Down to, firmly, ground, planted, earth, feet, etc

And just when you start to back-track in your head, try to figure out what’s inconsistent with your expectation of this typical footballing scenario - BOOM! You’re bombarded.

They say LSD users have the worst flash-backs - some acid trips causing permanent mental incapacity of varying degrees. But living on your nerves through Goram-knows how many Old Firm games for as far back as you can remember, produces just as many psychological lacerations. The space-time continuum can get seriously wrecked. But not all the trips are bad.

When that ball span above Douglas’ prone body, the top ten of the trillion thoughts flashing through my grey matter went like this:

(1) Rab Douglas, at the other end of this pitch, letting a limp Mikel Arteta shot squirm under him.

(2) I don’t want to admit it but Rangers look special this half, just as they did all through the 2002 Scottish Cup Final and this season’s CIS Cup match with Celtic at Ibrox, the 1983/84 League Cup final.

(3) Paddy Bonnar on New Year’s Day 1987. Fleck and McCoist.

(4) If this goes in we’ll have scored … a goal.

(5) That’s a good thing.

(6) Six successive games lost at Parkhead.

(7) My jeans are too tight round the thighs.

(8) Eric Bo Andersen on 2nd January 1997.

(9)Shota Arveladze making it 3-2 to us in October 2002 by squeezing a shot in which squirmed up and over people and into the net in the same way this one might do .. into the very same net.

(10) I’m glad I wore contacts - I would probably lose my glasses in what’s maybe about to happen.

When you’ve been wanting something for a long time but it doesn’t hapen, it can be quite painful. However, it’s as nothing compared to wanting something for a long time but seeing you might be on the verge of getting it and starting to quietly believe you might get it and THEN it doesn’t happen.

We needed a goal on Sunday, the first goal, like we haven’t needed a goal in a long time. And, as far as anyone can “deserve” anything from a football match, we did. It had got to a point where we were playing so well that NOT to score, not to emerge from this game with something, wouldn’t be frustrating - it would be devestating. We were so obviously throwing everything we could at Celtic. If that hadn’t been enough then you’d fear for the morale of this current Rangers team.

When it did go in, there was an almighty explosion of faith restored. Good god Goram - hallelujah! How nice to realise life isn’t always like the Champions League: Sometimes if you play your heart out you really do get your just rewards.

That balll hung in the air for longer than … well, for longer than it actually did. The moment of not knowing seemed to last forever. But it went straight in off big Rab and one look at Vignal’s face as he convulsed his way over to our bench just summed it up. Compared to how a lot of us felt, Gregory was pretty calm. I actually had one of those temporary black-out moments - the whole thing was so overwhelming: Adrenalin and expectation meeting head-on in one destabilising collission. Fu**ing ecstacy.

I tried to resolve myself against optimism even then. I wanted to convince myself of the Celtic comeback and be ready for it but we went and bloody scored again and we were so good we just HAD to win. And we bloody did! And it was so fu**ing SWEET I can’t stop thinking about it. And I can’t stop replaying it on the video or watching it again on Eurosport’s “Eurogols” highlights package.

Wee Nacho puts his arm out celebrating the second goal. I think I fancy him.

BUT that’s that. Now it’s time for the second bigger test. Do we have the ability to lead from the front? Can we get our feet on the ground and tank Kilmarnock on Saturday? Can we press ahead and build on last Sunday or will we get cocky and stumble?

We won nothing on Sunday. But we proved we can win the league. We proved ourselves the best team in the country … just now.

Those Celtic players wil have heard our lads singing their hearts out in the away dressing room. That will wind them up and push the hooped hordes to new levels of effort. That’s what we have to match when they come back to Ibrox at the season’s end and that’s what we have to live up to in every game we play from now on in.

Kilmarnock on Saturday? A win here is EVERY BIT as vital as it was last Sunday.

In many ways it’s exciting to know that the full joy of the win at parkhead will not be felt until the day we win the 2004/2005 league title. But it’s also sobering to think how a great day like Sunday will be ruined if we eventually DON’T win that league.

I can’t get my feet on the ground. Hope The Gers can.

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Published:
02.23.05 / 10pm
Category:
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