Celtic fans should lay off the boos and support Efe Ambrose

Celtic fans are the greatest in the world. People keep telling us that and we just can't get enough of it.

Lionel Messi said so again before our International Champions Cup match on Saturday and Xavi and Iniesta are just two of an array of stars who have said the same.

And mostly it's true. The fans give the team incredible backing. The chorus of You'll Never Walk Alone, scarves raised, from a packed Celtic Park is one of the great sights and sounds of world sport.

Ambrose with Ahmed Musa (L) after winning  the 

Africa Cup of Nations in 2013

And we back the team, no matter what. It's that encouragement that has given Celtic the edge on countless occasions against teams assembled at far greater cost.

But supporting the players as a team also means supporting them as individuals.

We've all had our favourites and favourite whipping-boys amongst the players. Once, it was Anton Rogan who was the subject of everyone's favourite moan. Later on, it was Tony Cascarino and then Regi Blinker. Olivier Tébily and Adam Virgo also caused the hearts of many a Celtic fan to sink.

Just now it's Efe Ambrose. Ambrose seems to be unable to play a match without a calamity right now.

Maybe it's an inability to concentrate, maybe it's anxiety; it's hard to say.

He has been criticised on social media and blogs – including this one – and that's understandable. We shouldn't have  culture in which it is unacceptable to criticise inadequate standards.

And, after all, commenting on the rights and wrongs and villains and heroes of a match is all part of being a fan.

But when the players pull on the green and white hoops, trying their best, we should encourage them. And, so long as they are trying, that means we should be cheering them on to better things.

Ambrose is going through a tough time but hearing boos from Celtic fans when he got the ball against Barcelona was a saddening moment. It said that some of the fans there knew nothing of the values that made Celtic and our fans something special.

We should always show solidarity with our own.

But there is a question for those fans involved: what did you want to achieve by that. Did you want to destroy Ambrose, make him fearful of getting the ball and hearing the sound of derision from his own fans?

Because that's the only thing that could be achieved by that sort of display.

If Celtic fans want the team to progress, they will only do so by encouraging the team in a positive way. Anything else is sabotaging their own team's chances.

Did those booing fans imagine that Lionel Messi was listening to them thinking: “Yep, booing their own players – that's what real fans do”?

Or would he be just a little disappointed in the same way that the majority of Celtic fans were. Being embarrassed by fellow fans is never a pleasant experience.

There have been occasions when Celtic players have clearly not put in adequate effort and then it may be fair to let such players know that is unacceptable.

And I even recall a few ironic boos being directed at Roy Aitken when he clattered into Dragan Stojković a bit too hard during a friendly at Celtic Park. That was just a reminder that Celtic fans have always believed in fair play and admired quality football.

But none of those circumstances apply to Efe Ambrose.

It all seems to have unravelled for Ambrose since that performance against Juventus, three days after he had helped Nigeria to a win in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Since then, there seems to have been a sign hanging over him and little has gone right for him.

However, it looks likely that he will play against Astana on Wednesday and, if he does, he will be a crucial player.

In that case he will need all the support and encouragement that his coaches, team-mates and fans can give him.

Who knows what positive effect that might have but let's try?

After all, Celtic players never walk alone.
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No need for panic but little cause for optimism as Lincoln Red Imps hand Celtic worst ever defeat

Well, we can consider our euphoria quashed.

Imps 1 - 0 Limps: Lincoln  was Celtic's worst ever defeat

It is only a few weeks since 13,000 fans turned out to welcome the new Brendan Rodgers era.

And Rodgers still remains a top appointment.

But, like Gordon Strachan found with Artmedia Bratislava and, before him, Liam Brady discovered against Neuchâtel Xamax , away games against weaker teams can provide the stage for a humiliation.

Defeat by Lincoln Red Imps is, by some way, the worst defeat in Celtic's history.

Credit to the Imps – they played a solid, professional game and, sadly, deserved their victory.

But a 3-0 victory over the champions of Gibraltar would not have been hailed as impressive.

Most will expect the return leg at Celtic Park to be too much for the Imps and a better surface in front of a big home crowd should be enough to allow Celtic to squeeze through.

Then again, people thought the same for the two matches mentioned above – and Celtic fell short both times.

No, there is no need for panic but the spotlight has been turned on previous seasons' transfer activity again.

Indefensible: Efe Ambrose

Firstly, any coach should have a clause in his contract defining playing Efe Ambrose as a dereliction of duty. Ambrose excels a back-flips but that appears to be his only athletic ability.

He continually plays matches as if he's trying to remember if he turned the gas off before he left the house and whether or not he needs to stop off at the 24-Hour Tesco for milk before he gets home.

With that level of concentration, his lack of positional play, inability to anticipate, crude tackling, poor timing and chaotic passing seem unlikely to offer any hope of him ever developing into a defender.

There are others but let's not turn this into a “names of shame” exercise.

However, collectively, Celtic still lack energy, ideas or any demonstrable fighting spirit.

There is undoubtedly talent within the club but evidently not enough of it.

There may be no need for panic but what we have seen on the field has not given any cause for optimism.

And if the professionals at the club don't show far more focus in the return leg, this will be a season of “glamour friendlies” instead of European competition.
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