Brendan Rodgers has confirmed today that he wanted another player in the transfer window, something that will come as no real surprise to supporters and knocks on the head the idea that he was in any way “delighted” by the outcome, where he didn’t actually get one.
Celtic’s official site ran with the “delighted” headline today, echoing what CQN put up on the night.
But, in fact, when you read Brendan’s comments that word isn’t used as it applies to the transfer window at all; it’s used in reference to the way the players currently at the club have responded to his ideas and worked hard on them in training.
“The players I have here – I’m delighted with their attitude and energy and they’re only going to improve now as we progress over the next few months,” is what he said, the only time in the interview when the word is actually used.
What makes this especially infuriating is that Brendan’s comments in relation to the window are pretty positive, enough so that they didn’t require cheap spin, as if this was a Daily Record puff piece on Sevco.
He’s “more than happy”, but he’s not over the moon.
He’s satisfied but not content.
He thinks progress has been made, but not enough of it yet.
Outlets – especially Celtic outlets – don’t need to put words in this guy’s mouth; he speaks very openly, honestly, and plainly. He is interesting and engaging and knowledgeable. I’d far rather people stuck to reporting not only what he actually says, but placing it in the proper context where it belongs. I slate the mainstream press for this constantly. I don’t expect to read this kind of thing on Celtic’s official website.
Yet the story on celticfc.net is a masterpiece of spinning and taking things out of context. The opening lines, about how Celtic had prepared well for the last day of the window, are utterly contradicted by what’s in the rest of the piece; if we’d been so well prepared how come we failed? If all the legwork had been done, why didn’t we already know that the players we wanted weren’t for sale? I mean, this is fairly basic stuff, right?
You actually feel yourself losing IQ points as you read something like that.
Our club must think we are absolutely mugs if they’re trying to push a line like this.
On top of it, the article seems to suggest that the manager would have had some hand in the transfer deals. Brendan wasn’t involved in those negotiations. That’s not his job. He left that to other people, in the mistaken belief that those people would get things over the line for him. The way this article seeks to spread the blame, and put that failure partly onto Brendan’s shoulders as well is pretty poor in itself.
The bottom line here is this; Brendan never for one second said he was “delighted” by the outcome of the transfer window. He makes it plain that he wanted another player. The “delighted” quote is being used out of context and it does us all a dis-service.
If the hacks twisted his words like this I’d be outraged, and so would you. As I said at the start of the article, Brendan’s comments were positive on the whole, so it didn’t require this shameless appropriation of his words and their meaning.
If I seem cheesed off about this it’s because I am. The manager feels very real frustration at not getting another player. He wanted one. To pretend that he’s “delighted” with that outcome ignores that, and it offers an alibi to those who failed him. It makes it easier for them to do it again.
Honestly, in PR terms this one reeks.
Few would be convinced even if the manager’s actual words weren’t there to set the record straight.
But they are, of course, and that’s what makes it worse.