“It’s the biggest pitfall in succeeding,” Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers admitted that he had to go to a darker place today when dealing with his players, after that horror showing from his team in the first-half in Perth. The Bhoys were less than impressive in that forty-five minutes to say the least at McDiarmid Park and the manager was fizzing with his men at the break after a display that was unrecognisable from a Celtic team.

The second period saw the boss make a change and Mikey Johnston was introduced to the action at the expense of YangHyun-jun – who hasn’t has the easiest of runs lately. The Korean was never really in the game and was so passive, to the point that he couldn’t even time his runs correctly when receiving the ball, being caught offside continually against the Saints defence.

Johnston’s arrival brought a freshness to the team that was undeniable and had been missing in the opening half of the game. With his willingness to commit men and create overloads on the wings – linking up with Canadian full-back, Alistair Johnston – the Irish international helped to kick-start an engine that had been toiling up until that point. His play down the right had side and subsequent final cross, helped lead to the equaliser by his captain and it cajoled the team into the comeback.

From there on in, the Hoops never really looked back and after Matt O’Riley scored a wonder strike on his weaker right foot, James Forrest made it 3-1 Mate into injury time to all but seal the points for the visitors. Rodgers spoke after the game and was less than impressed at the weakness of his team in that half of football and warned them not to make him lose it like that again with insipid performances such as this. “I’m still angry, if I’m honest,” Rodgers said via The Scotsman . “The first half was nowhere near what you expect from a Celtic player and team. Just the level of intensity and ambition in the game, the speed, we were absolutely nowhere near it. We got bullied for the goal and we were soft in everything, with and without the ball. Half-time was the angriest I’ve ever been as a manager.

“People who have been around me will know I’m normally very calm. It was nothing tactical; this was about desire and what it takes to play for this club. Thankfully in the second half the players were brilliant. Callum McGregor was outstanding, and I got more of the energy and ambition that I want. [But the reaction] was what I expected in the first half. We’d gone a game and a half and not scored, with the greatest of respect, against St Johnstone. Craig [Levein] had organised his team well and they got their goal from the set-piece that we were soft at. I expect much more from us. Second half, it was a real testament to the players, because they could have folded and been nervy, but they got to the level I demand from them. They were fantastic goals and we could have had more. It’s a reminder that if you go soft, if you go timid against any team, they can hurt you.”

When the Double Treble-winning manager was quizzed about the reasons behind this slump, he answered: “It’s comfort. It’s the biggest pitfall in succeeding, that you become timid and lose your aggression. It’s easily done, but it’s my job to guard against it. It was just nowhere near the level.I said to the players afterwards, don’t make me be like that again. Don’t ever make me feel I have to get to that level. My teams will normally be front-foot, demanding and constant, but that’s not acceptable.

He added: “No matter what success they have had over the last couple of years, there is a demand at this club to continually succeed. Yes, we’re missing players and dynamic players but in the second half you see the levels they can get to. It’s comfort. It’s the biggest pitfall in succeeding, that you become timid and lose your aggression. It’s easily done, but it’s my job to guard against it. It was just nowhere near the level.”

The Celtic boss, his team and the supporters will all want to put that half behind them now as we head into crucial fixtures in Decemeber – culminating in the visit of theRangers to Celtic Park before the New Year. It’s been a bitterly disappointing European campaign but we can still get that elusive win in the Champions League on 13 December and put this hoodoo to bed. If we can navigate this hectic schedule and get some players back, we can then look to sort the glaring squad issues in January.

Paul Gillespie