Bouncy balls, points gaps & Honda Civics - inside Celtic's dismal day

Bouncy balls, Honda Civics, instrumentality protests and a five-point gap.

It was a chaotic and perchance ominous day from commencement to decorativeness for Celtic against Dundee arsenic their stuttering play continued pinch a first conclusion astatine Dens Park since 1988.

Clark Robertson's towering header and a Cameron Carter-Vickers ain extremity put nan hosts 2-0 up earlier half-time and they defended superbly arsenic a portion passim to repel everything nan defending champions threw astatine them.

Brendan Rodgers' broadside stay 5 points down Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, pursuing Derek McInnes' side's 3-0 triumph astatine Rugby Park connected Saturday, and person now grounded to people successful six matches already this season.

Since they were knocked retired of nan Champions League by Bayern Munich successful February, Celtic person grounded to triumph 13 of their 29 games pinch a 55% triumph complaint successful that time.

All is not good successful nan eastbound extremity of Glasgow and nan nonaccomplishment encapsulated their troubles some connected and disconnected nan pitch.

Celtic's miserable day was foreshadowed earlier a shot had been kicked successful anger erstwhile sections of their sizeable travelling support halted play instantly by throwing bouncy balls and tennis balls connected to nan pitch.

There were large calls for nan club's committee to beryllium replaced, pinch banners unfurled showing reddish circles and reddish lines done nan faces of main executive Michael Nicholson, president Peter Lawwell and main financial serviceman Christopher McKay.

"The negativity that goes astir affects players connected nan pitch," erstwhile Motherwell skipper Stephen Craigan told Sportsound.

"There seems to beryllium a unreality hanging complete nan nine and I deliberation it's putting a spot of fearfulness into nan players.

"There's intelligibly immoderate benignant of assurance problem, aliases whether it's conscionable nan sound outside, it's impacting them arsenic a group because they are not anyplace adjacent their best."

However, Rodgers refused to usage nan protestation arsenic an excuse aft nan 2-0 defeat.

"We had 90-odd minutes afterwards to beryllium better," he said. "The protestation has thing to do pinch defending a area aliases giving nan shot distant and losing nan shot connected nan counter.

"We person to beryllium amended and ultimately, we person to look connected nan transportation first and foremost."

A taxable of Celtic's play has been Rodgers bemoaning their transportation business and a perceived deficiency of value brought into nan club.

He has regularly been asked about, and pointed out, nan goals that person been taken retired of his squad pinch nan income of Kyogo Furuhashi past January and Nicolas Kuhn successful nan summer, successful summation to Jota's semipermanent wounded absence.

Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha arrived to bolster Rodgers' attacking options aft they had already been dumped retired of Champions League qualifying by Kazakh champions Kairat Almaty, while Kelechi Iheanacho joined connected a free aft nan model had closed.

Having grounded to occurrence successful onslaught erstwhile again, Rodgers appeared to criticise nan value wrong his squad.

"I deliberation nan situation from nan summer, now starring into here, wherever we mislaid a batch of firepower, a batch of goals retired connected nan team," he added.

"And there's nary measurement you'll spell into a title and beryllium fixed nan keys to a Honda Civic and say, 'I want you to thrust it for illustration a Ferrari'. It's not going to happen."

He insists it is up to him to find "solutions" to their goalscoring issues, beryllium it done changes to unit aliases formation.

"Until thing changes, I person to find nan solutions," said Rodgers.

"Because for illustration I said, goals, speed, everything has travel retired of nan squad and we request to find a measurement to beryllium better.

"We had nan opportunities to do what we needed to do. It didn't happen, truthful now it's uncovering ways, whether it's 4-3-3, whether it's 3-4-3, whether it's 3-5-2. We're trying to look astatine each these different permutations wrong nan team."

Both Tounekti and Balikwisha for illustration to play connected nan near flank, meaning Rodgers is either playing fringe players down nan correct broadside aliases shoehorning Daizen Maeda - injured for nan travel to Dens - into an unfamiliar role.

"They person someway managed to regress and person a weaker squad than they did past year," erstwhile Scotland striker Steven Thompson told Sportsound.

"But these are world players, players of a precocious pedigree who should beryllium putting successful amended performances than they are."

With a tally of six matches successful nan adjacent 3 weeks - including a Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Rangers - location is nary clip for Celtic to lick their wounds.

Searching for a first triumph of nan play successful nan Europa League, Celtic invited Sturm Graz to Parkhead connected Thursday, earlier they return to convention action pinch a mouth-watering conflict against Hearts astatine Tynecastle connected Sunday.

One would beryllium difficult pressed to find 2 clubs pinch much contrasting moods astatine coming and a triumph for nan hosts would return them 8 points clear astatine nan apical of Scotland's apical formation - a conception that would person been laughable specified months ago.

There is still an atrocious batch of shot to beryllium played this season, but Celtic request to commencement delivering some wins and performances if they are to assistance nan gloom surrounding nan club.

"Celtic, conscionable now, are not a nine that is moving together," added erstwhile Aberdeen and Scotland defender Willie Miller.

"They're still not judge astir Brendan's future, nan boardroom seems reluctant to walk nan costs they've sewage and nan head is decidedly not happy."

Thompson, different erstwhile Scotland international, echoed that view.

"When you're playing arsenic a footballer successful a squad that's winning each nan time, it becomes easy and you're confident," he said.

"You spell connected to nan transportation pinch nary thoughts different than we're going to triumph this game. Wee seeds of uncertainty are starting to creep in, negativity, it spreads for illustration wildfire.

"Creatively, they're miles distant from immoderate Celtic squad that we've watched successful nan past 3 aliases 4 years. Miles distant successful position of making opportunities."

Jim: Disgraceful astatine each level. Manager appears to beryllium clueless and astir of nan players are not fresh to deterioration nan jersey.

Tam: Pathetic! Not a azygous subordinate worthy of nan shirt. Everything we've built complete nan years has been ruined by nan greed of nan board. They should bent their heads successful shame. The existent Celts, which are nan fans, person been taken for granted by a committee that person nary clue. How overmuch money do these group need? Greed sickens me!

Bryan: Well done, Dundee merit it. Celtic perfectly embarrassing coming and request to earnestly deliberation really they tin amended because that squad was pathetic. No fight, nary passion and nary honour successful a Celtic jersey.