5 reasons for cheers since Celtic fans got snide with Santa from believing in Brendan to something no one expected

Everyone at Celtic laughs about it now. It even became a gag at the end of last season when everything turned out just swell.

But it was nothing to chuckle about at the time. Especially for poor old Santa. Saint Nick copped it at Celtic Park when he made an appearance at half-time when the Hoops were 2-0 down to Hearts and on their way to a miserable festive defeat. It might have been a fairly trivial thing and a misplaced target of frustration. But it felt like a kind of key moment that could threaten to define an entire season and underline the bad feeling around the club.

Celtic was far from a happy place back then – unlike the tinsel covered place it is now. A year is a lifetime in football but there has been a massive turnaround in just about every department at Parkhead – which is why this is turning out to be a season to be jolly. Here we look at what’s changed since supporters got snide with Santa…

Brendan Rodgers admitted when he returned he had work to do to win back some of the fans with some bad blood remaining about his departure first time around. But he clearly had a tougher job on his hands than even he expected. He suffered from some post Ange angst in the stands, with plenty pinning for the departed Aussie.

The performances didn’t help either. Celtic went out of the League Cup at the first hurdle at Kilmarnock and lost there in the league too.

Home displays against St Johnstone and Motherwell were pretty grim and the loss to the Jambos saw patience snap. Celts were five points clear at the top but not firing and Rodgers even apologised after the Hearts defeat and made promises about signings in the January window.

Now? Brendan is box office and well and truly back in the good books. He recruited