THERE was a sea of green around Notre Dame’s incredible stadium last season but the air was turned a shade of blue.
The assembled English press in Indiana following the fortunes of Chelsea in pre-season hadn’t bargained for what they were seeing.
Celtic were a star attraction in these parts with the Irish links to the famous American university.
But in football terms, Brendan Rodgers’ men were expected to be a decent punch bag for the Premier League team ahead of the new campaign.
Instead it was the Hoops who were the knockout. Those English hacks rolled out a few expletives, but it was more in disbelief at what they were witnessing.
Blimey, this lot are ****ing good, was the gist of it.
The Scottish champs gave a strong Chelsea side a complete runaround with the kind of intensity usually reserved for cup finals rather than pre-season knockabouts.
That was exactly what Rodgers demanded and – on the back of a similarly exhilarating performance against Man City in North Carolina a few days earlier – it totally set the tone for the campaign ahead.
And that’s also why Hoops fans perhaps shouldn’t be rolling their eyes or shrugging their shoulders at the announcement of another bog friendly bash against top EPL opposition this coming summer.
Rodgers said back then, Celtic don’t do friendlies, and it’ll be no different when Newcastle United come to Glasgow on July 19.
Punters might not be too fussed with these encounters and there’s an entire argument to be had whether they should be on the season books anyway.
In terms of a football contest though, this might be one to keep an eye on.
Rodgers has a similar view to taking on English opposition as Martin O’Neill had back in the day.
There’s nothing he loves more than sticking it to sides from down south who regularly look down their noses on Scottish football.
It’s a reputation thing. O’Neill’s team took part in some epic ‘friendly’ clashes. The 4-3 win against Old Trafford might have been the pick of the bunch, with tackles flying in all over the shop and even Chris Sutton and Roy Keane squaring up in a contest that would these days be shown on pay-per-view on the undercard of an Anthony Joshua fight.
It packed more than a punch.
Eddie Howe, Manager of Newcastle United, reacts during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Ipswich Town
Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe (Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Sutton has admitted O’Neill got them wound up for these games and going by last summer, Rodgers is exactly the same.
But it’s not just the bragging rights or the chance to get it up the English. Rodgers used the Man City and Chelsea games as dry runs for the Champions League.
The seeds of the campaign to the knockout stages were sewn on American fields.
City and the Blues were taken aback by just how ferocious Celtic approached the games but the surge in belief the Hoops got from those performances were carried into the start of the domestic season and into Europe.
That’s why Newcastle will be another ideal test. Eddie Howe might not get the warmest of welcomes – even though he probably should given his Celts snub led to Ange Postecoglou and then the return of Rodgers – but his team are Champions League class and a perfect dress rehearsal.
And you can swear by it being far from friendly.