46 DISPLAY WAS A LO’ POINT
CELTIC v RANGERS
PICO LOPES has labelled Shamrock Rovers home defeat to Waterford as ‘embarrassing’ and insists the Hoops must respond against St Pat’s.
The champions – chasing a fifth league title in a row this season – were stuffed 3-1 by the Blues at Tallaght Stadium on bank holiday Monday.
But although reeling from the hiding, Rovers got some comfort from the fact their title-rivals failed to capitalise on the same day.
Shelbourne and Derry City cancelled each other out at the Brandywell while Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic also suffered defeats.
Poor
But Lopes (below) accepts the performance wasn’t good enough and the Hoops captain said yesterday: “We knew it straight away.
“It was poor, a below par performance from ourselves, almost embarrassing. So the mood was a bit down.
“I say borderline embarrassing - you felt the workrate wasn’t there as it should have and Waterford outfought us in our own backyard.
“That’s disappointing to take as a footballer. You don’t want to say that you got bullied in your own back garden but they came here and we didn’t put it up to them.”
But Lopes revealed nobody in the Rovers dressing room is dwelling too long on the Waterford defeat ahead of another Dublin derby tomorrow against the managerless Saints.
“You know it yourself,” said the centre-back of a bad display. There was no big inquest. We were down gears.
“A lot of us have been in the dressing room a long time and we know when levels aren’t there and it’s not right, you can feel it.
Inwards
“So it’s looking inwards first before you look outwards, and onto the next game.”
Despite Monday’s defeat, Rovers could end up top of the table by tomorrow night if they win and results elsewhere go their way.
“It’s mad,” added
Cape Verde international Lopes. “I want to say it’s a strange season but I say that every year.
“It is what it is, it’s competitive and you have to be ready.
“It’s a sign that the league is going in the right direction, everyone is getting their team and squads strong enough, thinking they can have a shot of winning the league.”