BBC pundit blasts 'ridiculous' situation surrounding Celtic ace as new claims of fan pelters make the airwaves

Pat Bonner claims Kasper Schmeichel’s Celtic issues are technical and not confidence related - as he slammed some treatment of the veteran.

Sections of the Hoops support called for the 39-year-old goalkeeper to be dropped for Sunday’s Premiership clash with Hibs after an error-strewn performance in a 4-1 Europa League loss versus Stuttgart on Thursday night. Schmeichel’s displays this term have been criticised and losing to Hibs on Sunday has left Martin O’Neill’s side six points off the top of the table with a game in hand.

Bonner is a Celtic great for his work between the posts and claims that some fans were giving Schmeichel verbal as he came off the team bus prior to meeting Hibs, something he finds shocking. Having watched some recent European displays, however, he’s got the feeling that footwork could play a key role in recent goals conceded. Bonner said pre-match on Sportsound: I think he had to make a big decision. He could have left him out. I don't know how Kasper Schmeichel would have handled that to be honest, he's a very experienced goalkeeper.

What happened with Kasper Schmeichel pre-match between Celtic and Hibs?

“I do hope the fans give him a break today, to be perfectly honest. I was coming in earlier on and I heard some fans shouting at him outside before he was coming off the bus, which is a ridiculous situation to be in. You support your team, no matter who plays. Of course, he has to perform. That's crucial. I watched the game the other night. I wasn't sure with the two goals because you see them once and you don't see them in the replays.

“I went back home that night and I broke them down and analysed it. There is an issue slightly at the moment for me with Kasper. I watched the game against Bologna away also, was exactly the same. The second goal, I think it was. I just think it's back to basics for him. He needs to think about that. The goalkeeper coach, Stevie Woods, needs to help him out. Nowadays you've got total analysis.

“You've got everything in front of you and you can break it down. You can see what's happening. For me, it's a technical issue. His feet are too far apart. It's a technical thing because when I watched it and I looked at it and I said, ‘I wonder why he couldn't make those saves or get his body into a position where he could actually even make them?’ Even if I came off him but it went right through him.

What can Kasper Schmeichel improve at Celtic?

“The second goal went right through him. It was almost within a couple of feet from him when I watched it back on TV. There must be an issue around that. What I've noticed is that his feet are almost beyond his shoulder width. Now, when you're brought up as a young goalkeeper, that's the first thing that you almost have to do with young goalkeepers, is get them into that set position. You've got to be almost shoulder width apart. If you're too narrow, you lose your balance. If you're too wide, you're almost stuck in that position and you can't move.

“So, shoulder width apart and on the balls of your feet and then you can move very quickly, because the game is the game. It happens so quickly and really, at the end of the day, you're not even able to make a decision when things happen. It's almost an automatic response and his automatic response at the moment is feet wide apart and then he's stuck in that position and he can't move.

“For me, that is a technical, slight technical. I've studied those two goals plus the Bologna goal and it was exactly the same. Now, the question is, has he been doing that all his career and he's got away with it? Maybe he was physically a little bit fitter and he wasn't as old, so maybe that happened. He'll always make saves with his feet. He's very, very good making saves with his feet. But unfortunately, the game is the game. It's different. Every shot is a different situation. Those balls, in the side of him and either side, he needs to be thinking about it a little bit.”