Paul Lambert believes the recent hefty criticism directed towards Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is laughable.
The former Hoops star admits he can't help but chuckle when he sees some supporters turning on the manager.
The ex-Scotland international is confident Rodgers will prove his doubters wrong amid the ongoing title fight with Rangers.
Philippe Clement's side could go top tomorrow with a win by a margin of two or more goals against Ross County. Rodgers' side held a seven-point gap over the Ibrox club when the Belgian arrived in Glasgow, which has led to some negative noise surrounding the champions.
But Lambert insists much of the criticism is over the top, dismissing any notion of a crisis under Rodgers.
He told The Football Faithful: “At Celtic, when you lose, even if you draw a game people want to hound you because that’s the pressure that comes. I think he’s handled everything up there, he’s done it before and he’ll do it again. This is a team that’s sitting top of the league up there.
"It’s strange. It makes me laugh because I know how it works up there, I played there for nine years. You’re only one bad pass away from a crisis and if you can’t handle the heat then it’s not a gig for you. Brendan will have absolutely no problem up there.”
READ MORE: Ex-Celtic striker opens up on role in O'Riley Denmark debut
Asked if Rodgers' poor record in Europe has contributed to any ill-feeling from the fans, he responded: “The bottom line is they haven’t got the same finances as a lot of teams. Can they probably compete better with teams on a similar budget? Yeah, probably.
"I was at the Lazio game at the Stadio Olimpico and there wasn’t much in it. I was at the Atletico Madrid game and up until the sending off you didn’t know where the game was going. They obviously flexed their muscles and ran out comfortably in the end. I was at the Shakhtar game. They’re not far from it, it’s just that little bit of quality.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel