Former Celtic defender, Gary Caldwell, has told Sky Sports that the best thing the Celtic board can do is hold their hands up and admit they got things wrong in regards to Dubai.
In an interview with the media channel, Caldwell said: “I think they went to Dubai with the best intentions, they’ve done it in previous seasons, I’ve done it myself as a player and as a manager; I’ve taken squads away at this time of year to get the warm weather training, to get the players together and have that social environment where they can get to know each other more and plan the rest of the season.
“But there is a global pandemic and I think they didn’t really assess all that before they went and with hindsight it’s been a bit of a disaster with so many players having to self isolate and staff having to self isolate, but like I say they went with the best intentions.”
When asked about Celtic’s defiant response, including a statement which reiterated that all protocols and rules were adhered to, Caldwell responded by suggesting a different tone from the leadership of the club.
The former Hibs and Celtic defender said: “I think from a club point of view the best thing to do is hold your hands up say ‘we got this wrong, we apologise for any inconvenience we’ve caused people within the Scottish game. I think Hibernian were under a lot of pressure and it wasn’t really fair on them.
“It’s came across really badly from a PR point of view and the right thing now as a football club would be to hold your hands up and say we got it wrong.”
In talking about the match between Hibernian and Celtic, Caldwell felt that a depleted Celtic team played well and that, in a match where one goal would likely settle it, Turnbull’s free kick looked to be enough. Caldwell then pointed out the defensive frailties that have been present all season, demonstrating a weakness in the side that hasn’t been there for the last four years. Caldwell blames poor defending for losing the two points and says that whilst there’s a long way back for Celtic, they have to keep believing that they can win the title.
🗣️ “The best thing to do is hold your hands up and say you got it wrong!”
Former Celtic defender Gary Caldwell reflects on the clubs’ Dubai trip, players self-isolating and Hibs draw pic.twitter.com/mtKNNy9k4p
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) January 12, 2021
