Stokes is left saying all the right things

Chief football writer

Friday 18 November 2011

interview Striker wants Celtic to prove they have learned from last trip north, writes Michael Grant

Custom byline text:

Michael Grant

Within 30 minutes of a statement going up on the official website in which manager Neil Lennon implored supporters not to indulge in the sort of chants which “have no place at our club” -- “Ooh ah, up the ’RA”, in other words -- Anthony Stokes faced reporters in a pre-arranged publicity event at Lennoxtown to promote ESPN’s live coverage of tomorrow’s match with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Given that Stokes is the only senior player from the Republic of Ireland in the Celtic squad it would have been instructive to hear his thoughts on pro-IRA chanting at his side’s matches. Perhaps he would have echoed Lennon’s view that a Celtic match is no place for them.He could have been candid and knowledgeable on the topic. There wasn’t the opportunity to find out. The restriction of questions to only football matters did not extend to being permitted to ask about what players might feel about their on-field efforts being compromised by fines, suspensions or the docking of points because of chants from the stands.As soon as the IRA was even mentioned in one question the conference was swiftly brought to an end by a Celtic official. To say the club is jumpy about the sort of headlines it could make at the moment would be putting it mildly.Given the revelations that there are Scottish Premier League and Uefa investigations into pro-IRA chanting at Celtic’s recent home games against Hibernian and Rennes, the authorities will have their ears pricked at the Caledonian Stadium tomorrow.It is a potential distraction, and an unwelcome one, at a time when Celtic’s focus should be on only the football. They are 12 points behind Rangers in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and at the point where any further widening of that gap could be ruinous.The last thing their manager needs is to be spending a chunk of his day working on the phrasing of a sensitive statement about what some of the fans get up to.The only significant thing which was heard the last time Celtic were in Inverness was a death knell for their prospects of winning the title. If they had won in the Highlands on May 4 they would have been two points ahead of Rangers when they both had three matches left to play.Instead they were awful that evening, imploding in defence to lose 3-2 and trooped home one point adrift. It immediately looked like an insurmountable deficit and so it proved. Both Old Firm sides won their remaining games and Rangers lifted the championship.The final points gap was only one; today it is 12 with Celtic having a game in hand. Stokes said he was “surprised” by that margin but by no means pessimistic. “There’s always going to be a spell in the season where teams will have a rocky spell,” he said. “Maybe we’ve got ours out of the way. Rangers have been on a great run since the start of the season but there will come a time when they will drop points. I think it’s inevitable that will happen.”Inverness lost only two out of six matches against the Old Firm last season. They are currently bottom of the table and have already lost their two matches against Celtic and Rangers in this campaign, but they are never less than an awkward, difficult, gutsy team to face in the Highlands. Celtic’s last visit merely confirmed that.“Listen, everyone knows that when you go to Inverness you have a long way to travel,” said Stokes. “They are a physical team who get in your face, play long balls and try and grind out a result. Perhaps that can get in your head, but you just have to go there and be professional. You know what to expect so you just have to play your own game.“We should have won in May. We just didn’t turn up on the night. It’s as simple as that. I’ve seen the gaffer lose the head once or twice but it was more disappointment that night because we never really turned up. I don’t think it can be put down to nerves or pressure, it was just one of those games and it happens sometimes. You can be on a great run of form but suddenly be flat when you go into a game.”Did he think Celtic had become mentally tougher because of it? His answer was refreshingly frank and alluded to that 12-point gap and the points already dropped against St Johnstone, Rangers, Hearts, Kilmarnock and Hibs. “I do think that but we haven’t shown it enough over the season so far. It’s easy for me to say ‘we have learned’ and ‘I feel I’m more experienced this season’. But if you are not putting the performances in on the pitch then there’s no point.”

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Stokes is left saying all the right things

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED