Three years ago the loyal bears were laughing at the prospect of Kyogo Furuhashi posing any sort of threat to the behind-closed-doors champions.
After the freaky circumstance of the 20/21 season Ibrox fans carried more entitlement than normal, after winning their first ever title they were now on course for a domestic treble spiced up by a Champions League campaign.
Celtic had endured their season from hell, even though no fans had witnessed a single match nothing was surer than a sustained period of domination under the brilliance of Steven Gerrard. Included in his coaching team was The Brains Behind Gerrard, someone that would feel the full force of Kyogo destroy his management dream over the course of nine months.
Standing in the way of a generation of blue domination were the joke figures of a 50- something Australian guy who had signed a winger from Japan to take over from the soon to depart Odsonne Edouard.
More than three years ago, but this tweet will always be in my thoughts. pic.twitter.com/S36sxdEQuJ
— JustAnOrdinaryBhoy (@ordinarybhoy) September 7, 2024
Kyogo made his Glasgow Derby on the wing at Ibrox, Edouard and Ryan Christie missed decent chances in a 1-0 defeat with no away fans inside Ibrox.
It was the only time that Kyogo lost in an SPFL match to the 2012 Ibrox Tribute Act, it is a fixture that Celtic have dominated with their Japanese striker the man that has rarely been out of the headlines.
Injury robbed Kyogo of an effective role in the three remaining SPFL matches that season but a double in the League Cup Final against Hibs earned Celtic the first post-lockdown trophy.
In September 2022 Kyogo’s shoulder popped out in the opening minutes but Giorgos Giakoumakis came off the bench as Celtic powered their way to a 4-0 win, the moment was soon arriving for the former Vissel Kobe striker.
Trailing 2-1 at Ibrox on 2 January 2023 the Micky Beale Revolution! was in full swing with the influential John Beaton playing a key role with penalty decisions.
Giakoumakis and Jota had came off the bench, they combined to create an opening in the 88th minute, Kyogo calmly delivered, he was off the mark in the fixture.
Eight weeks later Kyogo scored at both ends of the stadium as Celtic lifted the League Cup, his record in that competition read two finals, two winners medals and four goals scored.
Back to the SPFL he again scored at both sides of the stadium, the 3-2 win lifted Celtic 12 points clear as Beale unravelled, John Souttar and Ben Davies couldn’t cope with their in-form opponent.
Five goals in three matches went along way to securing the domestic treble, one more push at the start of the 23/24 season would be enough to topple Beale.
The Brains Behind Gerrard hadn’t been slow to talk up his record in the Glasgow Derby, starting September at home to a heavily depleted Celtic side was the chance for Beale to put one over on Brendan Rodgers.
One header and a well timed run from Kyogo and Super Jack Butland was picking the ball out of his net, it was the last time Beale would experience the Kyogo effect.
In the final match of 2023, with Phil Clement now supplying the excuses there was a seventh goal for Kyogo in the calendar year.
Creating space 20 yards from goal the striker acted as if Connor Goldson didn’t exist, swivelled then sent a curling shot beyond Butland to put Celtic 2-0 in front. A consolation from James Tavernier left Kyogo as the matchwinner.
Last Sunday another Revolution! arrived at Celtic Park, Kyogo hadn’t scored in any of the opening four matches but still carried the main threat.
Andrew Dallas denied him the opener in the 11th minute. With Daizen Maeda putting Celtic 1-0 up Kyogo humiliated Butland, again, this time from 28 yards out with a low shot that found the net a yard inside the post.
Kyogo returns to Ibrox in January, there is at best a 50-50 chance that clement will be in the home dug out trying to stop the wee guy adding to his Roll of Honour in the fixture.
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