Most of us by now will have heard or read the post match comments from Brendan Rodgers regarding our fans treatment of Greg Taylor and fan negativity in general during matches and I have to say I’m inclined to side with the manager on this one…
His comments seem to have split our fanbase down the middle, with fair points being made from both sides, but personally I can see where Rodgers frustration comes from.
The Taylor/Tierney situation
Firstly I’ll delve into the Taylor/Tierney situation, which I have to say was probably the more controversial of the two points he was making.
I have to say I don’t think anyone was purposely singing about Kieran Tierney to annoy Greg Taylor, or to show him that we would rather have Kieran back in the team instead of him. I do have to say though on Greg’s behalf that I’m sure it’s not great having people singing and cheering at the thought of someone coming in to ultimately replace you in the team. So I can definitely see how he may have taken offence to it.
I have to make a point here that although he isn’t and never will be a star in the green and white hoops, Greg Taylor has given us some of the best years of his career and deserves all of our respect.
Taylor has always given everything
Although his limitations may get highlighted sometimes, especially in Europe, Taylor has always given everything for this club. Since Tierney left we have signed multiple players in that position to try and replace him and Taylor has fought them all off. He has been a huge part of our success over the past few years, a period where we have been absolutely dominant domestically.
It’s also well documented that he’s one of the leaders in the dressing room, which is another vital attribute he brings to the table.
As Rodgers stated, he’s put his body on the line for us over and over again. He is very rarely missing due to injury and the few times he has been out we have certainly missed him.
Singled out as whipping boys
Certain players in every team seem to get singled out as whipping boys when things aren’t going well and Greg is certainly one of those, I however would much rather a player who may be limited but gives his all over someone who half asses it week after week yet seems to escape criticism.
My last point on this is that I’m definitely not into singing anyone’s name until he’s fully signed and wearing the green and white hoops at Celtic Park. Although rumour has it the deal for Tierney is close, he may still be tempted by a more lucrative move elsewhere, leaving people with egg on their faces.
Also a lot of the same people who weren’t happy about Rodgers returning to Celtic as he had his chance and decided to head down to England for more money instead, now can’t wait to welcome a player who did exactly the same back with open arms. Strange one that eh?
Until then I’ll keep supporting the current left back
I will fully support Kieran if he decides to come back, as I did with Brendan Rodgers, but until then I’ll keep supporting the current left back who turns up and gives his all week after week.
Now in regards to the negativity in the stands when things aren’t going well, during the first twenty minutes of the match I fully agree with Rodgers on this one and it’s something that’s always annoyed me. The manager explained his frustration quite well and I hope people take what he said on board.
Playing domestically against weaker teams who like to sit back can be tricky. The key is to try and draw them out and that will mean moving the ball around around and changing the point of attack when necessary. Can it be done quicker at times, yes it probably can and the manager will know that but it is a necessary tactic in these types of games.
We can’t get on the players backs
We just can’t get on the players backs when they play like this, especially so early in the game. Yes it’s great getting an early goal to settle the nerves but it’s not always going to happen. I felt like at the start of the season the fans were actually more patient which was great to see but it has definitely started creeping back in the past few months.
Rodgers mentioned the Brugge game and I have to say that was a big one for me. The expectations in that tie were way over the top. It’s like some people thought we were going to roll over the Belgian champions which was insane. They are a pot two seeded team for a reason.
I think our success this season in Europe and at home is what has actually brought this bad habit back. We have got more expectant and seem to get impatient if we aren’t leading inside the first quarter of the game.
Atmosphere definitely creeps out onto the pitch
Yes, if we are still struggling badly to create chances after an hour I would understand the frustration but definitely not so early in the game. That atmosphere definitely creeps out onto the pitch and affects the players. At times they become more reluctant to try and do something creative incase it doesn’t work out and leads to more moans and groans from the stands. So ultimately it’s creating even more negativity on the pitch.
Obviously the defeat against theRangers was a tough one to take and we were hopeless on the day but in general I think these players and this manager have showed enough this season and last that they can be trusted to work it out on the pitch. Believe in the team and try and support them best you can.
Thursday was a hard one to take
Although Thursday was a hard one to take we need to remember we are still miles clear in the league, we already have one cup in the bag and are on the cusp of making it to the latter stages of the Champion League.
Things are currently going probably even better than hoped for at the start of the season and there should be absolutely no negativity surrounding our club at the moment. All this infighting does is fuel the fire of our bitterest rivals, a club who actual has serious problems on their hands unlike us.
Let’s get back to working together and give our haters nothing to feed off.
Conall McGinty
Brilliant piece and hits the nail on the head. Back the team and leave the negativity to theRangers fans towards their team.
Well said. I know the support is split on this but we are faithful through and through. There’s another team in Glasgow that turn on their players and berate and abuse them at any given opportunity. That is not us. Our team needs our support and encouragement. I remember Hugh Keevins (and I know he is a bit of an Uncle Tim) in the end of 1990s saying the other glasgow teams fans had this sense of entitlement, and we suffered from paranoia. Maybe it’s our years of complete dominance since St Martin walked in the door, but I do think some fans have forgotten (or maybe the young fans who don’t appreciate what it is to win the league again and again. As Brendan says there will be some bumps along the way, but we can’t get on the players backs and behave like spoilt brats. They are human beings and sometimes they might miss a pass. We have squillions in the bank, the league cup in the bag, 13 points ahead of TFOD and very likely to be in the knockout phase of the champions league. I know the display at the Death Star was appallingly bad, but it was one game when we were totally pish. Football fans are fickle but come on lhads, we’ve never had it so good. And you never know this migĥt lure them into a false sense of security, and they keep Lurch for another season.. In Brendan we trust. Hail hail.
George on Clyde radio lol.
B R is a renowned manager who also happens to be a Celtic supporter.
Part of his job is to protect his players .
Tierney if he comes back will be welcome.
He left for the same reason as B R did.
To further his career.and enjoy a higher income.
How many of the anti BR brigade would turn down the opportunity to further their own career?
Hail Hail.
You want the truth ? Maybe you can’t handle the truth ! A section of our support’s dislike for Greg Taylor has nothing to do with his performances or his ability. We had eejits making comments after the Ibrox game that he should never wear a Celtic shirt again, when , in fact, he was statistically one of our best players.Sadlly, their dislike for Taylor is based solely on the fact that he is not, what bloggers refer to as, ” one of our’s “. His background is well known to most Celtic fans and an ignorant, petty minded section of the support judge him solely on that basis. Perhaps Brendan’s ire is more to do with the board’s role in this matter. Remember Samaras ? In his last season at Celtic, the media was full of so called negotiations on a new contract. He endured the ire of the support for not signing. On the last day of the season he revealed that Celtic had never offered him a new contract. Is it the same with Taylor ? Has he actually been offered a contract ? Or are the board waiting to see if they can snare Tierney and how much it will cost them ? Taylor is then stuck with the stigma of a player refusing to sign a new contract. Rodgers is aware of the importance of Taylor’s role in the current Celtic structure. I’m sure that Tierney, if he stays fit, will eventually perform equally as well in that role. However, I think Brendan’s concern about Taylor’s treatment is based on where we will be if we don’t have him. I am a great admirer of Luke McCowan. But being “one of ours”, how many poor performances will it take before he gets the criticism that Taylor gets ? Some of our support should stick to their karaoke and fireworks and leave their opinions to fans who actually know something about football.