Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers’ Honda Civic comments caused a media storm this week.
After the Hoops’ poor 2-0 defeat to Dundee, Rodgers used the metaphor in an apparent sleight on the quality of his squad after the summer transfer window.
However, Rodgers explained that it was aimed at the speed of his team, and not a deliberate dig at the club’s board. He felt no need to apologise for them.
After Celtic’s 2-1 win over Sturm Graz, Rodgers took aim at the media storm, defending the ‘outstanding’ performance of his players.
But for Chris Sutton, they would not have gone down well in Celtic dressing rooms of yesteryear.
Chris Sutton on Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers’ ‘Honda Civic’ comments
Rodgers’ contract situation remains uncertain – many Celtic fans see him as destined for the exit door, at the end of the season or sooner.
Despite this, Rodgers has said that he is open to staying at Celtic under the right conditions.
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Rodgers loves a pointed message, and it’s impossible to ever truly know the meaning behind what he says in the media.
But for Sutton, speaking in his column for the Daily Record, the car talk was aimed at the club’s board, and would not have gone down well had Martin O’Neill said it.
He said: “Brendan’s got a proven track record as a coach, a proven track record at Celtic, but if some players are sub-standard, they take longer to develop, if they even get to the level at all.
“He said after Graz his players know how much he cares about them, so why cane them just days earlier?
“There was no long-term upside to that. That’s not going to go down well amongst the squad. That’s telling your own squad they are bang average.
“Brendan is right but he still shouldn’t have said it. I know how that would have gone down in our dressing room if Martin O’Neill had said that.
“My own suspicion is those comments were actually intended for the boardroom and not the dressing room. If he’s poking, which I think he is, it’s because he knows he’s got a poor team compared to what he had and he warned those above him it was going to happen.”
Celtic’s summer transfer window
Rodgers’ unhappiness at the summer transfer window was already well-documented.
The sales of Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah, coupled with the departure of Greg Taylor and the earlier sale of Kyogo Furuhashi in January, left huge gaps in his squad.
Celtic are now left with Yang Hyun-Jun and James Forrest as their two right-winger options.
And with Kelechi Iheanacho now injured, their lack of reinforcements at striker could prove even more costly.
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