In trade-mark fashion Tom English dismissed Celtic fans as bed-wetters when they expressed concern about the form of their team in the Autumn.
An eight-match winning run following the defeat from Ferencvaros didn’t fool the fans although some of those that are paid for their views seemed to think that the garden was rosy.
Celtic’s defence looked vulnerable, the new goalkeeper had already been replaced and it took very late goals away to Dundee United and St Johnstone to avoid draws on the back of the early season draw at Kilmarnock. The team wasn’t functioning, the fans could see it with their concerns confirmed with back-to-back home defeats in the Glasgow Derby and Europa League opener against AC Milan.
The fans could see it but showing his usual contempt the chief Sports Writer at the BBC knew better as he articulated after the Scottish Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen.
Definite signs of improvement from Celtic as they make another final. The bed-wetters in their support might want to reflect on some of the hysteria of the last few weeks. A few thoughts on the weekend here… https://t.co/uFBogBLE8A
— Tom English (@TEnglishSport) November 2, 2020
Wins over Aberdeen and Motherwell were the only victories in a run of 12 matches.
Now with Celtic trailing by 21 points and currently without their management team and 13 key players English has come around to the views of the fans he ridiculed two months ago.
Today on the BBC website he completed his U-turn, writing:
A year ago all the questions about mentality and decision-making and management were asked of the Ibrox board, Steven Gerrard and his players and now those same questions are being asked of Peter Lawwell, Neil Lennon and his players.
This season of theirs has thrown up a number of grim moments, from the Champions League exit against Ferencvaros, to the Europa League maulings against Sparta Prague, to the domestic losses against Rangers and Ross County and the ugly scenes that happened in that period.
All of those told us much about the deterioration in playing standards, but the mental image of the manager, the assistant, the captain, the chief goalscorer and a dozen others watching the game against Hibs from the self-isolation of their own living room is an illustration of how awry things have become elsewhere in the club.
They might have left their problems behind for the guts of a week in the United Arab Emirates but those issues have multiplied now. Nineteen points behind Rangers when they left, the gap is now 21, but that’s only one of the things that have turned Celtic into a soap opera.
