I’M SO SORRY
Apology and a Euro vow from Commons after his Molde rant
KRIS COMMONS last night issued a public apology for his meltdown in Molde and pledged to help salvage Celtic’s Europa League campaign.
The 32-year-old forward released a statement via the club’s website in the wake of his furious reaction to being substituted in Thursday night’s damaging 3-1 defeat by the Norwegians.
Manager Ronny Deila welcomed the player’s expression of regret but declined to confirm whether or not Commons had also been fined as a result of the controversy.
The former Scotland international had scored for Celtic to briefly reduce the deficit in Norway and the decision to withdraw him — in favour of Nadir Ciftci
— also angered many of the travelling Celtic fans. Shouting and gesticulating, Commons’ outburst continued after he took his seat in the technical area, with assistant manager John Collins seemingly one target of his ire. ‘I’d like to apologise for my reaction last night, something that should never be shown publicly on the field,’ said Commons. ‘I was very frustrated at how the night had gone. However, I did not handle this in the right way. My frustration at losing games and desire to win will never change. ‘We are all part of a team at Celtic and I am proud to be part of this team. I want this team to win and I am sure we can come together, and get the results needed to qualify from this group. ‘I still have confidence we can do this and in a fortnight we have the chance to make amends. That’s the motivation now for us all.’ Deila branded Commons’ actions ‘unacceptable’ on Thursday night, but feels the apology now closes the issue. ‘It is very important,’ said the Norwegian, who is under scrutiny from fans upset at Celtic’s European form. ‘I’m happy with that. He came to me and that is very good. There is a lot of emotion on the pitch but you have to do it in the right situations. ‘We must have discipline and stay together. He understands that, has apologised and we move on.’ Pressed on whether Commons had been fined, Deila added: ‘We will keep that inside the club. We have come to a solution that everybody is happy with.’ Commons previously had to convince Deila he was worth a place in the side for vital European games. The Celtic manager does not believe, however, that the midfielder feels he is always singled out. ‘That’s not the case,’ said Deila. ‘Why was he angry? Because he wanted to win.’ Some Celtic fans have questioned why Stefan Johansen remained on the pitch in Molde despite making little impact on the game. Deila, though, is adamant there is no favouritism at work. ‘No, of course not,’ he added. ‘Stefan didn’t play in the last games before Thursday night.’