Celtic

Celtic: Paul John Dykes left irritated by one player’s performance in defeat v Rangers

|
Image for Celtic: Paul John Dykes left irritated by one player’s performance in defeat v Rangers

Celtic left Ibrox empty-handed in their most recent match, as they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Rangers in a tightly-contested match on Saturday. 

The Bhoys started brightly in the match, but couldn’t make their chances count, as Callum McGregor’s own goal proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Nir Bitton was shown a straight red card after 62 minutes for bringing down Alfredo Morelos as the Rangers forward raced towards goal.

This saw Shane Duffy used as a second-half substitute, but the Brighton and Hove Albion loanee struggled to make a notable impact against the Bhoys, as they tasted defeat for the second time in the league this term.

The 29-year-old lost possession seven times in the 25 minutes he played on the day for Celtic, and came in for criticism from a number of supporters on social media.

Speaking on the ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ podcast (17:15), Paul John Dykes was left frustrated at Duffy’s performance against the Gers, after he came on as a second-half substitute, and wasn’t pleased with the impact the on-loan defender made on the day.

“We’ve brought on Shane Duffy today, forced to bring him on, and he looks as poor as he ever has done.

“He could have walked, he’s cumbersome, his passing is non-existent. At one point he’s playing centre-forward, this is desperate, the shape disappeared.”

Dykes’ co-host Tony Haggerty voiced his concerns over the impact the defeat will have on the Celtic squad moving forward, and labelled the recent performances as ‘close to shambolic’.

“You have to look at it, and we’ve said it’s the end of an era unravelling, but it’s close to shambolic as it gets.

“You will limp on in the next few games and try and win your three in hand and reduce it (points gap) to ten, but there’s no guarantee they’ll win those three games. I just think the players will be shot because they played pretty well and it’s just so deflating for everybody.”

Duffy could be set to be involved once again for Celtic, when they return to action against Hibernian on 11th January, with Bitton serving a suspension following his dismissal against the league-leaders.

Celtic are now 19 points adrift of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, and will surely know that the title is slipping out of their grasp, much to the frustration of the club’s supporters.

Share this article