Could Green Brigade inject life into Celtic title challenge?
[SNS] Brendan Rodgers' resignation, Martin O'Neill returning twice as interim boss, with the debacle of Wilfried Nancy's reign in between, an unprecedented injury list and unrest between supporters and club hierarchy. It is hard to believe that has all happened in one season for Celtic. For many supporters, it is something of a minor miracle that they are still in with a chance of lifting the Scottish Premiership trophy in May.
They have lost eight games this season - Falkirk are the only team in the top six who have lost more - and have been without key players such as centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers, winger Jota and right-back Alistair Johnston for most of the campaign. However, O'Neill's side arguably have the most favourable run-in, with three of their five games at home - including Rangers and Hearts. Paul John Dykes, of A Celtic State of Mind podcast, thinks the return of the Green Brigade will be the most beneficial of all after the club hierarchy lifted the ultras group's suspension, which followed incidents earlier this season.
"I think it's huge," he said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast . "There's been a cloud hanging over us and we've been architects of our own demise this season, so I'm not sitting here looking for sympathy. "But the Green Brigade have been away for five months and they're massive.
When you have relied on them for 20 years, then I think there's a generation of fans who have forgotten how to start songs and get involved in creating the atmosphere. "It's been a bit of a morgue and then you start hearing other managers saying this is an advantage to us going to Celtic Park now. "I'm a bit gutted it didn't happen sooner, but it is basically getting all the margins that we possibly can back in our favour because we're not a great side.
"The only other thing that we can hope for is one or two players to come back [from injury] in the run-in. " Read more: What do fans of top three make of Premiership split?