Routed Celtic stars know their level ... Betfred Cup winners
Take ownership of your failings and mistakes he said.
Accept responsibility and reflect on what you could have done better.
An 8-1 mauling at Gretna for East Stirling didn’t have the glamour of Celtic’s pounding in Paris but our manager Dennis Newall’s post-match mutterings were just as valid.
You sit there for a few minutes – avoid eye contact and slowly shake off the shin-pads in stunned silence.
Pointless to start pointing fingers after shipping goals at breakneck speed – that boat had already sailed and sunk.
Humiliation didn’t linger long at the Shire as another drubbing was already being prepared around the corner and that’s where Celtic’s embarrassment against PSG differs.
Brendan Rodgers will have put his players in the recovery position by telling them that in a few days’ time they’ll be back in the land of domestic bliss and lifting the Betfred Cup.
As a player used to being on the end of some shameful scorelines, my career was spent growing a portfolio of taking ownership – self-reflection and shame of entrepreneurial proportions.
Contrary to the popular perception, players know when they’ve found their level and the reality that sharing the pitch with the most expensive side on the planet will have been sobering for all wearing a hooped jersey.
Only the deluded believe they are capable of cutting it at the highest level in Europe and nobody in the current squad should expect to be invited – from Kieran Tierney right through to Moussa Dembele.
It’s basically all about levels – that is why Gretna players were earning fortunes and we were on a weekly wage of a tenner.
However, the sight of Scottish football’s swaggering bully having their heads shoved down the toilet inside the Parc des Princes last week would have been bliss for many.
The visual of our champions being fed a bit of their own medicine wouldn’t have been lost on Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson.
His claim that a win for his side this afternoon would be welcomed by all the neutrals and inject a bit of healthy regard for our game is fair comment.
But this is a Celtic side which always