Kyogo Furuhashi is the latest Celtic player to be publicly criticised by Brendan Rodgers.
Assessing the striker’s form this season the hoops boss decided to throw in the phrase that ‘he is not a baby’.
There has been no suggestion from anywhere that Kyogo is a baby, he was the best player in Scotland by some distance, the leading scorer and one of the main reasons for two seasons of success for Ange Postecoglou.
During the 2023 calendar year he as scored six goals in the Glasgow Derby including the winner in the only significant match won by Rodgers’ side.
Last season there were questions over whether he could score at the elite level after dominating in Scotland- this season he has responded with two of Celtic’s three goals in the Champions League- saving the club from a possible whitewash.
Over recent weeks Rodgers has become fairly critical of his players, previously he had always been protective and supportive in public.
At yesterday’s media conference, discussing Kyogo, Rodgers told the Daily Record:
There’s been absolutely nothing different asked of him because his strength is playing off the last line, timing his movements and being instinctive in the box.
He’s not a dribbler, he’s not someone who does drop in. He can do it but it’s not his strength. And that’s always the challenge for a striker who wants to affect games. But he’s very receptive. He’s not a baby, remember, he’s 28 years of age.
Last week 24-year-old Mikey Johnston was on the end of the ‘baby’ jib from his manager with The Sun reporting his manager saying:
He’s a player that has come through the system here and a player that is arguably the most talented player that’s ever come out of this system here. I will say that, having seen a lot of the young players here but he’s not a baby any more. He’s 24.
Discussing the lack of playing time for Maik Nawrocki and Gus Lagerbielke, Rodgers doubted the personality of his summer signings with Yahoo reporting (4 December):
It’s always personality. There are clearly players ahead of them. What always ticks my attention is training, I’m out there every day watching training and when I see players train and work with that personality they will edge closer to my thinking. Unfortunately, for Maik and Gustaf, Scales has come to the team and has really taken his opportunity.
Finally, despite a healthy goal scoring return Rodgers gave a very blunt comment on David Turnbull’s contract position, telling The Sun (December 3):
Yeah, if a player doesn’t want to sign, he doesn’t want to sign. I won’t lose sleep over it. There were talks back in the summer and I’m not sure how far they have gone.
Whatever his own feelings a major part of Rodgers’ job is to protect players, they tend not to react well to criticism, especially from their manager.
Before the January transfer window opens Rodgers could be depending heavily on some of the players criticised above.
Criticising players only works so far, at some stage the buck stops with the manager who is working daily with a squad of over 30 players.
It’s not in anyone’s interest to publicly criticise any players it only gives the circling wolves fuel to add to the crap they already write. It’s most certainly not good for the players what I would like to know is what’s Rodgers up to?
Is he using the player’s to deflect from his own mistakes or is there something running far deeper here. My personal opinion is he is not happy with a lot of what he inherited if that is the case then why is he towing the party line.
Something is beginning to stink in paradise and its emanating from the board room. We have already dropped points and have big games coming up. The manager needs to back the team not rip them apart. If he can’t do that then vacate the job.
Rodger$ is just trying to cover his back. Once a $nake, always a $nake.
Don’t expect anything else from Rodgers never trusted him too smooth and only interested in his own good,can’t really remember anyone who kissed the badge staying loyal to us .They pissed off at first chance to make more money
Said this before and will again our japense boys are being hammered by thugs right and left and no protection and now this manager appears to have little time for them or others in the team actually apart from matt and calmac.
They will not hang around mark my words well. And mark this Rodgers is giving all the signals of one who has chucked and could not give a f**k what he says
In what part of that article is rodgers wrong ???
Your negativity is starting to turn me off mate. I know it’s tough just now but you need to find more ways to try and be positive. You are doing the scottish media jobs for them.
Editor: If you want cheerleading I’d suggest sticking to CQN and a donation to the statue for the world’s greatest ever CEO #celticfamily
Brendan needs to remember Kyogo has been carrying an injury and he copped a nasty head-knock. He is having a slump in form maybe, but other players are nor anticipating his leads. Saying “he’s not a baby” is treating an adult as a child or inferior.
Reading Dr Eric Berne’s (a Psychiatrist) early book on Transactional Analysis and his later book The Games People Play could be useful. Just say sorry, if Kyogo is offended.
He probably doesn’t know what BR said. Ange encouraged players not to read Sport pages and Social Media Football commentary. Good advice.
Players sense that their Manager is not happy with the team effort. Brendan’s calm demeanor flows through the team. Keep it flowing.
Reading the full quote in context, is he not just saying that he’s not a youngster anymore, but an experienced player and therefore can’t expect the sort of leeway you would maybe give a young player, just starting out at first team level? Is he maybe just using an idiomatic, colloquial phrase that, in this case, is slightly unfortunate, in as much as the media can jump on it and use it out of context to twist it and imply a more personal, negative form of criticism by BR (i.e. to suggest that BR believes that the player has babyish attributes or behaves/reponds to constructive criticism like a baby)?
I can pick faults in every celtic player.
I would start with he team manager, work my way through the boardroom.
Certain comments From Rodgers are just simple facts about players.
Said players need to take on any form of criticism and learn how to improve.
Same can be said about Rodgers and the board in particular.
I’m worried that the manager is punching his ticket out of here, as he will be due a lot of money! Successful or not, and he did F all to change the course of that game on Sunday, I really hope NOT.
Is this now going to start becoming Rodgers style of management now?
Years ago players never took to kindly to a manager criticism becoming public?
Now Rodgers is preparing to be doing this upon a weekly basis of late?
Very poor management on his behalf, when anything between manager and players should be kept behind closed doors, even more so with the scum within the Scottish media?
So what is Rodgers currently all about now?
Does he think he’s so perfect within his job, that placing the blame upon the player’s is the best solution to any failings that aren’t going his way?
I was actually in support of the Rodgers return, unlike many.
Currently suffering with splinters in my arse, from getting up and sitting upon the fence, over the issue now?
The biggest issue is about how much the established player is so inconsistent and going backwards performance wise.
So what actual coaching and direction is this team going in currently, when so little of it on show?
The newer players have little to no chance of actually improving with the set up as it currently stands imo?
So openly criticism of players is the answer from a manager?
Like hell it is, so either Rodgers gets his own act together or he can fuck off whining?
Currently if we had to make a decision about weather we look a better or worse team under his management, with the majority of the same players who were able to win a treble last season?
Then sadly the answer is possibly worse now, so who’s to really blame for that now?
Been getting a bit to much leeway with the anti board and summer transfer window agenda taking preference?
Still will wait until the winter break to see how Rodgers is preforming overall, but must admit to not being to impressed up until now, and won’t be feeding into any of his whining and bullshit either?
Up to the stage of either he gets on with the job and proves his worth to the club or he can fuck off as our club will never be about solely him for sure