Despair for Keevins as Celtic crush his DOUBLE FIGURE fantasy

Hugh Keevins sat in front of his telly last night in expectation, probably with a cigar in one hand and glass of red by his side as Celtic kicked off in Bergamo.

He probably had his follow up all in place for Daily Record readers as he congratulated himself for predicting a mauling for Celtic even if it fell slightly short of his 10 goal fantasy.

He waited and waited. The smartest man on Super Scoreboard had seen it all in his 50 plus years in the business with Brendan Rodgers unable to fool him. With Sir Walter and Coisty among his closest chums Keevins has regularly and happily called out the shortcomings and failings of the Irishman who has delivered nine out of 10 domestic trophies for Celtic.

Ah but, Europe. Haha.

Rodgers has taken a few sore ones in the Champions League, from his first spell in charge when his side lost seven goals to Barcelona and PSG Rodgers has learned nothing, a novice and dreamer badly out of his depth.

If only Rodgers would learn how to park the bus like Sir Walter who managed just six group stage victories in 36 Champions League matches. Unirea Urziceni and Auzerre are among the clubs that humiliated Smith’s team at Fortress Ibrox.

Not for the first, and certainly not for the last time Rodgers left Keevins a broken man.

Celtic learned lessons from their defeat in Dortmund, a trait that Keevins has never mastered as he repeatedly predicts doom for Celtic and the relaunch of the the O** F*** tripe that has sustained his career.

Drooling over what could happen in Bergamo, the veteran reporter told Record readers:

I’m sure there are Celtic supporters of a nervous disposition who dare not say out loud what their secret fear is concerning Brendan Rodgers team in the Champions League.

The nagging suspicion in their deepest subconscious that one night somebody, somewhere is going to stick double figures past Celtic in a mortifying moment that will live on in infamy. It could have happened against Borussia Dortmund in Germany, which was seven going on the unthinkable. Now it is last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta on Wednesday night. And the onus is on Rodgers to devise a style of play that precludes the possibility of a battering in Bergamo.

The kind of plan that Steve Clarke came up with to salvage a draw from the wreckage of a going over at the hands of Portugal in the Nations League tie last Tuesday at Hampden. Prior to that game, Scotland hadn’t been pulling up any trees in the competition. It was more the case they were pushing up the daisies. A dead loss.

He added:

No-one in their right mind thinks Celtic will go to Italy in midweek and win. It is what they do to protect their reputation that’s vital in the eyes of the fans. Away from home in the Champions League over Rodgers’ two spells in charge have shown Celtic are just not suspect at the back. They have been tried, found guilty and convicted by a unanimous verdict. The team’s vulnerability at the highest level is an open and shut case.

It was a shut and shut case in Bergamo last night, even without the player acknowledged as their best central defender.

After less than two months as Celtic players Auston Trusty and Alex Valle played significant roles in a well prepared plan that was executed to perfection while Rodgers watched and instructed from the dug-out. Some might describe him as a Proper Football Manager but it seems that phrase can only be used in describing the Belgian Beale that Keevins invested his hopes in.

Rodgers didn’t copy Clarke in parking the bus, Celtic matched Atalanta in most areas of the match and had Kasper Schmeichel on form when required for a couple of saves.

Celtic look on course to progress into the Play Off stage for the last 16 of the Champions League with domestic success very likely.

It looks like further misery in store for Daily Record readers with just the brief hope from Keevins to interrupt their lives of misery.

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