Jason Cundy is just an ignorant balloon
SCOTTISH football isn’t short of critics.
But when a guy like Jason Cundy opens his mouth, we should all close our ears.
My talkSPORT colleague should have known better than to attack the Scottish game on the radio after Celtic’s midweek win over Inverness Caley Thistle.
He branded our Premiership “embarrassing”, hinted that Glasgow was a dump, and suggested Celtic have fewer fans than clubs in League One in England.
It was all laughable – especially coming from him.
Celtic are bigger and have more history than any club Jason managed to play for during his modest career as a centre-half – and I include Chelsea in that. Let’s be honest, the guy was no Billy McNeill. Working for the same radio station as Jason, I understand why he said what he said – he wanted a response.
He certainly got one. Fortunately, balloons are easy to burst. Jason Cundy supports Chelsea – a club that has only become a big deal outside London over the last couple of decades.
They may be cash-rich, but they are not a bigger club, fan-wise or history-wise, than Celtic. Andy Goldstein is a Manchester United fan. Fair enough, United are arguably the biggest club in the world.
But Celtic won the European Cup before they did, and if the financial playing field had been level since then, I guarantee the Bhoys would have racked up another few.
Scottish football gets a raw deal from a section of so-called “football people” in England.
But you won’t find guys like Ray Wilkins and Terry Butcher, who have experienced it firsthand, piling on.
The Scottish game has its issues, but branding every other club as hopeless is not the way to have that conversation.
Doing so is disrespectful. It is cheap. It is lazy.
Brendan Rodgers was quite right to respond by calling Jason Cundy “ignorant”.
The Celtic boss was spot on to criticise the former defender for his “lack of football knowledge”.
And when I walk back into talkSPORT towers tomorrow morning after a well-earned fortnight off, you can bet I will be echoing Brendan’s views to my misguided colleagues.