A lot of Celtic fans need to calm down. One defeat does not make this a bad team.

Aside from the anger over the performance—and the performance much more than the result—most of Celtic cyberspace has reacted well to the defeat. It’s been put in context, and while some of us have highlighted a worrying pattern in games against their club that clearly needs addressing, the comments from within Celtic suggest this hasn’t gone unnoticed. I’m more than willing to put this one in the rearview.

However, two small factions within our support have suddenly found their voices again. First, there’s the anti-Brendan brigade, who I genuinely thought had all sodded off by now. Second, there are those taking aim at the summer transfer strategy—you know, the strategy that’s left us 11 points clear in the league, with the first silverware of the season in the bag, and three points shy of Champions League progression with two games to play. Yes, that transfer strategy, which has seen us lose only two games in all of 2024.

It’s remarkably easy to spark panic among some of our supporters. It’s equally easy to shake their confidence in the manager and the squad. I don’t know if this is the same “Spoiled Brat Brigade” I’ve written about before or if it’s simply people who should avoid football for the sake of their blood pressure. All I know is that they wouldn’t have survived the 90s—the truly dreadful 90s. I’m glad they never had to endure the likes of Willie Falconer or they’d probably be rugby fans by now.

I remain gobsmacked by some of the nonsense being spouted.

Callum McGregor, suddenly a bad player? That’s a line you’d expect to see on Ibrox fan forums or from ignorant clowns masquerading as pundits. Reo Hatate? We know he’s not in the best form, but he’s still one of the most technically gifted players in the league. Sure, he can be careless with short passes at times, but I’d take him over any player from another club. I’ve covered him already; he should be dropped for our good and his own, but a bad player? Not a chance.

As for Arne Engels, he was getting pelters for weeks before his two outstanding man-of-the-match performances, and even then, some people questioned if he was worth the money. He’s the youngest player in the team and still has plenty of growing to do, both within the squad and the system. Anyone who thinks his name was picked out of a phone book needs a lie down. He was extensively scouted and signed specifically to fit the manager’s system.

Austin Trusty, for me, has already proven himself a very capable player. If he’s not in the team right now, it’s likely because Liam Scales is playing well (and he is; I’m not getting on his case over a couple of misplaced passes in one game) and Rodgers needs his skill set more and he knows that skillset better than any of us do.

The talk of a falling-out between Trusty and the manager, which I’ve seen in a couple of places, is pure nonsense, based on nothing but overactive imaginations. Some people need to switch off and stop inventing problems that don’t exist.

Which brings me to Adam Idah, another whipping boy for those who can’t resist hammering on a Celtic player just to see if something cracks. Let me, again, be clear about Idah: I wasn’t convinced we should spend £9 million on him. I said from the outset that there was a number beyond which we shouldn’t go, and I know exactly who to blame for the inflated fee.

I blame those who knew he was a priority target but spent most of the summer dithering, dragging their feet, and refusing to engage in meaningful negotiations with Norwich. When it looked like Kyogo might face a spell out, the club was forced to act because the manager was frankly sick and tired waiting on signs of life. Norwich, seeing our desperation, squeezed us for every penny.

That said, just because I questioned the price tag doesn’t mean I think Idah wasn’t worth signing. Do I think he’s a £9 million player right now? Not yet. But I do think he has the potential to become one. His eye for goal is excellent. His composure in the penalty area is excellent. His ability to perform in big games is excellent.

I know there’s a certain bloodless section of our support who think a player’s worth is measured by the transfer fee we might get for him down the line or the profit we can make in two or three years. But I don’t agree with that. We paid £4.75 million for Kyogo. Is Kyogo worth that outlay? Absolutely. And it has nothing to do with whether we’ll ever recoup a transfer fee for him.

Kyogo’s goals have won us titles and trophies. His goals have secured valuable Champions League points, which translate directly into money for the club. That’s where the real worth of a footballer lies—what he delivers on the pitch.

I hate to put it this bluntly, but most football fans don’t fully understand what they’re watching on any given match-day, and I’ve said this before. They don’t see what certain players bring to a team. They don’t understand why certain players are not in the manager’s plans. That’s not their fault; most fans don’t have the time or inclination to dive into the deeper truths of the game. They won’t read tactics guides, study analytics, or put in the effort to learn the nuances. And why should they? They watch football; they’re not supposed to be coaching it.

But that’s precisely why I find it baffling when fans confidently write players off or declare them failures. They aren’t qualified to make those judgments. And it’s not just fans—our media does this constantly. You’ve got clowns like Tam McManus in the press today, criticising Celtic players and the club’s summer signings. Yet, anyone who paid attention to last season, and can measure the difference in this campaign, can see this club has never been in better shape.

What really gets under my skin is the small group of Brendan Rodgers haters. They’ve been waiting, lying in the tall grass, ready to stomp their feet and call him a failure—or at least predict his impending collapse.

They don’t see the defeat as a one-off but as the beginning of some great unravelling of Rodgers’ team and reputation. They’ll be waiting a long time for that. It’s not going to happen. And I won’t even try to understand their motivations.

This side will come good a dozen times over before the season ends. Every single one of the players Rodgers signed in the summer has already shown their worth and will continue to do so. The squad rotation will keep happening because that’s why these players were signed in the first place. And Rodgers will keep turning good players into even better players because that’s what he does.

There are some in our support with no patience. Others seem intolerant of any defeat or setback, as if they’re entitled to constant perfection. That kind of entitlement is absurd for football fans who should know better.

Then there are those who simply enjoy drama, who seem happiest when they have something to criticise or someone to target. Whatever frustrations they’re feeling, I’d bet most of them have little to do with football at all.

As I said earlier, we’ve had days like this before. The 5-1 defeat during the O’Neill treble season was a bolt from the blue, especially since our form had been excellent and theirs woeful up to that point. And what did it change? Nothing. We won the league at a canter. We won the treble.

I see no signs that this season will be any different. I see no evidence that this team is regressing or that it’s not up to par. There’s no need for a wholesale rebuild or drastic changes. That’s nonsense.

What we need is a modest tactical tweak in games against them. That’s it. The rest will sort itself out. These players, who some are so quick to malign, will grow into their roles and continue to perform. I have nothing but faith in that.

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