Celtic squad '˜feel the frustration' of the fans

Celtic's Patrick Roberts talks to the press ahead of his side's clash with Morton in the Scottish Cup. Picture: SNS

The on-loan Manchester City winger’s first start ended in a crescendo of jeers at Celtic Park on Wednesday after the home side saw their lead over Aberdeen at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership cut to four points following a second consecutive draw.

“It’s not what you need,” Roberts said. “At any club you don’t like hearing boos in the stadium. But you can feel their frustration.

“We see it on the pitch ourselves, we are annoyed ourselves. It was a devastating draw so we have to pick ourselves up.”

The 19-year-old is confident he will rise above the negativity ahead of Sunday’s William Hill Scottish Cup clash with Morton at Parkhead.

“Personally it doesn’t affect me, I try to stick to my job and do what I’m there to do,” he said.

“I get as frustrated as anyone, I’m like a fan on the pitch. I get angry at myself and I get angry when we’re not winning. It’s just how I am.

“I’ve been sat in the stands a few times myself watching games and got angry with players on the pitch. So I can sense their frustration.”

Former Celtic winger Joe Miller this week claimed players were not giving their all for under-fire manager Ronny Deila but Roberts insists there is full commitment.

“Every player is giving 100 per cent, you can see that in training and they try to bring that to games,” he said.

“Obviously it’s not paying off at the moment, but everyone is giving 100 per cent in games.

“The connection between us and the manager is great. There is no disconnect, we just obviously aren’t doing it when it matters. We just need to perform to our maximum.

“Maybe it’s pressure from Aberdeen behind us, I don’t know, but we are not playing to our potential and we need to get back to the way we played near the start of the season.

“The title is close but we have confidence in ourselves to get the job done because we are all good players. A big club like Celtic should be winning games comfortably. All the boys know that.”

Roberts may be a teenager but he has already had to cope with the mantle of a £12million signing following his big-money move from Fulham to Manchester last summer. And he vowed to thrive in the Parkhead pressure.

“I was at Manchester City, it was exactly the same there,” said Roberts, who is on loan at Celtic until the end of next season.

“It’s the biggest club in Scotland so there is obviously going to be pressure to win. You need to win every game. That’s why I came here. I strive for that. That’s what defines you as a good footballer.”

To that end, Roberts knows a league and cup double is a “must” and he fully appreciates there is no room for error against Morton.

“They beat Hibernian the other day 3-0,” he said. “Whoever you are playing against you have to have the same mentality, to go and put them to the sword.

“We will try to produce a convincing performance but it’s all about how we react to the draw the other day. It feels like a loss. We need to get back together and put in a good performance.”

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