The manager spoke today after the game, and he had a simple message to the critics who are sniggering about the performance of the defence, in blithe ignorance as to the fact that our first choice players were all absent when three of those goals were scored today.
I always love it when the media over-reacts during pre-season.
I’ve seen – we’ve all seen – occasions when they are digging out the old “Celtic in Crisis” logo with the broken badge because of a couple of bad pre-season results.
Remember last pre-season? When the Ibrox club beat a Real Madrid reserve team and they were talking about being Champions League class?
Two seasons ago, when West Ham scored six against us at Celtic Park, we had no idea what the squad would look like in the end. We got there. We emerged a strong, strong side.
We are a strong, strong side. Numerous players are out at the moment but most will be back for the kick-off. Most important is that there’s plenty of money to spend.
But what Rodgers said in the aftermath of the game was highly amusing to me, and should chill out everyone who is worried over what we saw. “The result isn’t the priority at this point so we’ll prepare for when it matters,” he said.
Prepare for when it matters.
There speaks a manager who has seen and heard it all before, a manager who knows what the goal is. This is about fitness right now, and pushing people to get ready for the start of the season. Which is now two and a half weeks away, and I’ll be honest; it cannot come quickly enough for me.
It sounds like it cannot come quickly enough for the manager either, or some of these players. There are big decisions to make … but that’s what the next fortnight is for.
Next up is Osaka, and after that we’re off to Dublin.
After that, “it matters.”