Former Celtic ace says players must be 'above' fan protests at board as 'mentally stronger' claim made
The former Republic of Ireland International believes the team should be unaffected by what goes on in the stands
As Celtic drop points in the SPFL Premiership for only the second time this season, a former Parkhead star believes it was down to ‘bad finishing’ and the protest shouldn’t be ‘an excuse’ for their performance.
In a match that was one-way traffic, Celtic failed to convert any of the countless chances they had against the Hibees. Both Kelechi Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi hit the bar in the first half, while Johnny Kenny nearly nicked all three points at the end with a free header, however it was saved by Raphael Sallinger. Prior to this match, Celtic have been in good goalscoring form, therefore supporters will be hoping it was just one of those days where nothing went in, rather than cause for genuine concern.
As for their opponents, the Leith side created very little in the match, but defended well in a fixture they historically struggle in. The draw means that their Edinburgh rivals, Hearts leapfrog Celtic in the table.
Protests shouldn’t be ‘an excuse’ for Celtic players
Once again there were protests all over the ground on Saturday afternoon against the club’s hierarchy, following their failings in the transfer window. This time around, Celtic fans stay quiet until the 12th minute to indicate that they are ‘the 12th man’.
Former Celtic striker, Cillian Sheridan believes that despite the ongoing unrest, the players shouldn’t let it affect them. Speaking alongside Stephen McGowan on BBC Sportsound, he said: “it’s tough one at the minute, obviously all the chat is still about the protests and the board that are going on but I feel like on the pitch they are starting to get back to what their level is, what it was for the first seven or eight months of last season.
“I always say that this type of stuff (the protests) can be be an excuse for players, there’s always a chance to say ‘there’s all this outside noise and protests going on’ but as a Celtic player, you don’t concede to stuff like that, mentally you’ve got to be stronger and be above that.” Further fan protests are scheduled for Celtic’s next two matches, against Braga and Motherwell at home.
‘Bad finishing’ let down Celts on the day
Sheridan said: “looking at the highlights from yesterday, they (Celtic) probably created more than they have in previous games, it can just be put down to bad finishing.
“Hibs didn’t really threaten much other than one or two half chances and it’s probably game that, if Celtic converted a lot of the chances they made they probably would’ve won three or four nil and then suddenly that’s them back and they’re ticking again.”
It was surprising that Iheanacho missed a few chances as the striker has looked on fire in his opening matches. The Nigerian netted against Red Star Belgrade and Kilmarnock to score two massive goals for the Hoops, however wasn’t at the races against Hibs.