Monday, August 27, 2018

Celtic fans have a right to protest over Boyata and more but we should keep our powder dry - for now

It's remarkable, after two consecutive trebles, to be talking of Celtic getting "out of the woods" but the actions, inactions and inexcusable failings of some at the club have contrived to dampen the mood
Boyata
amongst supporters.

One of the key figures in this unrest - though by no means alone - has been Dedryck Boyata.

Now, I am no fan of Dedryck. I would have been content to see him leave before any of the recent fiasco that led to him apparently refusing to play for us when we needed him most.

So, I sympathise with those who booed him during yesterday's match with Hamilton Accies.

Personally, I would not have booed him in the current circumstances, though I take no issue with those who felt it right to do so.

Likewise, the Green Brigade's banner declaring him unfit to wear the Celtic shirt reflected a sentiment that would be shared by many Celtic supporters but,which I took as indicative of their desire to be noticed as “thought leaders” as much as making a noteworthy statement.

On the other hand, neither did I agree with applauding Boyata's every early touch, though again some felt that appropriate.

But, more to the point is the elusive issue of what is best for Celtic at this time.

We have had a couple of weeks to not so much forget as to recover from.

Exiting the Champions League, a bad defeat to Hearts, transfer chaos, negativity and speculation.

But we have a crucial seven days ahead that will do much to define our season.

We have a job to do against Suduva on Thursday and, while we should be more than up to it, complacency is the absent father of delinquent humiliation.

We also have a match with our newest rivals The Rangers on Sunday.

And, if we should not define ourselves in relation to any other club, never mind one in its primary school years, it is clear to see that the fans of The Rangers, particularly those in the mainstream media, take great comfort from any perceived relative negatives that we experience.

So, while not one of those bloggers who would dare to tell Celtic fans that they have no right to protest, I would humbly suggest that our immediate interests would be best served by keeping our powder dry until Sunday evening.

What we need from our team is to settle down, calm the defence and get back to dominating our competitors.

I hoped for a better score against Accies but we got three points and a clean sheet.

A solid win against Suduva without conceding would set us up for the match against Steven Gerrard's super-staunch wonderbears.

Now, we don't know what personnel will be available to us and that will be significant.

But, if we have the luxury of starting with Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard, I will be highly confident of our ability to score against a much-praised defence that has conceded five goals in three league games.

And that is by no means to dismiss the considerable talents of Leigh Griffiths, who really should score his 100th goal for us on Sunday. I simply feel that the power that both Odsonne and Moussa possess should overwhelm most defences.

I don't know who we'll have at the back and I'm not sure who we SHOULD play (except for Kieran Tierney and Kristoffer Ajer - praying that we will still have both).

But the next week will also be highly significant for our next Scottish opponents, who will be returning from a trip to Russia that will be highly significant to their finances.

And then they will face the best team in Scotland, hopefully on the way back up and united both in the stands and on the pitch.

Sometimes, even when faced with legitimate grievance, canniness is more useful than catcalls.

And that's where "keeping your powder dry" comes in. It means choosing to fire at the time that suits us, not our opponents.

There will be time enough to discuss the villains worthy of our opprobrium from the early evening of Sunday onwards.

But, if the management, players and fans can unite for the good of what Tommy Burns famously called "the cause", then we should have happier discussions.

We're still the best in Scotland. Let's remember that.--