“For me it doesn’t really matter. Obviously some people would prefer to win it there and you then have the celebration but, for me, it’s just about collating the points over the season and when it’s mathematically rubber-stamped then you take that.

“We’ve put ourselves in a brilliant position and I know everyone anticipates what may happen, and once it does I can then probably reflect a bit more openly and longer, but until then I would be silly to focus on anything other than the performance and winning.”

The Celtic manager knows that any success is down to the contribution of the entire squad, and he paid tribute to the players who have perhaps not played as much as they would have liked.

“It’s safe to say that the first six months was awkward in so many ways, with so many things happening on and off the pitch,” he said.

“But we stayed very unified and concentrated on our work, and the process of how we work, knowing that we just keep chipping away and then hopefully we get into this part of the season which we’re all excited about to perform, and that’s what the team has done.

'So it’s just a constant, it’s a day-to-day thing, it’s an environment that’s created, it’s a standard that’s been set and it takes players who are humble.'

“And it’s the one thing I say right up until this point – that there’s a lot of glory and a lot of focus on the players who have been playing over this last period of time and they’ve been fantastic, but I can also pay tribute to the players and recognise the achievements of the players who haven’t been playing and who haven’t even sometimes been in the squad.

“My recognition and acknowledgement to them is equally as proud as the players who have been playing and doing well, because how they’ve conducted themselves, how they train every single day – that allows for the sessions to be at the very highest level.

“If we had players that weren’t happy – clearly every player wants to play, but there’s a way to behave when you’re not playing, and these guys have been absolutely magnificent, and that, as a coach, gives you great pride because it’s not easy if you’re not playing.

“So our preparation right the way through, the standards that the players have set, has never wavered, even when it has been a challenge, but they get their rewards now and, of course, as I said after the weekend, we’re nearly there and we’ve got an exciting three games to finish the season strong.”

The manager’s full press conference

Assessment of the season
Contribution of the whole squad
Looking ahead to Kilmarnock clash
Tuesday night TV viewing
Planning ahead
James Forrest’s influence

The manager’s full press conference

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