We are interested in all sorts of takes from ex Celtic players and football pundits when it comes to Celtic. We don’t always agree with their points but we believe it’s absolutely correct to report on them.

Davie Provan is a classic example of an ex-Celtic player who has been so critical of the club – he’s turned off a lot of supporters.

The pundit goes in two footed and it feels sometimes like he wants to do that rather than being measured so his impartiality and professionalism stays intact [in his mind].

This is why today Provan has put Mark Hately in his place over comments he made after the Glasgow Derby. Hately referred to the Ibrox side who narrowly defeated Celtic as their ‘b’ team – because they were missing a couple of their first team players.

No mention of Celtic not having Christopher Jullien or James Forrest to call upon may I add.

Writing in his SunSport column, Provan had a dig at Hately for having no credibility because of his affiliation with the Ibrox club:

Postecoglou has done little wrong since his arrival so he deserves some slack. If his first derby could have gone either way, you would never have known it given some of the guff that followed.

“My former broadcast buddy Mark Hateley believes the result gives Postecoglou a problem, saying: “I think he’ll be scratching his head and wondering what he’ll need to challenge Rangers’ A team. The B team was out on Sunday with so many players missing.”

“Really? Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo, Steven Davis, Connor Goldson, Filip Helander, Kemar Roofe and Borna Barisic are Gers‘ B team? I know how it works when former players trade their credibility for a club tie. Celts have their own posse of cheerleaders.

“But if the Gers legend really believes there’s a big gap between the sides, he’s dreaming. Postecoglou will have been sick at the result and his own part in it. But having matched Rangers on their own patch, he’ll know there’s nothing to fear from Gerrard’s side.”

Provan covers a lot here and is spot on. He also has a we dig at who he perceives to be Celtic cheerleaders – although he doesn’t name names.

When it comes to Ex-Ibrox players in the press, they’re likely to be in full on blue tinted glasses mode. We see it all the time, impartiality is not something they deal in. Hately’s comments just another reminder.

For Provan, he might feel better about not looking like a cheerleader but you lose just as much respect if you constantly barrage the club with criticism to get reads on your column. Let’s not forget, during Celtic’s incredible quadruple treble run, we regularly reported on Provan being ridiculously negative.

2 COMMENTS

  1. One more thing he needs to understand Celtic sold players for big money one of the reasons for this is they where a team full of Serial Winners most have there swag bag full some to overflow.other teams buy players for big money like those Celtic sold…..

  2. The wan in a roe sevco. What were they doing during the nine then? Not bad concidering the St Brendan saga and Quad trebles. Have sevco actually won anything of massive newsroom coverage. Mark Hately talks like the team he played for, never met Mr Craig ‘Liquidator’ Whyte.

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