Yesterday was one of those days, wasn’t it? One of those day that follows a big, important Celtic win and everyone in the media wants to talk instead about some manufactured controversy. There was nothing in the game which allowed them to get nuts, so they focussed on Rodgers media interviews after it, and it wasn’t just Jane Lewis’ one that had them moaning.
We’re back at it again today. Rodgers under pressure. Rodgers not handling the pressure. Rodgers lashing out at people. Rodgers the sexist. Rodgers the bad guy. Rodgers trying to build the siege mentality.
Celtic players not impressing certain people in the media, some of whom used to play for us and if they’d ever been criticised by other ex-Celts whilst in the club colours, they’d have squealed like pigs about it for weeks. And on and on and on.
Today the story of the day doesn’t involve us. Not the real story anyway, which is that the Ibrox boss has demanded that refs protect his players better.
In his case, that’s painted as nothing but concern for his boys, after another of them, Todd Cantwell this time, got injured and will miss four weeks.
They have had injury issues all season, just like us, and just like us the problem is that they rush half-fit players back into the team and play them when that’s daft.
But Manneken Piss wants his players protected, and he’s pressuring refs, but in that subtle but still obvious way he has. The injury happened in the St Johnstone game, and this is what he had to say about it.
“So, for sure, in this game he could have been more protected because there were a few challenges. For sure I remember one in the midfield where he gets (flipped over) and for me those are always yellow cards. But I am not a referee so for sure I’m not going to go in those discussions because I am a coach, not a referee.”
You see how sneaky he is? “I’m not going to go into those discussions …” after he already has. Doesn’t want to be critical of referees except to say that he knows the rules better than they do and if he was a referee, he’d do it a different way.
This is a blatant attempt to insist that officials punish any hard tackle made in relation to their players. It’s explicitly designed to put pressure on refs. But the media ignores that and wants to write, instead, about a nothing remark that Rodgers made at the weekend. You tell me which of those statements is the more dangerous?
You tell me which of them should be making the headlines?
The Ibrox boss is a slippery sod, but if this media gave him half the scrutiny it gives Rodgers he wouldn’t get away with some of this stuff.
He has contradicted himself on officials a half dozen times this season, depending on whether the decisions are falling for or against him and now he wants his players given special treatment?
In a close title race?
That’s so obvious even Keith Jackson would spot it.
But will he write about it? Will any of them write about it? If they ever get done beating on Rodgers maybe … but I won’t hold my breath.
I don’t have a problem with what Clement said. I can think of times when we should have been applying pressure on refs to protect out players.
Brendan gets paid a lot of money to handle the press. I know you disagree, James, but I stil say Sunday’s post match interview was badly handled by him. But, he’s a big boy. He can handle it.
Let’s focus on the next two games. They are both must wins. Tomorrow we should be putting Dundee to the sword by a few goals at least. Sunday’s match will give us a true reflection of where we really are. The huns just hammered them 5-0. We have to show we can do the same and keep that pressure on.
“For sure” – is Clement getting coached behind the scenes by Souness? 🙂
Whatever happens, it does look like we are all going to be
witnessing a very tight – and perhaps an incredibly controversial –
run in to season end.
Clement and sevco will be trying every dodgy trick in the book to
try and eke out some perceived, psychological advantage – off the pitch –
and with the unquestioning support of the SMSM.
On the pitch – the refs, the blind linesmen, and VAR officials might escalate their
loyal support for the ibrox club?
“Good girl” might be rapidly surpassed by the real controversies yet to come…?
🙁
The St.Johnstone player DID receive a yellow card when Barbie got flipped over.
Let’s see what coverage sevco get if somehow Kilmarnock turns them over .
Would love to see the criticism their manager gets and if so how he handles that kind of pressure being applied on a regular basis.
Kilmarnock won’t turn Sevco over Jim – The Cheats with whistles, flags and monitors will see to that…
And in the very unlikely event that they couldn’t handle the plastic pitch and Clement cracked up The scum of The Scottish Football Media would protect him like a reinforced concrete wall regardless !
I thought you were going to write about vampires when I saw the headline photo of Prince Dracula with the winklepickers.
Off topic slightly,he must have been delighted the Hearts players forgot how to Tackle his Galaticos on Saturday
We Naismiths “just one of those days”
Aye right.
@ L7. Aye, see if he has ‘just one of those days’ on Sunday. Think we all know the answer.
The Laptop Loyal pounced on the “Good girl” interview sign off from Brendan Rodgers to feign shock horror and thus bury a major talking point from the game at Fir Park. Celtic had a clear cut penalty denied in the second half. The kind that any of the two Ibrox clubs would get on a 100 per cent ratio.
The faux woke horror is clearly a deflection. We know this because in all of the games that the Bears in the crowd pollute the airwaves with their little ditties about wading knee deep in people’s blood not a single media snowflake has felt it incumbent upon themself to utter a single word of complaint.
Every goal celebration by Celtic has, by statute, to be analysed by VAR. Even when every single person in the stadium and watching on tv knows it is just a petty celebration dampening exercise by the officials. Yet, after the blatant hand ball by the Motherwell defender in the box not a cheap from the eagle eyed guardians of fair play in the VAR room.
No three week analysis on every radio phone in, or catching up with the umpteenth ex Ibrox player to ask their opinion on the “clear mistake” made by the officials.
All just a pro Ibrox anti Celtic sham. It was ever thus.
