CRAIG MUST NOW DO THE LEGWORK
CRAIG GORDON strongly disputes that he was to blame for the goal that took Hapoel Be’er Sheva to within an inch of knocking Celtic out of the Champions League. Blamed by some for the concession of the Israeli champions’ soft second strike in midweek, the goalkeeper, who was dropped for yesterday’s visit of Aberdeen, has taken issue with those who either broadcasted or printed their criticism in the wake of the playoff decider.
Yet if Gordon finds his position as his club’s No1 under threat, it has little to do with the moment that saw him collide with team-mate Saidy Janko and spill the ball into the path of Hapoel midfielder Ovidiu Hoban.
Upon signing Dorus de Vries earlier this month, manager Brendan Rodgers declared the Dutchman ‘as good as I’ve seen in all my travels’ when it comes to operating with the ball at his feet. Rodgers wants his keeper utilised as a de facto outfield player when in possession, and has told Gordon to improve his footwork and passing.
‘I felt for Craig in midweek,’ said Rodgers (pictured below with Gordon). ‘I’m aware there has been a little bit of stick but he’s a good guy and definitely a player I want to have around here. He does his very best.
‘He’s understood what I want because my goalkeepers need to
be able to control the game from behind. If you don’t have control in your build-up, then it’s very difficult to have control anywhere else on the field and I always think that the quicker the ball goes forward, the quicker it comes back.
‘He’s tried to embrace that. He’s 33 years of age, he could have just stuck to his own idea of playing but he’s tried to take on board how I have wanted to work and he’s given everything to try to play the way I want him to play.
‘I’ve found him a really good guy, conscientious, he wants to work and, of course, if a goalkeeper does make a mistake they feel isolated a wee bit, but I have nothing but admiration for him.’
Rodgers acknowledges that Gordon, a product of Hearts’ youth system, is at a disadvantage to de Vries in that he learned his trade in an environment where the expectations of a goalkeeper were narrower than those in certain parts of the continent.
However, he sees signs that Gordon is adapting. Celtic gained the first of their five goals in the home tie against Be’er Sheva from an extensive move that featured a fine cross-field pass from Gordon to fullback Mikael Lustig. ‘A lot of British goalkeepers are used to getting rid of the ball, instead of passing it and so there’s a huge difference,’ said Rodgers. ‘But no matter what age you are, you can still learn to be better and I can see in Craig’s distribution he’s looking to find different lines of pass. ‘All the players have work to do. We still have levels to get to, things to improve on, but the beauty is they want to do it and Craig like all the others will improve with development.’ The loss of four goals over the Hapoel tie seems to underline a fragility in Rodgers’ defence. However, the manager insists the foundations at the back are firm and, with Kolo Toure now on board and three centre-backs at various stages on their return from injury, he expresses little need to look for a new stopper ahead of Wednesday’s transfer deadline. ‘In the main, we’ve actually defended well but we have given away poor goals,’ added Rodgers. ‘Our defensive organisation has been good and when we came under pressure the other night and changed it a bit, the last 15-20 minutes of the game we were in good positions. ‘But if you make mistakes then it can cost you. I can’t rectify everything in a short period of time, but hopefully longerterm we can do that. ‘It’s been tough because we’ve had a lot of injuries at centre-half.’
I’ve found him a really good guy. He’s trying to play the way I want