Snubby CeltsNo.2 showed lackof respect
JAMES McFADDEN has accused Celtic No.2 Chris Davies of showing ‘a lack of respect’ in the aftermath of the Hoops’ 4-3 win over Motherwell.
Brendan Rodgers’ righthand man refused to shake hands with the Well backroom staff at full-time last Saturday, adding further fuel to a fire that was ignited when Mark McGhee took exception to Celtic’s prematchwarm-uptakingplace in one of the goalmouths.
Fir Park assistant McFadden said: “Celtic warmed up in the wrong area, the groundsman asked him to move and he said no. The manager went up and moved them then after the game Davies refused to shake hands with our staff.
“For me, that is a lack of respect, especially considering how much of a test we gave them.
“To refuse a handshake and make a gesture is totally wrong, no matter who you are.”
JAMESMcFADDENhas leapt to the defence of Mark McGhee with the war or words between the Motherwell manager and Celtic No.2 Chris Davies reaching new heights.
A spat erupted before the Ladbrokes Premiership meeting between the two last Saturday when McGhee took exception to where Celtic were warming up on the Fir Park pitch.
Matters failed to subside during an enthralling match as Davies then refused to shake hands with the Motherwell bench at the end of the last-gasp 4-3 win for the visitors.
McGhee claimed post-match that he didn’t even know Davies’ name, a comment shot down by Brendan Rodgers’ assistant ear- lier in the week. Now, Motherwell assistant McFadden has waded into the row in a bid to set the record straight.
He said: “Celtic had a press conference on the Monday for the Tuesday so they had a chance to speak about it and bring the manager’s name down. Now we are getting the chance to say how it went down. Then people can make their minds up.
“Celtic warmed up in the wrong area, the groundsman asked him to move and he said no. The manager went up and moved them then after the game he [Davies] refused to shake hands with every member of our staff. We acted in our interests but in a fair manner and they didn’t.
“You can understand why we’re trying to look after [the pitch]. A lot has been made of it, but that happened at the start, nothing happened during the game in terms of myself and the manager with Chris Davies.
“Chris Davies then comes up and refuses to shake hands with you after the game. For me, that is a lack of respect to everyone involved, especially considering how well much of a test we gave them.
“He should have come up and said ‘well done, hard lines’. He didn’t, and that’s what got the manager’s back up. To come and go right in someone’s face having refused a handshake and make a gesture is totally wrong.”
McFadden appeared clearly irked by a situation that he believes has been rumbling on far earlier than this weekend.
Back in the summer Motherwell groundsman Paul Matthew told SportTimes of verbal abuse he had received from staff of other clubs when asking sides to train in different areas of the pitch.
Speaking in June he said: “I’m out there preparing that surface for their guys to play on. I don’t expect to get the abuse that I receive when I ask an individual to stick to a certain rule. I’m left hung out to dry out there.”
McFadden, though, praised the efforts of the Fir Park groundstaff for bringing the pitch up to standard.
He said: “Our pitch is in brilliant nick but there’s a reason for that. We’ve put a lot of time and money into it.
“Our groundsman knows what he’s doing and if he doesn’t want people warming up in the goalmouth then don’t warm up in their goalmouth. It’s his job to have the pitch in the best condition.
“We asked them to move and they didn’t move so the manager went up and made them move. That’s not unsettling them. That’s just him using his authority to go up and say: ‘you are in the wrong place, go and move’.”