Gary Caldwell has a message for Celtic’s current crop

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Former Celtic defender Gary Caldwell has urged the current crop of players to grow a thick skin in the wake of the embarrassing defeat to CFR Cluj.

The Bhoys returned to winning ways at the weekend by beating Dunfermline 2-1 in the Betfred Cup, but tensions have been high following the club’s exit to the Romanian outfit in Champions League qualifying last week.

Neil Lennon has arguably come in for the most criticism, but of course some players have been targeted by frustrated fans.

In the eyes of former star Caldwell, it all comes with the territory.

The current Partick Thistle manager told The Scottish Sun: “When you play for Celtic, it’s just what happens. One bad result can bring the whole world down on top of you.

“The criticism and furore that’s come on the back of that defeat is just classic Celtic. For me, this so-called crisis won’t last too long but, as players, all they can do is try to ride it out.

“The harsh reality is that if you want to play for Celtic, you need to be able to handle that pressure. You have to be thick-skinned and shrug off every bit of negativity that comes your way.”

To emphasise, Caldwell then spoke of the time he once gave the ball away during a 4-0 win over Kilmarnock and was slated in the post-match phone-ins.

TBR’s view

The expectations are so high at Celtic and Caldwell is right, Lennon and the players cannot allow the pressure to get the better of them.

The Cluj result was awful, but it is now about the response. Celtic may have beat Dunfermline, but they needed extra time to do so.

It is now about recovering, winning games convincingly and fending off the challenge from Rangers and landing that ninth straight league title.