Celtic left in bah humbug mood as 'weird feeling' engulfs dressing room

Celtic have become so accustomed to winning every week in the William Hill Premiership that Sunday's goalless draw against Dundee United can only be described as an aberration.

Put in perspective, the failure to win a league match for only the second time this season is hardly going to ruin anyone's Christmas, particularly when Celtic still enjoy a nine-point lead at the top of the table.

But so unfamiliar was the experience of watching Scottish opposition celebrate at full-time - as United rightfully did in earning a point against a side currently sitting above Manchester City and PSG in the Champions League - that it left the Celtic dressing room in a 'Bah humbug' mood.

Celtic surprisingly dropped points with a 0-0 draw against Dundee United. | SNS Group

“The success that we've had over a long period of time now means every dropped point feels like a defeat," admitted captain Callum McGregor. "It feels like the end of the world.

“When you win something it feels like it's business as usual, you come back in and then you've just got to go again. It's good for the [new] players to see that response and understand how it feels, because we're a team that's used to winning all the time.

“Sometimes you learn a wee bit more when you drop points or you lose. Sometimes it's okay to be disappointed and feel hurt. You try to use that momentum in the coming games.

“The boys speak about it all the time. As soon as you drop points it feels like you've lost. It's a weird feeling, the place is quiet and it doesn't have its usual feel. You try to limit the amount of times throughout the season that you feel like that. When it does happen then the players feel it amongst themselves and they do everything they can to put it right in the next game."

Celtic will have the chance to make amends when they host Motherwell on Boxing Day. While the draw at Tannadice was not a terrible result in the circumstances, any failure to return to winning ways against Stuart Kettlewell's men would be less tolerable, particularly if it allows Rangers another chance to eat into what remains a sizeable lead for now.

“It's hard to go through the season and be perfect," McGregor admitted. "You’ll get five or six of those games throughout the season and generally, you’ll find a goal and you’ll find the quality.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor tries to rally his teammates at Tannadice. | SNS Group

“It was just one of those days when we didn’t do that but then, we pick up the point and it keeps us moving in the right direction. So, like I said, there are a lot of games coming up and we don’t want one result to snowball into two and three.

“The lead we have has been a product of how good we've been this season. But we don't want to have too many of these days where you start to chase your tail a little bit.

“We understand what the problem was and we dust ourselves down and move on from it. In parts of the game we were pretty good so let’s put that to bed quickly. We can get back on the horse quickly on Boxing Day and try to get three points, and then it just rolls on again. We have been here many times before and we know how to handle it."