Celtic fail to read room with end-of-year awards

By Euan Davidson

May 12, 2021

Celtic have announced their end of year award winners, because of course they did.

After a day of incredible controversy, you might’ve thought the occasion of Scott Brown’s last home game would be enough. However, the club have poured salt into our collective wounds, and give a gong to our best player from this season.

It’s a bit like picking the best moments from having your house burgled.

In a series of photos that don’t look remotely uncomfortable for everyone concerned, awards were handed out to Odsonne Edouard (top scorer), David Turnbull (POTY, YPOTY), Kristoffer Ajer (Players’ POTY) and Ismaila Soro (Goal of the Year).

The club announced via Twitter:

Just look at Kristoffer Ajer. Dearie me.

Surely this could’ve been done quietly on the website? Admittedly, it was only Celtic fans watching, so it’s the same audience as they’d get online. But to add a level of glitz to proceedings by airing the awards live isn’t just misreading the room, it’s ignoring the room entirely. It’s being streets, miles away from the room, while attempting to speak for the room.

You’re a winner, David Turnbull! / (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

You have to ask what Celtic are playing at sometimes

I really do love Celtic Football Club, but this season they have made decisions that are utterly baffling.

From Dubai to “but why?”, the board have rafted from chaos to chaos without a port in sight. This should’ve been the season where all the sleek PR of the last decade came to its glorious conclusion, yet we’re left complaining about the Player of the Year awards.

Maybe it is a moan in vain but there’s a striking difference between what supporters care about and what the club seem to care about. Of course, we love Scott Brown, and he deserves a far bigger moment than this. And yes, it’s normal to give end-of-season honours. However, the season isn’t finished yet, and it’s one that supporters would already rather forget.

Genuinely, how awkward must it have felt? Again, I can’t help but think of Leo Messi winning the Golden Boot at World Cup 2014 just before Germany went to collect their winner’s medals. Or the cast and crew of La La Land at the Oscars. Or [insert equally useful embarrassing moment here].

The only way this could’ve been played off as patter is if they gave it to Jack Hendry.

They could’ve just dropped it. It would’ve been so much easier to just drop it.

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