DUNDEE motored ahead of clapped-out Celtic at Dens Park.
And elite £3 million-a-year boss Brendan Rodgers didn’t exactly repair the broken down confidence of his players by implying they are mediocre HONDA CIVICS.
It was a stunning car analogy from the Hoops manager who, make no mistake, now has a spotlight and question marks over his managerial capabilities like never before in two spells in the Parkhead hot-seat.
Celtic now sit five points behind surging Premiership leaders Hearts – and are facing a real likelihood of that becoming EIGHT at Tynecastle next Sunday.
Before that Sturm Graz come to Parkhead on Thursday in Europa League business – with the Hoops still nursing the wounds of a shattering 2-0 home defeat to Braga in their previous league section tie.
Rodgers has consistently stated he can only work with the quality he’s got after a summer transfer window markedly failed to give him the added class he wanted.
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However, he still needs the squad he has right now – and a growing number of fans are now looking at his team selection, coaching and present inability to get more out of players who still cost plenty in transfer fees.
For the sixth time in 14 competitive games Celtic – seven points shipped in their eight league games – failed to find the net.
Asked if this was the toughest, most worrying spell of his Celtic eras, Rodgers said: “Listen, it’s not all linear and all smooth right the way through the season, that’s for sure.
“I think the challenge from the summer, now leading into here, where we lost a lot of firepower, a lot of goals out on the team.
“And there’s no way you’ll go into a race and be given the keys to a Honda Civic and say ‘I want you to drive it like a Ferrari.’
“It’s not going to happen.
“So until something changes, I have to find the solutions.
“Because like I said, goals, speed, everything has come out of the team.
“And we need to find a way to be better.
“However I felt, I still have to find a way.
“It was clear in the summer, but it’s really the past now. There’s nothing we can do about it.
“We had the opportunities to do what we needed to do. It didn’t happen, so now it’s finding ways, whether it’s 4-3-3, whether it’s 3-4-3, whether it’s 3-5-2.
“We’re trying to look at all these different permutations within the team.
“But ultimately, you need that quality to break down teams that are low on the pitch.
“And for us this season, that’s been the real challenging aspect for us.
“But it’s a challenge that I really relish.
“I want to be here to, as I said, to make the difference for the players that are here at this moment.
“I think it’s confidence as well. I think when you’re a team that’s flowing and scoring goals then, of course, the confidence is there.
“We haven’t really had that throughout the season, so then you can be a little bit tentative on the ball and overthink it so much.
“We’ve got a great bunch of boys at the club, good guys that work hard every day.
“It’s all self-motivating as well.
“It’s that drive and desire.”
In fairness to Rodgers and the players, their cause wasn’t helped by a fans stunt of throwing hundreds of tennis balls and other objects onto the pitch just seconds after ref Matthew MacDermid had blown for kick-off.
For up to five minutes the game was halted as players and staff had to pick up the objects and chuck them aside.
Rodgers, however, kept any frustration to himself.
He said: “It was right at the beginning of the game and we’ve still got a long, long way to go after that.
“It doesn’t stop you giving the ball away and losing a goal on a counter-attack.
“It doesn’t stop you getting blocked off on the pitch.
“We can’t use that as an excuse. We really can’t.
“Of course, it’s been simmering all summer and into the beginning of the season.
“Listen, I’m not going to tell the supporters what to do.
“The fans are the heart of this club. The passion is here. It’s their life.
“It’s their love. And they want to see the team doing well.
“We can only focus on the pitch and we can be better on the pitch, for sure.
“I’ll always look at myself first and analyse myself and where I can be better.
“I have to find a way to get us back to that level.
“You lose a game, you take the responsibility as the manager.
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“And I accept that.”
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