Jeff Stelling and Gabby Agbonlahor have shared their thoughts on the Celtic fan protest at Dens Park and whether or not it was one of the reasons for the defeat to Dundee.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers dismissed the protest as a factor for the Bhoys’ lacklustre performance against Dundee.
The three minute delay drew the spotlight on the Celtic supporters’ unhappiness with the board and saw the live Sky Sports coverage at Dundee as the perfect opportunity to raise more awareness.
And as Rodgers refuses to accept the short stoppage as a reason for Celtic’s loss to Dundee, it appears that talkSPORT duo Gabby Agbonlahor and Jeff Stelling have differing views.
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty ImagesGabby Agbonlahor says Celtic fan protest ‘didn’t help’ vs Dundee
Agbonlahor admits he watched Celtic toil at Dundee but is of the firm belief that the protest after the kick-off hindered the team’s performance.
Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT, “What I will say Jeff, quickly is on watching a bit of that game, the protests from Celtic fans in the first 30 seconds didn’t help.
Stelling: “No.”
Agbonlahor: “I’ve never seen so many balls. I don’t know what they were and they were little, they were smaller ones as well, tiny. So, Celtic fans not happy.”
What Agbonlahor is missing is that Celtic still had another 93 minutes to get their act together to beat Dundee. And if the stoppage didn’t help, how did Steven Pressley’s side still manage to put in a performance?
Jeff Stelling says the ‘tide is turning’ on Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers
We discussed on 67 Hail Hail after the game that there were three hard truths Celtic fans had to face about the team and Brendan Rodgers.
And it appears that Stelling and Agbonlahor may well agree with that.
Stelling: “Oh, the Celtic fans are bitterly unhappy, more with the board than Brendan Rodgers. But you feel the tide is turning against Brendan as well.
“They are five points behind Hearts, and they play at Tynecastle away at Hearts on Sunday, that could be crucial.”
Agbonlahor: “Dundee deserved to win. It wasn’t like it was a Celtic onslaught. They didn’t have that many chances.”
And therein lies the issue. Celtic didn’t create any chances and with players like Reo Hatate, Sebastian Tounekti and even when James Forrest made his appearance, there was a severe lack of penetration.
Celtic fans are not daft and they can see the type of football they have witnessed not just for weeks, but for months, and Rodgers really must now start to look at how he can get more out of the players he has at his disposal.