“Glasgow is very passionate - it's not even close in Norway. If you go to a national team match in Norway you get 25,000 people clapping and saying ‘Go Norway’. It's nothing. It’s families. Here it’s all passion and it means something special. It’s much more intense in everything that happens.
“People say we’ve been bad but that’s not true - we’ve lost three games all season - two to Aberdeen up there, and one bad game against Motherwell at home, but I don't think that’s bad.
“Aberdeen have done well though. They’ve only lost four games and that's a good achievement but let's get to April 1 and see what the title race looks like.
“One of my strengths is that I am a quick learner and I am a humble guy who wants to learn and affect all the things that are happening around you.”
Faith in the Celtic manager was again in question during Saturday’s home fixture against Ross County, who had seen the Hoops out of the Scottish League Cup when the teams met at Hampden Park two weeks ago. Despite a brisk start, during which they forced three successive corner kicks in as many minutes, the end of normal time in the first half arrived scoreless.
Grumbles had been heard round the ground in a 20 minute spell dominated by Ross County, who were scrapping to effect in midfield. A breakthrough for Celtic seemed certain when Leigh Griffiths peeled off the Staggies’ central defenders to sprint into the penalty area, wheel around Scott Fox and shoot towards the empty goal, only to see his effort smack off the post and rebound straight into the arms of the goalkeeper as he lay on the ground 12 yards out.
However, Griffiths’ persistence paid off in injury time when he took advantage of a poor defensive header to net from close range for his 30th goal of the season. Celtic secured the three points which now separate them from Aberdeen – who play Caley Thistle in Inverness tomorrow night (Mon) – before the hour mark when Stuart Armstrong broke free on the left to deliver a cross which Dedryck Boyata met with a header on target at the back post.
Elsewhere, Hearts’ hope of maintaining momentum in the league was frustrated when their home game against Partick Thistle was postponed after the Tynecastle pitch succumbed to a morning of snow and rain.
“It’s very frustrating to have this game called off,” said Robbie Neilson, the Hearts manager. “Everyone here wanted the game on and our ground staff put in a real shift to achieve that.
“We had a great win over Ross County in Dingwall during the week and we reallky wanted to build on that, but you could see that the pitch was waterlogged and the referee made the right call. It just would have been too dangerous to try and play it.
“We’ll head off now and get in a training session to start our preparations for Tuesday night’s Scottish Cup game against Hibs over at Easter Road.”
At Fir Park, Kilmarnock did themselves a significant favour with a 2-0 win over Motherwell, thanks to goals from Greg Kiltie and Craig Slater, who took advantage as the home defence backed off, prompting a walkout by some disenchanted ‘Well fans.
Dundee United remain bottom but quarried a point away to Hamilton, who failed to score from a penalty kick when Eija Kawashima saved from Ali Crawford.
- Telegraph