Celtic ‘not going to throw guys to the garbage’ amid over-criticism from supporters

The Celtic support can be a funny lot. Evidence of that can be found in the reaction to Brendan Rodgers’ team dropping two points at Easter Road on Saturday.

James Forrest remains Celtic's quickest winger - even in measuring up to the juggernaut Daizen Maeda - Brendan Rodgers has revealed in defending the 32-year-old's continued contribution. {Pic by Craig Williamson/ SNS Group)

Grumbling over the scoreless draw seems to have centred on the Irishman introducing from his bench James Forrest, Mikey Johnston – for a first senior Celtic appearance in 18 months – and David Turnbull as a remedy for the sluggishness exhibited by his starters. An XI who had patently drained themselves through the mighty exertions required to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Atletico Madrid three days earlier. Forrest, Johnston and Turnbull did inject energy, yet that their deployment didn’t result in a win has been perceived as highlighting issues in the club’s squad depth.

As Rodgers considers “little adjustments and changes” for Wednesday’s Premiership hosting of St Mirren that will be game three of seven Celtic will pile through in little over three weeks, he won’t be deterred from utilising players with whom the support can seem both overly-familiar, and overly-critical. “James Forrest [may be] 32 but he’s our quickest winger still,” Rodgers said. “We did tests the other week and he’s still my quickest winger. He’s up there with Daizen Maeda, believe it or not, in terms of sheer speed. He might not be able to do it as much, or for prolonged periods. But his actual football is still outstanding – and he can come in and impart the game. I think every game he’s had he’s been able to do that, whether he’s started or come off the bench. He could arguably have got the winner for us at the weekend. Listen, we understand the modern world and the want for shiny new things. But I’m not going to throw guys to the garbage who I know are still very, very good players and who can make an impact for us. And James came in and did really well.

“Mikey is an interesting one. I played him here [in my first spell] when he was 18 years of age and he’s now a 24 year-old man. He hasn’t quite had the run here as he would have liked. That’s also been because he’s not been fit enough, regularly enough. But he’s done very well in training since I’ve come in and that’s where I’m judging and measuring guys. If they are doing well in training and showing me they want to play then you’ve got to give them that opportunity. Mikey came in on Saturday and he was a wee bit hit-and-miss with things. But he was still looking to get at people and create something. He changed the dynamic of the team.

“It’s quite a big period for him because he wants to establish himself somewhere as a starter, whether that is going to be here or elsewhere. I think towards the end of the window there was maybe a rush and him feeling he needs to get out on loan, but at that stage, he hadn’t trained with the team. What I said to him was: ‘Stay to January and prove you can be fit and get yourself to a level where you can train every day, and then make yourself available. The last thing you need is to go out now – you’re not fit – and then you go and break down again. As much as you want to play, you have to be available to play, and you have to be able to train to play’. Thankfully, over these last couple of months, we’ve seen that. He’s not missed a day’s training. He’s finding that robustness and getting up to game speed. He’s earned his chance to come in and play, but it’s a big squad, and that’s what I’ve got to look at. But, certainly, he warranted the opportunity to come in and affect the game.”