AUSTRALIAN manager Graham Arnold has apologised to ‘Tommy’ Rogic for wrecking his hopes to play for Celtic at Ibrox on Saturday but insists that he has no other alternative but to insist that the talismatic midfielder heads to Dubai to meet up with his International team-mates after Celtic’s Boxing Day encounter with Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
The row caused by the Australian scheduling getting in the way of the team selection at a Glasgow Derby has caused controversy at the other side of the world with even the Aussie Prime Minister being dragged in as a Celtic supporter asked for his help in securing the player’s release.
I’ve contacted the socceroos and the Prime Minister of Australia in both English and Australian asking for him to be made available. pic.twitter.com/0oWViDFnB2
— S32 (@sc32ie) December 22, 2018
When all’s said and done though, it is just really one of these things and Celtic can look for a big performance from Rogic at Pittodrie and then look to others to do the job at Ibrox. We’re not exactly short of options in the middle of the park.
“Tommy would love nothing more than to stay and play for Celtic against Rangers. He would love nothing more than to stay and play,” Arnold stated.
“I had to explain to him that, if I did it for him, I had to do it for another 12 players, and if I have to do it for another 12, we have to call off our final preparation for the Asian Cup against Oman on 30 December.
“I apologise to Celtic and to their fans, and I apologise to Hibs and their fans. The last thing I want is confrontation.
“I want a great relationship with Celtic and Brendan. I want the same with Neil at Hibs, but we are the current holders of the Asian Cup.
“I’ve only been on the training pitch with the players for 18 days since taking the job and we have a friendly on the 30th and that’s a huge preparation for us.”
Arnold told a wee story that highlights the importance of his decision to so many supporters around the world.
“I was out for Sunday lunch with my wife and friends near where I live, and I had two Rangers fans come over and say: “You’re going to stop Tommy Rogic from playing for Celtic aren’t you?”. Five minutes later, another guy comes over and says: “You need to let Rogic play for Celtic”.
“I said to my wife: “I’m 23,000 kilometres away and I’ve got Celtic and Rangers fans on my case over Tommy Rogic!”.
“Listen, I love Tommy and Celtic and it’s an awkward situation, but if I let him play against Rangers and do it for one, then of course Neil Lennon is going to be on to me saying: “What about my three of Martin Boyle, Jamie Maclaren and Mark Milligan?”.
“Then I’ll have Chris Hughton on from Brighton about Matty Ryan. Then I’ve got Jackson Irvine at Hull City, then I’ve got some boys here in the A-League and all of a sudden I’ve got 11 or 12.
“What I tried to do was sit down and say: “Okay, the 26th is a round of games across each of the Scottish Premiership, the English Premier League and Championship”. If I chop that off at midnight, everyone knows where they stand.
“If I leave it any longer, Celtic play Rangers early on the 29th, Hibs play Hearts in the evening, and you’ve also got QPR playing on that day and teams in Australia playing on the 31st and the 1st.
“Our last preparation game is against Oman on the 30th. I’ve only been on the training ground for these players for 17 or 18 days and I’m new to the job.
“I am not trying to be the bad guy here. The FIFA rules state the boys were supposed to join us on December 24.
“I let them stay on the 26th, so the clubs are not losing key players for one game. They have actually gained them for one game on the 26th and looking at the league table it seems to me that’s Celtic’s biggest game.
“I would love nothing more than for Tommy to play against Rangers but I didn’t set the schedule with two huge derbies in Scotland on the 29th.
“Tommy is one of Celtic’s best players, but he is also Australia’s best player and I am coaching my country.”
Fair enough, let’s move on…
Also on The Celtic Star today…
PSG star Timothy Weah set for loan move to Celtic?…See HERE.
Tony Ralston and Celtic, Christmas shopping in Paris?…See HERE.
See HERE.
Jim Craig – Johannes Edvaldsson, Celtic’s first Icelandic player, scored…
