Peter Grant reckons that Martin O’Neill may well have taken an old school approach to deal with what he might have regarded as petulance from Reo Hatate during the Scottish Cup semi-final against St Mirren…
Hatate was stripped and ready to come on for the start of extra-time with the game in the balance at 2-2 and with the momentum in the match seemingly with St Mirren who had found back from 2-0 down at the interval to level the match in the closing seconds of regulation time.
The creative talents of Reo Hatate
The creative talents of Reo Hatate, just like in the Scottish Premiership match at Ibrox, looks like the plan to turn the semi-final back towards Celtic but a knock to Benjamin Arthur meant that the choice of substitutes was changed with Dane Murray being introduced at Hatate’s expense.
It’s fair to say that Reo didn’t hide his frustrations very well and Peter Grant believes that will have been noted by the 74 year old Celtic boss who worked under Brian Clough in his playing days at Nottingham Forest. The old school approach in action and Jock Stein was also prone to dealing with players in this manner.
Hatate inadvertently crossed the line
Grant reckons that Hatate was probably inadvertently crossed the line and that is why he is finding game-time hard to come by. The former Celtic midfielder outlined his reasoning on Go Radio Football Show.
“I don’t think Martin will start him,” Peter Grant said. “The thing that disappointed me, and this is the first time I would throw it at him, in the cup game against St Mirren the other week he was ready to come and then there was a slight injury to the centre-back, Arthur, he had to come off.
‘I have been there myself, you want to bring on a creative spark’
“So Hatate didn’t get to come on, and I wanted to see his body language and if he was celebrating like everyone else – and that disappointed me, because there was a reason the manager had to change it.”
“I have been there myself, you want to bring on a creative spark, and someone is injured and you have to change it. I just thought his body language after it was really, really disappointing after it and that would frustrate me.
“People say ‘old school’, but I would be the same as Martin – I would be watching that very closely and saying ‘I’m not having that, I want somebody out there that is about the team’.”
“When he played against Rangers, he can change the game, there is nobody better at doing that. I think Engels getting a few games for is more important. If I could play the other guys before him, I would, because I was so disappointed with him that day.”
Martin O’Neill eyes are on a remarkable double for Celtic
Earlier in the week Martin O’Neill hinted that Reo Hatate would indeed be involved in the remaining five games of the season as the veteran manager looks to bring his second caretaker stint at Celtic this season to a close by winning what would be a remarkable double.
Our chances are enhanced by the adopting a by all means necessary approach to these games and one factor has surely to play our best players, with Reo Hatate clearly in that category. Yet it’s down to Martin O’Neill. Shaun Maloney and the rest of the coaching staff.
The Celtic captain Callum McGregor is carrying an injury, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain is not up to speed to start games, Arne Engels is just back from injury and for all his attributes Luke McCowan is clearly not at Reo’s level.
It is just daft to shoot yourself in the foot
It’s not old school to cut off your own nose to spite your face. It is just daft to shoot yourself in the foot and there’s zero chance of Martin doing just that. If Hatate feels he has a point to prove the manager is crafty enough to say ‘okay Reo, go out and do it’ at Easter Road on Sunday.
Let’s hope so.
