Celtic went into their clash with Kilmarnock after a lot of noise.
A desperately disappointing transfer window pushed the patience of supporters one step too far, as an open letter was sent to Celtic officials to make fan disappointment clear.
This led to a controversial Celtic statement which defended the club’s transfer policy, citing financial regulations in European football as a limiting factor.
This didn’t slide with fans at all – and when Brendan Rodgers’ time came to speak to the media, the Hoops boss said the window left him feeling ’empty.’
This made for an interesting build-up for Sunday’s match – but a 2-1 victory marked by a late Kelechi Iheanacho winner has helped bring a positive feel back to the club, as one former Celtic hero has discussed.
Peter Grant says Celtic can stop talking about transfers
Celtic were made to work for the win, despite largely dominating the encounter in Ayrshire.
Impressive performances from Sebastian Tounekti and Marcelo Saracchi were also among the positives from the win.
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Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
And for Peter Grant, speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, the win will help distract from the ongoing off-field issues.
He said: “It’s all about winning. And to come out after the few weeks that they’ve had, the next game is so important as you just want that result, to get that victory and get up the road.
“You just want to concentrate back on football. All the windows are closed, you can stop talking about transfers in and out and all these things.
“But when the penalty kick was given, I thought Kilmarnock were in the ascendancy. They were causing Celtic problems – I thought Celtic were dominant without working the goalkeeper, but they got the bit of fortune that they needed.”
Time will tell whether positive results can outweigh transfer unrest.
Will unhappy Celtic fans be won over by results?
Celtic fans performed a protest at the Kilmarnock match, in opposition to the club’s transfer policy and failure to secure signings.
It’s difficult to argue that the Hoops squad hasn’t been severely weakened – but if the existing one can deliver a run of wins, will fans forget about the window?
We will see in time. The level of organisation being shown across the support in this protest against the Parkhead board has not been seen for decades.
We will also have to see what Europa League attendances look like, with some fans refusing to attend in protest at the team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League.
There’s certainly a lot going on at Celtic currently.