As the title race hots up, Celtic’s dropped points at Tynecastle keep the Parkhead club tucked behind Rangers in second place.
The controversy surrounding the refereeing performance will continue to hit the headlines this week but it was what Jeff Stelling said about Celtic that had Paul Lambert defending the club.
The former Seville hero was asked what he thought about the current Celtic squad when Stelling seemed to suggest that the quality of players are poorer than when Lambert played for the club.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Stelling said, “Look as an Englishman, Paul, I’m gonna come in and rain on both [Ally McCoist] your parades. The fact that it’s so close and such a fantastic title race, that’s great.
“But between them Rangers and Celtic, they’ve lost eight games in the league this season.
“Does that just tell you that the quality of these current Rangers and Celtic sides is not up to what it’s been in the past?”
Lambert was having none of it as he replied, “Listen, Jeff, I hate comparing eras because I don’t think you can. I think it’s a different game with certain aspects of it.
“The game’s still the same, the box is still the same shape, the goals are the same size, but the rules have become a little bit different.
“But to get back to your point, the current era is it as strong? With my hat on I would say no but other guys would beg to differ.
“But you can only beat what’s in front of you and you can only play what’s in front of you. They are two tough clubs to play for and if you do well there then you’ll be alright.”
To me, this is just another pundit taking a dig at Celtic for no apparent reason. They continually moan about Scotland having just one team picking up all the trophies and when there is competition it’s because Celtic are poor.
For the record, I am not saying this Celtic team is just as good as the Seville team. I’d have to be an idiot to suggest that.
However, what is the point of the question anyway? As Lambert points out, this is a completely different era to what it was twenty years ago.
Why can’t the pundits south of the border just enjoy the fact that there is an exciting title race (from their perspective at least) and just enjoy it? Oh, and good on Lambert for putting Stelling straight.
In other news, Brendan Rodgers shares what he told Don Robertson in the tunnel straight after Celtic’s loss to Hearts
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