The pre-match press conferences were today, of course, and Greg Taylor did an excellent job of representing the club at his. I’ll get to the manager a little later on, but Greg was up first and although we were on the brink of a cup semi-final against Aberdeen, quite a lot of the questions turned out to be about another side and the SPFL title race.
What is it with our media at times? Could they not have parked that particular subject until after the cup games were out of the way? Imagine you had wanted to know what the club preparations for that game were like! The questioning bordered on the ridiculous; one hack made sure to ask him if that particular trophy was more important having lost out on the first one … the level these people operate at really is quite shameful.
Half of the questions were about the title race. He was even asked if he was surprised at the Ibrox club’s poor run of form. His answer to that was excellent.
“I don’t really take much notice of what other teams are doing. I know their results but in terms of performances across the city that’s for them to worry about.”
All the guy wanted to do was talk about the cup semi final. He had made that clear as early as the fourth question, when he was asked about the SPFL title race and said “For now and this week the preparation has been fully on Aberdeen and the semi-final of the Scottish Cup.”
He was asked numerous questions about momentum and mindset. There was an entire series of questions about the Aberdeen managerial situation, and Peter Leven; how bizarre to ask a Celtic player to comment on the performances of the manager he is coming up against, and about what to expect from a guy who won’t be here until next season.
Taylor stayed calm and focussed. He talked about his fitness. He talked about his focus and that of the team. But he didn’t asked much about those things. The whole thing was odd, and the more they tried to get him to talk about the title race the clearer he made it that he wasn’t interested in discussing it. Had the questioning been scheduled to last ten more minutes I think the subject would have taken up half that time again until he brought it to a halt.
For all that, his message on the cup itself was loud and clear; “It’s the business end of the season and we always want to finish strongly. It’s been a big part of the success we have had in previous seasons … It’s vital that we win silverware at this club. Every season, every competition we enter we try and win. The Scottish Cup is no different.”
He seemed to be the only one there today who wanted to talk about the cup game and Celtic. He must have wondered if he had walked into the wrong room.
STV News did their own little show this evening, when they previewed the matches just then. They took time to mention that Celtic are the holders … but their interviews were with someone at Aberdeen, and, of course, Phillipe Clement.
Once again, the biggest club in the country is going to Hampden to defend their trophy … and we’re just an afterthought to some of these people.
I agree 100%, I am disgusted with the SMSM.
I live in Spain and I’m glad we don’t get the Scottish newspapers here anymore.
I hope the circulation numbers are down in Scotland to such a degree that there will be many of these hacks paid off.
They really are parasites.
Hun media scumbags.
Taylor should have shooshed them and then ask the assembly if they know who’s playing tomorrow then segway into “ you, the fat guy that’s sweating and wearing a masonic ring, next question “.
Is it possible for Celtic to bypass these meaningless interviews with stupid media hacks with agenda’s.
Surely with the biased nonsense the club have had to Deal with regarding these clowns they could abstain.
If sevco can scupper / ignore the SFA ,and league sponsors cinch this is small peanuts.
As usual, they’d be lookin for some angle they could twist intae a totally inaccurate version of what the guy was sayin. Sniffin tae see if they could find somethin tae give the ibrox club any kind of motivation. It’s desperate and typical of that shower. Glad tae see he handled it well. Give them nothin.
Is there not a PR division at Celtic FC that can see what’s going on and warn these ‘peepil’ – One more strike and you’re out…
There probably is a PR division but they’ll be as yellow as the grey men in suits at Parkhead no doubt…
They’ll be the type that if a Sevco fan booted the living daylights outta their daughter in plain sight (i.e. a loved one) that they’d take them back in the next day for tea and biscuits…
Well I think I’m right as Celtic are our loved one and we get the living daylights booted out of us on a weekly basis by The Scummy Scottish Football Media and yet they seem to be invited for tea n’ biscuits week in week out…
If it was me I’d lace them with fcukin poison because it’s fcukin poison that’d be drinking the tea and taking the fuckin biscuits – which is what they literally bloody well do anyway !
If I was Greg Taylor today ,I would have given the biggest lot of piffle answers to all of those slimy scoops ! Q: Do you feel confident about the next five league games ? A: Aye , they say there is a chance of snow ! What about that weather in Khartoum yesterday … 113 degrees ! I think I’ll paint the inside of my wardrobe – pink …or maybe buttermilk ,I can’t make up my mind …..any old utter bollox ! Big Gannon from the daily Record sounded like he was on speed … incoherent yapping .As the song goes ….you’ve got more Rabbit than Sainsbury’s …you’re becoming a pest ! Rabbit ,rabbit ,rabbit ,rabbit ,rabbit…..
The BBC Scotland news did better than that. They showed clips from the Aberdeen press conf, clip from Shanklands interview and of course Clement. I’m just glad I had already watched BR and Taylors press confs on Youtube, because BBC Scotland weren’t interested in showing clips from any of them.
Hahaha it’s ridiculous isn’t it?
I’d hope that you don’t pay a TV license DixieD…
But if ya happen to do there’s your perfect excuse to stop !!!
James having Greg Taylor on was a no brainier against the msm I consider Greg an experienced celt and a smart guy. The rubbish they asked looking for some kind reaction was never going to happen Greg is too smart for that. The fact that they can’t help themselves just showed up in that interview. Greg was all prepared to talk as much as they would like about the cup game!
Good point Patrick…
Cal-Mac for The Scummy Scottish Football Media in the run up to The Glasgow Derby please…
And a couple of the more domestic guys until then too and well pre warned by Brendan –
Then let the foreign lads loose on them if and when (hopefully) should we prevail as champions !
STV, BBC, Sky, they’re all the same. You know which way they “lean”. Ian Crocker, the Sky Sports commentator is a perfect example of it. In the Ross County/sevco match he was nearly having a heart attack every time the huns got into the County penalty box. When County done likewise, it was a case of “County with a chance here….” with his voice trailing off at the end. You have all heard it before on tv commentary, my Celtic supporting friends. And you all know who the culprits are…. pretty much all of them. The press doing these type of interviews are just pond life, trying to put words in Celtic players’ mouths, and the same when interviewing the manager. When it comes to Ibrokes head honcho, well it’s a different story. The only hostility you,ll get from them regarding interviewing him is the questions “Why they got beat or why did they drop points, ‘cos they’re all huns, everything one of them.
Why don’t we have a media spokesperson talk to THEse PEOPLE ? It’s blindingly obvious that they play to the blue side of the City, so give them the party line and nothing more or less. Let the boys concentrate on football, and not these bias mind games.