The Premiership title is practically in the bag but Tom Boyd is convinced Ange Postecoglou won’t let up until he’s part of an exclusive Celtic club.
The Hoops hero is part of only two squads in history who managed to smash through the 100-points barrier. Boyd did it when Martin O’Neill’s side set a record with their 103 tally – which was broken by Brendan Rodgers’s Invincibles, who clocked up an incredible 106 points in 2016/17. Postecoglou’s class of 2023 have already stuck 88 on the board with seven games to go – which would have ben enough to WIN the title in five of the last 10 years.
The Treble chasing Hoops have dropped just four points all season and can set an all-time record if he can claim victories in all of their remaining fixtures. Boyd reckons it’s a tall order but he wouldn’t put anything past Postecoglou. The Old Firm last weekend has all but sorted out the Premiership fate but he’s absolutely certain the Celtic Centurions Club will have a new member soon. Boyd said: “The league is done. Ange won’t say it – but I can! It’s over. Michael Beale will know it as well, the 12 point gap is too big with seven games to go. That’s not saying anything about the form his team is in. It’s more about the form and the consistency shown by Celtic under Ange.
“They are on a long unbeaten run and they just don’t look like dropping points against anyone. They’ve only dropped points in two games all season, which is absolutely outstanding, and that will see them through to the end of the season.
“I would say Two-in-a-Row is in the bag. There’s only a couple of teams who have achieved 100 points plus and I hope they got on to do it now.
“It’s well within their reach. It’s a remarkable season no matter what happens now but it would be incredible if they could go on and set a new points record.
“It would be testament to the job Ange is doing if he can go on and secure his place in the record books. People can talk down the opposition and so on, but to be so consistent over such a long period of time is not easy.
“There are so many things that can go wrong on any given day, you can have injuries, red cards, the odd bad day at the office. It takes something special to get over 100 points at any time. It just shows the club is in such a great position.”
Celtic have thrilled punters all year under Postecoglou but they had to show their grittier side last Saturday. Rangers lobbed the dice one last time but it was the Hoops who rolled the double sixes to move 12 points clear at the top.
It just proved yet again there’s more to this Hoops outfit than simply swashbuckling their way through games. Boyd believes there’s a steel core running through the side as well and that has been key to their success.
The former skipper – who collected eight winners’ medals in his 11 years at the club – said: “The result was the main thing, more than the performance. The pressure was on both teams and it showed at times with the amount of misplaced passes.
“When you look at the scoreline, it looks like a classic, and it was certainly entertaining. But I wouldn’t say it was a classic in terms of the quality.
“The most important thing was getting the victory and it just shows where Celtic are as a team under Ange. They can play fantastic football, but they also know how to get the job done.”
Celtic are flying but the old chums from across the city are a major road block on the road to a fifth Treble in seven years.. The Hoops may have had Rangers’ number but Boyd reckons the form book will go in the bin for the Scottish Cup semi-final with the Ibrox men desperate to salvage some silver lining to their season.
He said: “I’m not sure how it will affect the game at Hampden. These games are all different and there are different things at stake.
“It was maybe last chance for Rangers in the league at the weekend but next time there is a cup final at stake. On Saturday it was more about who made the least mistakes. You could say Celtic were not at their best and still got a result.
“Rangers might take some confidence from their performance but you’d expect Celtic to improve as well. It’s another derby and Celtic are on a good run against them at the moment. It’s back at Hampden so we’ll have to wait and see. I hope it’s the same outcome.”
Boyd is confident but won’t take anything for granted. But he’s thrilled to have an Old Firm lucky charm on board in Alistair Johnston.
The defender is unbeaten in three derbies in 2023 and was a stand-out at the weekend. As a former full back, Boyd has kept close tabs on the kid and has been blown away by the Canadian.
He said: “I said to Alistair after the game at the weekend he was like a mini Cameron Carter-Vickers! He’s got such great physique and he just refuses to get pushed around.
“Josip Juranovic was a fantastic player for Celtic, and Tony Ralston is terrific as well. But Johnston is like a mixture of the two of them. He’s got that great mix of strength and ability, I’ve been so impressed with him. What a find he has been.”
