Brendan Rodgers turned his anger on the Celtic players after yesterday’s 2-0 home defeat from Hearts.
Two weeks ago the Irishman delivered his angriest ever half-time talk to turn around the match at St Johnstone but it seems that tactic is effective for only a very limited timespan.
In the three subsequent SPFL matches Celtic have lost twice with the defeat from Hearts the first at home since the dark days of January 2021 with Neil Lennon in charge.
Football management involves a variety of skills but when you players are repeatedly being blamed the impact lessons, as every example shows getting rid of a manager is a far easier solution that binning a squad of players.
Planet Radio reports Rodgers saying:
Our desire and the mentality right from the off was nowhere near the level of a Celtic team. Very passive, and lacked fluidity.
The game started a little bit slow, but our ability to keep the ball in the final third and create wasn’t quite there.
Then, we got outdone very naively from a corner. The second goal was a fantastic free-kick, but, when you look at the build-up and what led to the free-kick, it was so passive it was frightening.
It is a real, real sore one. For the first time I have been here, over my two periods, I would have to apologise to the supporters – because that level is nowhere near the standard of performances required at Celtic. Nowhere near it.
That lack of consistency and mentality and desire, it is way, way off what this club demands. You’re sat there in mid-December with 60,000 in and that’s how you perform. It is not acceptable.
There was far short of 60,000 fans at the match, thousands of Season Ticket holders stayed away, many probably anticipating yesterday’s performance featuring the problems listed by Rodgers.
On Saturday Celtic are at home to Livingston, there was nothing in yesterday’s performance to suggest that there is going to be any change unleashed on David Martindale’s team.
? “You’re sat there in mid-December with 60,000 in and that’s how you perform. It is not acceptable.”
Brendan Rodgers felt compelled to apologise to Celtic fans for the first time as he admitted his side lacked desire in a 2-0 home defeat to Hearts. ??https://t.co/A6EpjCu6eM
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) December 16, 2023
And the good news is if course that Martinjail will park the bus and try to hit on the break…. a style of football we are doing really well against currently. The most concerning part is that this could get worse before it gets better. The defence is fragile and passive, there is far too little creativity from midfield and up front we look listless and lethargic and the myth of our great “strength in depth” has been exposed for the sham it is.
Early in this campaign Cal told BR that his game plans were too complicated.
After the Feyenoord game one player said Gus and Rocki “were working like animals”.
BR and his staff are only going to find out how the players feel by asking them..
Like other Football codes, BR needs an Experienced Player Group. Some codes call it a Senior Player Group. The Group sits down with a cup of tea and speaks about the team’s performances. All listens and contributes.. I can suggest; Callum, Joe, Kyogo, Cam C V, Matt plus Alistair.
BR telling players they lack ambition based only on his perceptions, without talking to key experienced players solves nothing.
Lol and the same 60,000 fans will still show up next.
BYE BYE.
with all the above and more , it looks like rodgers has lost the dressing room , when he could not get a trick from the team ib the second half speaks volumes , what was very significant at the end of the game he went about the players shaking hands , if he went up the tunnel it was over , starting turnbull who is on a go slow due to his contract talks is crazy , the two johnsons and kyogo are a shadow of themselves , the free kick yesterday showed hart out of position and his timing is gone and it won;t get any better , add to that lawell and co banning our 12 th man the green brigade who’s energy spills on to the field encouraging the players and fans alike and puts fear in opposing teams not to mention the bent cabal in black , if they are not back for the derby the officials will cheat us in front of our eyes while lawell only jokes about it
Nothing to worry about it’s just LIEWELL keeping the old firm gravy train alive,Celtic and sevco one hand washes the other.
This time next year will be sitting alongside us with the same money in the bank,the difference is they will spend on players to distance between themselves and us.
£72 million in the bank with a team full of nickel&dime players,hence the SCUDDING yesterday.
As for Roy sevco sacked a manager for less than what Roy is getting away with.
He will be gone by the end of the week.
Lol and it’s to late now for the BOYCOTTING the damage is done and the league is gone,we would be lucky to qualify for Europa conferences league with that team and manager.
Same old, same old from a position of strength Celtic go back the way fans been taken for mugs for years, Rodgers should never been brought back lacks ambition this time around.
Joe Hart should be taken out of goals right away he’s an accident waiting to happen every game, butterfingers he cant seem to hold a ball always punches away putting pressure on his defence.
As for the players that came in they must be really bad , they cant even get on the bench, Most of the team are going backwords since Brendan Rodgers took over, cant see them winning anything this season.
“And when you see the build up to the free kick and how passive they were in the build up to it”
Aye that’s true indeed…
But why no screaming from the rooftops about it NEVER being a free kick ????
It would only be portrayed as sour grapes anyway and Rodgers probably knew this –
But there have been ample times this season where there has been chance after chance to highlight cheating and as always with Celtic cowardice from management and custodians came to the fore through SILENCE…
At least Clement came out to defend the indefensible guy that stamped on The Dundee player – indefensible as I say but he still did it anyway…
Sevco would educate Celtic in a lot of ways such as defending their indefensible club and indefensible fans –
Unfortunately I fear that they may be about educate us on the field of play now for a while…
Given where we are that is utterly fcukin tragic !
Can’t fault the manager’s comments but he picked the team (from a squad superior to the opponents’) and is responsible for morale.
This isn’t going to end well and it’s a god awful mess.I wish i could say this toik me by surprise but sadly it didn’t.As soon as Lawell walked back in and Ange left the penny pinching and awful decision making was back.This board have zero ambition,old white men iut of ideas,out of ambition and out of time.Change needed at the top of the house.