The Daily Record is wilfully, maliciously, misrepresenting the Celtic manager’s latest remarks.

Last night on the podcast, we discussed Brendan Rodgers’ comments from the weekend, and mostly we us agreed that certain aspects of what he said were correct, while others were wide of the mark. For me, the most frustrating thing about his remarks is how they gave our rivals and detractors a window through which to attack us. That, I think, was the real mistake. Rodgers inadvertently allowed the media to paint a picture of division between himself and the support.

As I said in yesterday’s piece, I think this is a symptom of a club where the manager and players are still hurting in the aftermath of what happened at Ibrox.

And honestly? That’s fine by me. I want them to be hurting. I want them to feel anger and frustration. I want them to be in the mood to put things right, quickly and emphatically. That’s exactly how it should be.

But my worst fears were confirmed today when Brendan sat down with the media. I’ve listened to every word he said, read the transcript, and watched the footage. Rodgers did everything he could if not to roll back on his earlier comments, then certainly to clarify and contextualise them. He defended the fans’ rights to say what they want, think what they want, and express themselves freely. At the same time, he said he’s been in the game long enough to feel entitled to speak his mind too.

As I expected, the media took only the parts of his statement that suited their agenda. They cherry-picked the bits they wanted and tried to turn this into a wedge issue between Brendan and the fans. The Daily Record in particular went so far as to claim that Rodgers had doubled down on his supposed attack on the supporters. He did no such thing. In fact, he did the exact opposite. If the Record wants to lie about what the Celtic manager said, then Celtic ought to seriously consider whether they should allow anyone from that rag into the press room.

This is why Rodgers’ post-match comments were such a misstep. Personally, I had no issue with most of what he said, apart from the oblique suggestion that there shouldn’t be criticism after a performance like that at Ibrox. Of course there should be! And Rodgers, as he himself admitted today, has been in the game long enough to expect and deal with that criticism.

What I never saw, however, was his remarks as an attack on the supporters as a whole, even though some have tried to portray it that way. Unfortunately, there’s a vocal minority in our support who are far too thin-skinned and seem determined to frame this as Rodgers going to war with the wider fan base. He wasn’t. He didn’t.

Brendan Rodgers’ comments were badly judged because he should have known how the media would spin them. He should have known they would turn them into a supposed standoff between himself and the fans, which simply wasn’t the case. Today, they couldn’t wait to hear his follow-up remarks, eagerly twisting them into whatever narrative suited their agenda.

There’s a lesson here for Brendan and for Celtic.

We cannot trust these people to play with a straight bat. We cannot trust them to reflect what the manager actually says. Those who believe that Brendan was more diplomatic today, that he clarified his earlier comments and to an extent softened them, are correct. He was angry and frustrated when he made the initial remarks—things he might not otherwise have said.

Brendan is too stubborn to outright apologise for that, but today he did what I expected: he contextualised his remarks, taking much of the sting out of them. Yet the media was never going to let him get away with that.

They were never going to allow him to move past this unscathed. Before making similar comments in the future, he should seriously consider how the press will twist his words at every opportunity. That’s the reality of the environment we’re in. Do not hand these people a weapon, because they will use it with relish. In his anger and frustration, Brendan forgot that fundamental truth.

I trust that when he sees how today’s comments have been spun against him, the club, and the fans, he’ll recognise that making the initial remarks was a mistake—not because they were inaccurate, but because they gave the press an opportunity they didn’t deserve. They will drag this up as often as they think they can get away with it.

In a way, I feel sorry for Brendan. He shouldn’t have to censor himself for fear that his words will be twisted and weaponised. No one should have to endure that. But the media thinks it’s their right to distort statements until they mean the opposite of what was intended. It’s neither cool nor acceptable—it’s disgusting conduct, albeit predictable.

The media’s job is to reflect what someone actually says, to contextualise it as intended. It’s not their role to misrepresent remarks for the sake of a headline. Sadly, this happens all too often, and Celtic allows these people into the press room, effectively giving them a free pass to continue this behaviour. If the club stopped admitting them, they’d think twice.

To Brendan’s credit, today he said nothing remotely like what they’re suggesting. His comments about not “beating around the bush” were in no way an escalation of his previous remarks. Those had already been clarified—deftly, I might add. Brendan was asked explicitly whether he feels he has earned the right to speak his mind, and he agreed that he has. It wasn’t a dig at the fans, nor was it framed as one.

The media is playing games, trying to create division where none exists. That’s their modus operandi, and Brendan momentarily forgot it on Sunday. I trust he doesn’t need further reminding.

The man absolutely has the right to speak his mind, and broadly, I agreed with much of what he said. But he should have considered the aftermath, precisely because of how the hacks here behave. They’ve had a field day with this and will hold those remarks against him and the fans, dredging them up whenever it suits them.

For me, the case is closed. Brendan expressed his unequivocal support for the fans today, defending their right to voice their opinions and sing whatever songs they like. That’s as close to a retraction as we’ll ever get from him. He knows how much the supporters bring to the club—he talks about it all the time. Sunday’s comments were made in exceptional circumstances. Today, he tried to put things right, and the media misrepresented him to get their story.

Last night on the podcast, my colleagues and I agreed: our job isn’t to act as cheerleaders for the club, the manager, or the players. But defending Celtic, its people, and its supporters when the media is making mischief? That’s absolutely what we’re here for. I’m proud to do it because the media’s conduct is a disgrace, and they truly believe they’re a law unto themselves.

Celtic should be examining in media admissions policy in light of this. Outlets should get one warning about the conduct of their staff and then a ban should swiftly come into play. Three strikes, and you’re out. Adopt that, and watch these people clean up their act. Nothing short of it is going to work.

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

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