'rodgers & Celtic Bring Board Relief But Fan Unrest Remains'

For a man supposedly trying to technologist his measurement retired of Celtic - according to a enigma mole - Brendan Rodgers gave a beautiful convincing capacity of a profoundly invested head successful nan dying seconds of a slow burner astatine Rugby Park.

When Kelechi Iheanacho banged successful nan punishment that collapsed nan sizeable tone of nan location team, Rodgers turned away, beaming. Relieved, for sure. Delighted, nary doubt. This has been a unsmooth week for nan Celtic head but a tumultuous fewer days ended pinch a grin successful nan teeming rainfall of Kilmarnock.

Killie will rage astir nan game-defining punishment and you tin spot why. A ricochet connected to an limb from a fewer yards away. It seemed brutally unfair. Stuart Kettlewell said later astir Scottish FA guidance pre-season that suggested specified an incident was nary longer deemed a penalty.

Whistling successful nan end. It didn't matter. He walked distant astatine nan end, perchance wondering what other he could do for a surviving isolated from nan head-wrecking, soul-destroying world of shot management.

Before things sewage nether way, Rodgers was asked astir his thermonuclear chat of Friday - leak-gate and each of that.

He was asked if nan nine could merge itself again. Rodgers dodged nan mobility and replied that his occupation was to merge nan shot connected nan pitch. That was his gig. That was each he could control.

For an hr you wondered if he was moreover successful power of that anymore. For each nan justifiable disapproval of Celtic's guidance of recreation arsenic a shot club, for each nan accusations from fans astir nan committee falling dormant astatine nan wheel, for each of Rodgers pointing fingers astatine unnamed group successful his midst, this was a stodgy capacity from his team. Again.

The 1 agleam attacking spark was his caller winger Sebastian Tounekti, who seemed to beryllium operating connected a different level to everybody other retired there. He had a dynamism that cipher other had. He was going past players, wrong and out, and carried a threat and an ambition each clip he sewage connected nan ball.

Later, Rodgers said that Tounekti was a joyousness and nan type of subordinate that Celtic person been crying retired for and it was difficult to disagree.

Here he was pinch his energy, gait and appetite for activity connected a dismally bedewed time connected Kilmarnock's artificial surface. Settings don't travel overmuch much challenging than this for a newcomer.

But he was a man unsocial for Celtic for nan longest time. Just arsenic nan distant extremity were cranking up nan invective, conscionable arsenic nan chants grew darker and a caller banner slamming nan committee was raised, Celtic scored.

Almost an hr of huff and puff, nan first 12 minutes played retired pinch half nan visiting fans hanging retired successful nan concourse arsenic portion of their time of protest, and now nan temper lifted among nan Celtic fans.

No much chants of 'sack nan board' and nary much words advising absent president Peter Lawwell what he tin do pinch himself. There was euphoria astatine yet breaking Killie down - among nan fans, among nan board, wherever they were, and successful nan mind of Rodgers, too.

Seconds earlier Marcelo Saracchi swung successful a transverse that Daizen Maeda headed home, Rodgers had whistled to his substitutes to get ready. He'd had capable of Celtic's passive stuff, capable of Michel-Ange Balikwisha arsenic bystander, capable of Saracchi offering small successful attack; excessively overmuch inaccuracy successful possession and excessively much, too, of Maeda, who had drifted done nan game.

Tounekti was fantabulous but still nan stalemate held. That it was Maeda who collapsed it was a twist successful his tale. One 2nd he was coming off, a subordinate intelligibly diminished by not getting nan move distant from Scotland that he wanted and that his head has spoken about.

The adjacent 2nd he was nan hero, albeit a impermanent one. Killie came thundering backmost and levelled it and instantly nan eyes turned, yes, to nan delirious location fans, but besides nan ones opinionated successful soundlessness down nan acold end.

David Watson thumped successful his header pinch 7 minutes near to play and it wasn't conscionable nan guidance from Killie fans that was noticeable, it was nan comparative soundlessness among Celtic people that suggested thing grim was stirring.

And it astir apt would have, had nan punishment not gone their way. If you'd been told beforehand that nan elements among nan Celtic support would person to beryllium held backmost by stewards successful bid to halt a transportation penetration past you mightiness person had immoderate thoughts astir vitriol being directed astatine nan men they want retired of their club.

Instead, nan emotion was of an altogether different benignant and it was ironic, too. So overmuch of nan statement astir Celtic has been astir their hapless inability to switch Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah up front.

Iheanacho's presence went down badly, but his first important enactment was greeted pinch untrammelled jubilation. For a subordinate who has had his travails successful caller times, it took immoderate courage to prehend nan infinitesimal successful nan measurement he did, correct successful beforehand of nan Celtic fans who would person doubted him and successful nan past seconds of a testing day.

The under-fire Celtic committee will dream that a bid of wins will trim nan unit connected them, that a widening spread betwixt them and Rangers - now a mighty 9 points - will calm things down complete time. Maybe. Another 'sack nan board' went up astatine nan end, a small half hearted, perhaps, but a reminder that nan anger has not subsided.

The existent introspection of that will travel successful nan weeks and months ahead. Nothing tin person changed successful nan measurement they position nan group who tally their club, truthful expect much power connected an unpopular committee and much of nan suits hunkering down and hoping that it blows complete successful a activity of victories.

Sunday was astir endurance and they conscionable astir managed it. In Rodgers nan fans still trust, that's clear. And successful Tounekti they whitethorn person recovered nan successor to nan wingers who lit it up for them successful amended days.