It’s amazing how things have quickly changed for Celtic in the Champions League.
Many have been left with egg on their face because Brendan Rodgers’ side have turned the screw and are now starting to prove their worth in Europe’s elite competition.
When Celtic shipped seven to Borussia Dortmund, the wave of criticism and verbal attacks was the worst it had probably been.
The Bhoys had no place to hide and some were even questioning if they would even secure a play-off spot in this newly revamped Champions League format.
One of those critics included a certain Jason Cundy and he was as scathing as anyone else after that Dortmund trip.
But since then, Celtic have drawn away at Atalanta, and in the process, recorded a clean sheet against the top goalscorers in Italy.
Before producing a masterclass and dominating RB Leipzig on Tuesday night at Parkhead, so has Cundy changed his mind?
Jamie O’Hara slams Jason Cundy for past Celtic comments after win over RB Leipzig
Celtic’s win over Leipzig was one of their best in Europe and it was fully deserved.
Even after going a goal down, the champions of Scotland proved their worth by playing with speed, freedom, control and attacking bite.
But Cundy refused to apologise for calling Celtic a ‘disgrace to British football’ after that Dortmund game and made it clear that he still stands by those claims.
Jamie O’Hara was having none of it though and told him it’s ‘not the truth’ and that he needs to ‘knock it on the head’ because Celtic are a ‘huge football club’, as he told the Sports Bar on talkSPORT.
“Celtic, they got a massive win against RB Leipzig,” said O’Hara. “They are flying in the Champions League. More points than Real Madrid. Are they still a disgrace to British football, Jason?”
Cundy responded: “No, not (against RB Leipzig) they weren’t. But they have still got that they got pumped seven (by Dortmund).”
A Celtic fan then called into the Sports Bar and demanded that the ex-Chelsea player ‘apologised’ for his previous comments about Celtic.
“What am I apologising for?” questioned Cundy. “I stand by that (past comments). Well done (for the RB Leipzig result). You deserve the credit. But you get the credit. The last time, when you got beat 7-1, I am sorry, you go to a Champions League game and get beat 7-1, then you deserve to be told you are an embarrassment. Is that fair?
“Well, they (Manchester City) did embarrass the Premier League (by getting beat 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon).”
O’Hara then added: “A lot of Celtic fans out there. A huge football club.” To which Cundy stated: “The truth hurt.” Before O’Hara hit back: “But it’s not the truth, is it? It’s the second game in the Champions League. New format and they had a bad night. They drew against Atalanta and beat Leipzig. Top Champions League teams. Maybe you need to knock it on the head. Calling them an embarrassment. A farmers. Knock that on the head. You can’t do that anymore.”
But Cundy refused to budge: “No one in the Champions League should lose 7-1. No one. They shouldn’t.”
Cundy has history with Celtic
It seems the norm from Cundy to rant and rave, in a negative way, as soon as Celtic lose in Europe or suffer a costly result.
The Premier League spends plenty of money, yet teams like Manchester United and Newcastle United couldn’t get out of the Champions League group stages last season.
Manchester City just got beat four by Sporting Lisbon this week and they are level on points with the Bhoys. Cundy’s own club Chelsea are in the Conference League after spending over £1 billion, so sometimes, people need a reality check as to what an embarrassment really is.
But Cundy has history here because, back in 2020, when Celtic were beaten by Copenhagen in the knockout stages of the Europa League, he claimed that they had ‘shamed Scottish football’.
“Celtic have shamed Scottish football. They went out 4-2 on aggregate,” he told talkSPORT, at the time.
Fast forward to the present and just look at the Champions League standings and where Celtic sit, at the halfway stage, they are above a fair few European giants, so that speaks for itself.
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