wish the new management, whoever they are, all the best.

We must never again have another season like 2020/21!

David Potter

Look what’s arrived…David Potter’s new book, Alec McNair – Celtic’s Icicle… with two very special collage presentations at the start and end of the book, from @Celticcurio….click on any of these images to order a signed copy.