Brendan should know better. Not once did I hear him comment about the structure at Man United or Chelsea. Then he comes to Celtic and thinks it’s acceptable to talk about the structure at our football club... it’s disgusting
Daly rants at Hoops gaffer over ‘disgraceful’ interview
Jon Daly could be a gaffer for the next 20 years and he won’t embark on a post-match rant like the one he unleashed at Celtic Park yesterday.
Less than an hour after his first game in a dug- out the Hearts interim boss took aim at Brendan Rodgers, fired – and didn’t miss.
The big Irishman was visibly angered by comments from the Hoops gaffer on Friday regarding Hearts and the structure of the Tynecastle club.
Rodgers was only being honest in his assessment of the situation at the club and the conditions in which sacked ex-boss Ian Cathro was working under.
But it didn’t half get Daly’s back up. He’s auditioning for the job himself but suffered a big defeat to the champions in the Premiership opener yesterday.
And afterwards, asked about Rodgers’ comments, Daly let rip.
It’s the first time since the Celtic manager was appointed that anyone in Scottish football has dared to have a pop. And Daly didn’t hold back.
Rodgers questioned who was signing the players for Cathro at Hearts.
And why certain individuals, l ike marquee signings Christophe Berra and Kyle Lafferty, were brought in to play in Cathro’s 3- 4-3 system.
But Daly hit back, saying: “I thought Brendan’s comments were absolutely disgusting. Disgraceful. Very poor form.
“A manager of his calibre should know better. I’ve followed Brendan’s career down south when he was at Liverpool.
“Not once did I hear him make a comment about the structures at Man United, Chelsea or Man City.
“But all of a sudden he comes to Celtic and thinks it’s acceptable to talk about the structure of our football club.
“Our club is structured in a way that helps younger coaches. “You have an owner in Ann Budge who is refreshing and honest. “But our club at the minute is very easy to pick on and kick. For a manager of his calibre to make the comments he did, it’s not acceptable. “Ian has left and I can understand the comments about the manager because no one likes to see someone lose their job. “But he then star ts talking about recruitment of players or players fitting into the system the manager wants. And questioning Ian’s authority. That shows me that he doesn’t know Ian very well.
“There’s no chance those players would have come in the door without Ian’s say so.
“Brendan’s a knowledgeable man. But if he thinks Michael Smith, Rafa Grzelak, Laf ferty, Berra or Conor Randall don’t suit a 3- 4-3 system that baffles me. It really does.
“They’re wing backs, centre-backs, strikers, midfielders. So it’s farcical that he thinks they don’t fit into that system.
“And that other people make the calls around our club.”
Daly also believes Rodgers had a pop at HIM, a long with assistant boss Austin MacPhee.
The Celtic boss suggested Hearts might switch to a 4- 4-2 formation with Cathro gone for the trip to Parkhead.
But Daly took umbrage and insisted he’d let Rodgers know how unhappy he was to read the Celtic boss speakingg about Hearts’ tactics.
He said: “To comment when he knows nothing about the
structure at Hearts is a disgrace. It’s very disrespectful. His comments about myself, Liam Fox, Austin and Paul Gallagher – about how we’d come here and play a basic shape.
“What’s the difference between a shape and basic shape? Does he play a basic 4-3-3? I don’t know.
“There’s no difference what shape you play. We were going to play a defensive style 3-4-3 with two in the middle of the park against their three but we’d have lost six or seven especially with where our players are mentally.
“I haven’t spoken to Brendan about it. I didn’t get a lot of sleep on Friday and didn’t read the press because I was concentrating on the game.
“But I had texts before kick-off about his unsavoury comments.”
When Daly finally took a breath from filleting Celtic’s manager, he got round to speaking about the game and his ambitions to be Hearts boss.
He enjoyed the Parkhead experience but was left rueing defensive mistakes that cost his side goals.
Daly said: “It was a great experience. And it’s a great opportunity to take a first team to Celtic Park.
“Whoever gets the job will have a squad of players with lots of positives.
“The club are also trying to recruit some new players. “I’ve enjoyed it. The fact the players didn’t stop fighting showed me I can motivate them. Am I ready? Possibly but it’s not my decision. “I’ll still be working for Hearts no matter what happens.”