Brendan Rodgers addresses Celtic fans booing his substitution at Motherwell - 'that seemed strange'

Celtic boss says ‘negative reaction’ can have adverse impact on player and team

Celtic's Tomoki Iwata gets a pat on the back from manager Brendan Rodgers after being subbed off at Motherwell. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Brendan Rodgers has questioned the "negative reaction" of Celtic fans after they booed one of his substitutions during the match at Motherwell on Sunday.

Celtic trailed at half-time in the Scottish Premiership clash at Fir Park before going on to secure a 3-1 victory thanks to a double from substitute Adam Idah and a goal from fellow replacement Luis Palma.

The game was still tied at 1-1 on 77 minutes when Rodgers took off defensive midfielder Tomoki Iwata and replaced him with attacking midfielder Paulo Bernardo. It was a decision that brought howls of derision from the travelling support with Iwata having impressed on his return to the starting line-up following a period out injured.

Rodgers branded the booing "strange" and suggested that it was unhelpful towards the player coming on, and the team.

"It's very important," the Celtic boss said in his broadcast press conference when responding to a question about utilising his bench to secure the victory, before adding: "Especially when you get booed for taking off a defender and putting on an attacker. That seemed strange.

"It doesn't really matter to me, it's more for the player coming on and for the team. It's a negative reaction which I don't quite understand. You're one each in the game, you take off a defensive midfield player and put on an attacking player who has scored goals this season and you get booed. It just seems a little strange but thankfully the players mentality on the pitch was superb. They kept going, kept fighting and all the great work they did in the second half in terms of tiring the opponent out led to the couple of goals at the end."

There has been an angst among the Celtic support in recent weeks after defeats to Kilmarnock and Hearts before Christmas were followed by draws against Aberdeen and Kilmarnock after the winter break which have allowed Rangers to overtake them at the top of the league standings. There have also been protests aimed at the board of directors, namely chairman Peter Lawwell and son Mark, the head of recruitment, after a poorly received January transfer window.

When put to him that the anxiety in the stands may be affecting performances, Rodgers said: "It's not only for Celtic, in general in any club, if that feeling rolls down off the stands onto the pitch and it's negative then what do you expect? You'll get players that will have a nervousness so the game will look diferent. "Whereas if they have that positive reaction and have that support, it's like in life, if you get that feeling that people are behind you then you'll have a greater chance to succeed."