Collins regrets his ‘clever’ comments
JOHN COLLINS last night expressed regret over the comments he made on the standard of Scottish football which were branded ‘disrespectful’ by Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes. Celtic’s assistant manager offended top-flight rivals by suggesting they were not ‘clever enough’ or ‘quick enough thinkers’ to test his side the way European sides might. Despite drawing with Kilmarnock and losing to Aberdeen in the weeks since the storm erupted, Collins at least stands by his
sentiments — but concedes he could have phrased them better after McInnes branded them ‘disrespectful to the rest of the league’. ‘Maybe I could’ve chosen my words better,’ acknowledged Collins. ‘Maybe it was also about the interpretation of the words. ‘I’ve been in the game long enough, nothing surprises me.’ Insisting he had no issue with McInnes, Collins revealed he spoke with the Dons boss after last weekend’s Pittodrie defeat. No reference was made to the recent public spat. ‘People can have their opinions,’ he added. ‘It’s not a problem. I had a cup of tea with him last week in his office. It’s gone, it’s past, it’s history.’ Asked if he stood by a sentiment — widely agreed on by many — that Celtic suffer in Europe for a lack of regular tests in domestic competition, a terse Collins shrugged: ‘I said what I said. Some people didn’t like it, but I said it. It’s time to move on. ‘Everybody has an opinion. Not everyone’s the same, everybody’s got a different opinion.’ Inevitably, the former Scotland international’s observations were cast up gleefully by rivals in the aftermath of dropped points at Rugby Park and Pittodrie. ‘We’re always going to drop points,’ added the Parkhead No 2. ‘That’s reality, that’s football. ‘You don’t take your chances, the other team takes theirs. It’s something we try to guard against but that’s football.’