Tony Pulis sends firm message to Celtic protesters as Mick McCarthy admits Hoops in need of renovation

Tony Pulis has been left disappointed in Celtic protesters who brought delays to last week’s loss against Stuttgart.

It’s been a tough seven days for the Hoops, who lost 4-1 against Bundesliga opposition in the Europa League, before a 2-1 loss on Premiership business versus Hibs. Defeat against Stuttgart came as protests against the board continued with small balls thrown onto the pitch to delay proceedings in Glasgow’s east-end.

Former Stoke City and Sheffield Wednesday manager Pulis tuned into the game and was keen to see a Celtic victory. He feels the side managed by Martin O’Neill until the end of the season were let down by protests that went too far, impacting performance.

Tony Pulis on Celtic protests

Pulis said on his The Managers podcast: “I've never worked up there, Mick, but I've always been absolutely amazed and overawed at times at the amount of support that follows Celtic and Rangers. There seems to be a split in respect to the supporters and the board at Celtic. I watched the game midweek, the European game, and this is my opinion. The supporters throwing the balls on the pitch as the game started, I thought was really disappointing.

“For all their issues that they might have with the board and they might have with the football club and the way it's run now, but as soon as that whistle blows, you want your supporters behind your team.

“You want your supporters 100%. Whether you're playing at Ibrox or at Celtic, the big thing up there is they make and can make such a difference to the team's performance. I thought, watching the game, it was really disappointing that that happened just before the game. It was such a negative to me, and I'm miles away wanting Celtic to win, absolutely miles away from it. I thought it was a real disappointment.”

Mick McCarthy on state of Celtic

Co-host McCarthy, who featured for Celtic as a player before successfully managing in England, reckons O’Neill must have a pair of comfy footwear kept permanently north of the border in case of Hoops emergencies. Amid grumblings between fans and board amid a tough season on the park, he reckons the club need a makeover.

McCarthy said: “They employ Wilfried Nancy from the States and he cannot have any idea what Celtic, Rangers and the Premiership can be about. I saw when he came in and lost a few games, he said it was about the process. Bells were ringing in my head as it’s the result up there. You’ve got to beat Rangers and win the title. Martin O’Neill must keep his slippers up there in a hotel!

“A 2-1 home defeat to Hibs has kicked them where it really hurts. They've lost as many games this season as they did in the previous two seasons combined. It feels like the club needs an overhaul. Are they going to do that? I mean, they tried to do it with Wilfred Nancy. Martin, I mean, he did brilliantly went back in but then it's an impossible task. They've been bashed in the last two games. They were bashed in Europe, and they've lost to Hibs at the weekend.”