Brendan’s bizarre and wide of the mark dig at the Celtic support

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The Celtic Star

·6 Januari 2025

Brendan’s bizarre and wide of the mark dig at the Celtic support

Brendan Rodgers branding supporters chanting Kieran Tierney’s name yesterday afternoon as ‘not very respectful’ towards Greg Taylor was bizarre and wide of the mark…

Callum McGregor applauds the fans at full-time following the team’s victory in the Scottishl Premiership match between Celtic and St. Mirren at Celtic Park on January 05, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

I’ll caveat this by highlighting I am a huge Brendan admirer both of his coaching skills, and the way he handles the media, in particularly fan media – but his comments yesterday were tone deaf.

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Rodgers insisted that supporters who were singing Tierney’s name towards the end of Celtic’s routine 3-0 victory over St Mirren on Sunday showed a “total lack of respect” towards current left-back Greg Taylor.

Interestingly, I wrote an article on The Celtic Star on Saturday morning outlining the unfair nature in which I think Greg Taylor is critiqued within our support.

Often, unfairly, Taylor is the scapegoat

Often, unfairly, he is the scapegoat. For a guy that has been instrumental under the Neil Lennon, Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers regimes, won countless medals in his five and a half years at the club, played his part in most games, seen off a number of left-backs during his time, unquestionably some within the Celtic support do have to reign it in with their over the top treatment of Taylor.

However, singing Kieran Tierney’s name, a guy who is clearly desperate to return to his boyhood club, and was a hero amongst the support, does not equal disrespect nor should it be considered part of the slate of Greg Taylor.

Manager wrong to correlate these two issues

The manager was wrong to correlate these two issues in his bizarre post-match rant yesterday evening. To believe that supporters excitedly singing about Kieran Tierney when he is on the brink of a stunning return to Celtic is a two fingered gesture to Greg Taylor is nothing more than a wild take from Rodgers.

Jota of Celtic celebrates after he scores his team’s second goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Kilmarnock and Celtic at on August 14, 2022. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Let’s do a quick comparison. We’ve all heard the rumours about a potential Jota return. Whether it is fantasy or not, if Celtic supporters were to burst into ‘Jota on the wing’ on Wednesday night against Dundee United, would the manager believe that is disrespectful towards current Celtic wingers Daizen Maeda or Nicolas Kuhn? See how ridiculous that argument sounds?

Back-pass groans send part of post-match rant

Rodgers discussing the supporters and Greg Taylor was the second part of his uncalled-for post-match rant. The first was the 51 year-old Celtic boss berating supporters for moaning and groaning about backwards passes and general slow play during the first 20 minutes of the game.

Nicolas Kühn celebrates scoring the third goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Mirren at Celtic Park on January 05, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

I can understand both arguments. Celtic supporters, despite hearing earlier news of theRangers 3-3 draw at Easter Road with Philippe Clement’s side dropping yet more points on the road, were still on edge after Thursday’s embarrassing showing at Ibrox.

Brendan clearly didn’t like it

Notably, across his two spells as manager, Rodgers had yet to manage a Celtic team directly after a loss to their rivals. Yesterday was his first experience of it. He clearly didn’t like it. The general feeling amongst supporters at the game was that they were still rightfully annoyed from the 3-0 Glasgow Derby humbling.

However, in fairness to Rodgers he has thanked supporters in most matches this season in his post-match interviews. This seems like a non-story to me around this subject, and frustrations regarding mpatience the support showed towards the team I can absolutely get from a managers perspective.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is seen prior to the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Mirren at Celtic Park on January 05, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Likewise, that’s how fans are Brendan. They react to what is being played out on the pitch. The horseshoe play in the first 20 minutes didn’t please them — therefore the reactions in the stadium to a flat opening performance unsurprisingly weren’t all happy and cheerful. Isn’t that just the way most fans in any ground across the world would react?

Celtic supporters won’t be dictated to by what the manager thinks

Returning to the original point, Celtic supporters won’t be dictated to by what the manager thinks. I suspect we might hear more Kieran Tierney songs from all sections of the ground on Wednesday.

Daizen Maeda and Greg Taylor celebrate during the Premier Sports Cup Final victory over theRangers at Hampden on 15 December 2024. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star

And will it be a dig at Greg Taylor? Of course it’s not. We are just happy to hear one of our own, and a top player at that, wants to sign for Celtic instead of moving to another English Premier League club where he could earn more money. In the era of modern football, there is something refreshing about Tierney’s decision-making. In an ideal world, Taylor signs a new contract, Tierney returns to Celtic this month, and both can accommodate one another next season managed by an elite coach.

New Greg Taylor chant

Then everyone would be happy, including the Celtic support, Brendan. And who knows, there might be a new chant about Greg Taylor if he signs a new deal. Or would that be disrespectful to Matthew Anderson?

Conor Spence

Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books. ORDER NOW WHILE STOCKS LAST!