Tom English Just Couldn’t Resist A Dig At Celtic’s Hero The Other Night.

Yesterday turned out to be a busier day than I’d thought it would be and so I actually missed a story I had intended to write. But when I thought about it this morning I realised that I still wanted to do it, because I’ll be honest, it pisses me off somewhat.

I spotted it when I was doing my information gathering for a piece yesterday; Tom English’s throwaway remark, highlighted on the BBC Sports Scotland website, when Pat Bonner suggested that Lagerbielke’s goal had given him a fresh start and that it could only help him become a contender for a place in Brendan Rodgers’ team.

There was no need to give other than an affirmative response to that. After all, it’s literally true. Even if you’re only talking in terms of morale it is a given that this will help tremendously.

English wasn’t for having that. “I don’t think it will help him,” he said. “He’s not in the team to score goals.”

And I read that and thought “Really? That’s your answer in regards to a young footballer who is enjoying the best moment of his career so far? Yeah?”

I’m sure I’ll hear how I’ve taken that out of context. I’m sure that’s what I’ll be told.

But how can that be taken out of context? That’s his reflexive response, the first words out of his mouth. That the player won’t benefit from scoring because that’s not what he’s paid to do.

Guess what? James Tavernier isn’t technically paid to score goals either but these people lose their minds with excitement every time he gets one, even if its from the penalty spot, even if the decision to award it is highly dubious as some of them are.

So no credit given to the big lad. Apparently there’s no career upside to a Champions League Group Stage match-winner, just a snarky bitchy remark from a hack. And totally ridiculous because even as a debating point that has no merit whatsoever.

Impatient fans will give this guy new consideration.

His calm under pressure will inspire confidence in him as a player. He will take an enormous boost from it, of course, and Rodgers will feel better about putting him in the team because he’s on a high.

And it wasn’t even the only thing he did in the game.

He made a couple of crucial interceptions and if English is saying they won’t help him or that they’re not what he’s paid to do then I’d suggest he’s spent too long with his head up The Village Idiot’s backside.

There was just no need for that comment, no need except perhaps for English to vent some of his frustration at having to tear up the script he’d intended to launch into if the game had ended 1-1, as it looked likely to do at that moment.

In short, I found it pathetic.