There was a wonderful moment that thankfully didn't get lost in the vortex of Celtic defeating St Mirren 2-0 in Paisley to advance to the last eight of the Scottish Cup.
Brendan Rodgers came out swinging in the media at the weekend. The Northern Irishman spoke of the narrative swirling around Celtic at present. It was a negative one and Rodgers wanted to address that issue. In the aftermath of the game, the 51-year-old was extremely keen to drive some pertinent points home.
Rodgers appeared on the match sponsors' Viaplay channel to conduct his post-match interview and what followed alongside former Celtic player and boss Neil Lennon as well as ex-Celtic player and former St Mirren, Aberdeen and now current Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin was nearly seven-and-a-half minutes of broadcasting gold. It was box office.
Crisis at Celtic? What crisis? This is how the last nine matches read for Celtic: WWWWWWDWW. Lennon was quick to point this out to his compatriot with a cheeky barb: 'It's not bad.'
It was refreshing in the sense that it was a great bit of interviewing/punditry and it was as interesting and insightful in equal measure as it gets. For those of a Celtic persuasion watch it on a loop. It's superb viewing. It was also fantastic to see three great football men shoot the breeze and give you their understanding and reading of the present situation. The focus was on football talk and tactics. The stuff genuine football fans love to hear. There was no chatter of extraneous issues. None whatsoever.
Supporters are always quick to press panic buttons and point fingers. We live in a blame culture after all, especially when it comes to football. There was a much-needed perspective put on the hyperbole of crisis talk at Celtic. It was couched in reality. Nobody does realism like Rodgers. He is adept at swinging conversations back around to football. Those in the social media world who like to clip up videos and post soundbites were also presented with what is known in the journalistic world as manna from heaven.
There was a serious message behind it all though. In case you had conveniently forgotten Celtic are still the current Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup holders. It was a different Rodgers that addressed all aspects of the media on Sunday in Paisley. When he spoke to the written and broadcast media in the St Mirren media room he had many things to get off his chest. He was bullish, he was always on the front foot. It was nothing less than fighting talk. The fire seemed to have returned to Rodgers's belly.
READ MORE: Celtic's Rodgers praises 'collective mentality' after win
As Rodgers said: "The narrative around our team is that we’re not together and we’re broken but you can’t come and win very comfortably like that if you’re not. When you’re a winning club with a winning mentality … I think they’re trying to gang up on us now!
"When you are successful and this club has been for a long period it doesn’t take much for people to want to bring you down. The narrative has been there for a while. That's the reality of it and we can only concentrate on ourselves. How they are reacting and staying together is very important and whilst there is a lot of noise around we just continue to win football games.
"I think it (the narrative) has been created outside. That's why I say it. I don't expect anything else. We just have to focus on ourselves. When you are at a winning club and you have won consistently for so many years people are quick to jump and bring us down and bring me down. I am here to win and for sure we will have our day and have many days moving forward."
"The narrative around our team is that we're not together, but you can't come and win fairly comfortably like that if you're not." 🗣️ @CelticFC manager Brendan Rodgers after victory against St Mirren 🟢#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/RXbEUuAzmf
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) February 11, 2024
Goodwin was also at pains to remind Rodgers that he had been playing without key members of his personnel, particularly in defence all season. Rodgers also stated: "We will get our players back who are influential for us and the squad will be very strong until the end of the season and will continue to fight. We will just have to prove a point to ourselves and our supporters. That is the best attitude to have. You have to be always looking to prove a point. It is a part of the world where there is a lot of noise, particularly this year.
"It maybe hasn't been as fluent this season but if you do any sort of analysis and know anything about football then you will see we are getting compared to the squad last season. Now if you do your work you will see it is not the same squad as last season. Lots of those players who were starters have not been playing for long periods of this season.
"It hasn't stopped the focus being on negativity. I look at it differently. I look logically at it. We have missed some very important players for long periods and we made some changes in the summer and players left. The players here are giving everything and some younger players are looking to develop. If they continue to do that we will keep winning games."
The subtext to all which will please every member of the faithful is that Rodgers was not so subtly reminding everybody that Celtic are a good team. The two domestic prizes up for grabs won't be given away cheaply. His players are laser-focused on the job at hand. Eight wins and a draw from the last nine matches. Top of the league and into the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup.
It doesn't take the Three Wise (Football) Men - Rodgers, Lennon and Goodwin - to point all of this out. It's just the rather skilful and most excellent way in which all three did it that was the most fascinating event of the weekend. After all, this is the reality of the situation that Celtic currently find themselves in.
Crisis, what crisis? The memo from Rodgers - in case anybody didn't get it - was that it is going to take a seriously good team to wrestle both pieces of silverware from the clutches of the men in green and white. There was no malice or bitterness in Rodgers's words but they were delivered in a cold, calculating manner. Everybody got the message.
Talk is cheap though and it is actions and deeds that will decide the outcome of where the remaining two domestic trophies reside come May. If Rodgers's bullish words are anything to go by then his Celtic charges are well up for a Premiership title and Scottish Cup fight. Both are poised like a cobra and ready to pounce and deliver their end-of-season venom as we reach the business end of the campaign.
If Celtic under Rodgers do go on to complete a League and Scottish Cup double this season they will write a gripping narrative of their own. You might also find that a lot of noise will emanate from their part of the world. G40. Glasgow's east end to be precise.
As Rodgers famously said when he addressed the crowd that had gathered on the Celtic Park steps after his second coming as manager last June. He said: "When I left here four years ago it was probably one of the saddest days of my life. I went on to a different challenge so I regret if anyone stood here or at home were hurt, as I know I hurt many people.
"It's that very reason I am here today. So for those who are with me and always have been, let's enjoy the journey. For those whom I need to convince, I will see you here in May."
Roll on May.
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