Alan Hutton is one of a number of ex-players who frequently gets quoted on digital platforms these days, and 95% of his stuff is ignorant opinion dressed up as unique wisdom or even fact.
Like a lot of others who comments on the Scottish game, he quickly sussed that a wee bit of anti-Celtic sentiment goes a long way.
Spout negativity about our club and you’re in business.
At the weekend, Vasilis Barkas was absent from the Celtic team after picking up a back injury last midweek. Neil Lennon announced that to the press on the Friday before the game.
It wasn’t clear that the injury would keep him out on Sunday, but in the pre-match presser Lennon confirmed that it was the reason for his omission not just from the starting line-up but the squad.
Simple enough, and had any other manager said it nobody would have questioned it.
But not for the first time this season, a handful of desperate hacks decided that the Celtic manager’s word couldn’t be taken at face value, that he couldn’t be entirely trusted to tell the truth.
Hutton said this; “From what I hear it’s a niggly back injury, we don’t actually know whether it is or it isn’t. Could (Lennon) possibly have just been taking him out the firing line? Maybe.”
From what he hears?
You mean, based on the words that came out of the Celtic manager’s mouth?
Because that’s where the explanation came from, as Hutton knows full well. It’s funny, I don’t remember Gerrard being questioned like this whenever he gave an injury update or whenever his off form players come and go from his team.
I think if Hutton and others – like the mouthy Kris Boyd who is forever second guessing Lennon and doubting his word – want to call our manager a liar they should at least have the guts to use those words and just do it outright instead of this snivelling style they have where they obfuscate and dodge around it rather than just coming at it direct.
I mean, when Kris Boyd said he knew there were issues in the Celtic dressing room last season this blog and others had no problem calling him a liar.
So they should do the same if that’s what they think Lennon is.
Because to do so gives Lennon a chance to respond and a chance to call them out as pig-ignorant no marks.
Anything else is gutless sniping from the side-lines.
Of course, that’s the business they’re in.
Join us on Facebook by Liking and Following our page … don’t miss another article.