Yeah – And d’ya know what James…
Still some of Celtic supporters will rush to buy them and read them online and therefore financially support them –
Here are some of my descriptions of these said Celtic ‘supporters’ ??? who pay to keep the rags in business…
Idiots, morons, lunatics, fools, numskulls, losers, dullards, simpletons, brainless, irrationals, numbskulls, illogicals, lame brains, to name but a few descriptions of these said Celtic supporters –
Just ma very humble opinion that is I’m afraid…
There are plenty of them ‘ah see in the Record it says’ over on CQN !
@ CATH. Aye well, you obviously see yerself as ‘logically superior’ tae all us morons and numbskulls. (ah’ll mention numbskulls, because ye mentioned it twice in the one paragraph and with different spellin). Don’t buy their rags myself, although ah will often read some of the DR tripe online. Although ah can totally understand why people DON’T read them, the blogger himself on this site reads these media articles for much of the same reason as the rest of us ‘lame brains’. It’s to be aware and remind ourselves, of the bias and vitreol aimed at our club and it’s only through blogs like this that we can get a chance tae voice our opinions properly back at them. Tae come away wi a comment like that, you and your obvious ‘superior intellect’ are clearly up yer own arse.
Kevan – It might have come over as that but I’m just a fella with a working class background and definitely am not of superior intellect – (I’ve only got 3 o’levels and failed ma English one without even getting an ‘E’ hence probably the spelling mistake) and ended out as a production shift worker in a decent enough paid job that got the sack for being drunk on the night shift after my girlfriend fucked off with an older guy when I was 27 so I’m most definitely not superior to any fellow Celtic supporter young or old, male or female or anything else in between !
I just get so bloody angry when The Celtic Blog reports on the broad Scottish Football Media hatred of our beloved Hoops and their evil towards our club, our manager, our supporters and our players…
Ok we debate and constructively criticise Celtic and rightly so at times, but we are in house, we are Celtic family and it’s outta care and concern rather than the malicious evil that The Scottish Football Media spread and create –
I just find it strange that Celtic fans buy them but they could (rightly I guess) argue that it’s their money and they’ll spend it as they see fit and that’s fine but still strange that they moan about what they surely know in advance of what the rhetoric regarding Celtic will be…
I still dearly hope and prey that these publications fail and that all their employees end up on the dole (I know the misery of it from earlier in my life as explained earlier in the post) – Is it harsh that some clarkess or print workers lose their jobs with it – yip, probably it is – but if it means all these Football Writers going then the end justifies the means in my humble opinion and I very much enjoy seeing the Celtic and Celtic supporters hating publications sales circulation figures plummet month by month into the abyss…
The sooner they finally die off the better Scottish society will be for it for sure !
Sneaky’s the word. Noticed it for a while now. Tries tae influence officials on the touchline constantly. Ye’ll also notice, that he’s been particularly quiet lately because everythins goin his way and of course, he’s already the messiah tae their support and media. Wait and see how he reacts tho, when the slightest thing goes against his team, or even worse, (better) if his team hit a bad patch. This guy will be somethin else. Personally think he’s a borderline crackpot.
Couldn’t agree more,reporters have tunnel vision when it comes to their preferred team and anything outside their narrative gets diminished or ignored. Be nice for a change to get neutral opinions but that ain’t going to happen as truth hurts.
I can see those extra two SKY games that they have being rescheduled during the run-in so that we have to play first.
Jingle jangle jackass and the rest of bigoted crew won’t say a word against their team they try to make a mountain out of a molehill where anybody who is or was connected to celtic jackass is a bigot of the highest order that’s why his mouth got him into trouble in 1994 bawling he would buy celtic and shut the fenian bs down in the broomy?
The tackling angel that is Todd Canttacklewell. Poor Todd, enjoy the rest, I will. HH
We are all Brenden Rodgers.
All we need to do is win all our games in the league including our matches with the bigots” let’s see how it ends but really we have been poor in many games this season .
Sneaky Clemont, yous say am no fan of his but listen to yourselves, Jeez!! shock horror football manager tries to put pressure on refs id be more worried if he didn’t that’s his remit and like it or not he is doing a damn site better than Brendan at this moment in time i’m all for Managers trying to gain any advantage they can i would be quite happy if it was Brendan doing this sneaky or not. am hoping the second half of our game on Sunday is the catalyst for us to kick on, pardon the pun and try and win this league, am looking for a performance wed night and none of that turgid rancid shit i witnessed in the 1st half on Sunday which made me sick to the pit of my generous stomach..Hail Hail cumoan the Bhoys
@ JMcG. Cannae argue wi yer comment mate, tho wi this manager, ah think he’s gonnae be a manipulator tae get his own way and up here he’s more likely tae get it. Sounds paranoid, tho just an opinion based on decades of witnessin similar instances.
Mason,s protect there own ,I,ve yet to see a SEVCO manager not be two faced , hypocritical ,lieing self righteous barsteward ,rules for Huns in one book separate for rest of league ,not happy having RAR backing and most of the men in black now they want them in cotton wool when playing,as long they get to stay dirty barstewards
I don’t see why anyone is surprised every other team fan base knows that the Scottish media favours the Rangers it is clear as day their bias against all the other Scottish teams particularly Celtic , I’m convinced that if you seek employment within this media work you better be a bluenose or don’t even bother trying.
I get it like most of your blog posts… but the name “Manneken Piss” in relation to the ibrox manager is beneath us. I’m sure you could come up with a more apt name? In fact the “Slippery Sod” analogy is perfect. Hail Hail