Caldwell needs to go
It is fair to say that the Tartan Army and Celtic fans don’t always agree.
Lets not get carried away, there are a great number of people who like Celtic and Scotland but there is a sense that some of the followers stand apart.
In the opinion of some fans, “the kilt and desert boot wearers who are only there for a party” may be opposed to “the tricolour waving political activists that pepper Parkhead” but there is one topic that brings them together.
Yes, Gary Caldwell and his massive heid manages to pull these two groups together, an act that Henry Kissinger may have struggled to pull off.
Its a shame as he managed moments for both that should have made him a legend in the eyes of even the harshest of fans.
Scottish fans won’t forget the winner that rainy night at Hampden when Gary slid in to stick it to the French.
Celtic fans won’t forget the way Caldwell stepped up to the plate and was a key player in the run of 7 victories that propelled them to a third title in a row back in 2007/08.
However, even with all this goodwill built up, Caldwell has somehow managed to obliterate it with poor performances and an even poorer attitude.
It says a lot about the state of modern football and the relationship between fans and players but the poor performances could probably be tolerated. Caldwell is not the worst player for either club but insists on singling himself out with an inability to keep his mouth shut.
There are those who will point at some of the private life indiscretions Caldwell has made but they should probably remain his private matters. It is the wage demands of around £15,000 to £20,000 that has caused the most offence for fans.
With the economic situation being what it is, any player openly making a claim for this sort of cash is going to be viewed poorly. When it is being made by a player who is making mistake after mistake, it is hard to fault fans for not having patience.
The start of the 2009/10 season was a disaster for Caldwell, an early dismissal in Scotlands drubbing in Norway setting the low standard. For all that there can be debate about whether it was a harsh sending off or not, poor defensive work allowed John Carew to have Caldwell in his back pocket and draw silly fouls.
The international form has been carried to his club, with Caldwell being part of a defensive line-up that has shipped 5 goals in their last two games.
Credit should always go to the attacking team but the goals Celtic have conceded to Falkirk and Dundee United have exposed a very weak central defence.
Losing two free headers in the six-yard box in the final few minutes consigned Celtic to their first defeat against Dundee United in over 10 years. The man with the captain’s armband could only look around and realise he had no one left to blame.
The issue is, within a few days, Caldwell will be back spouting off to the media about how the team can bounce back and that fans opinions don’t matter, the team will decide what is good enough.
Celtic fans can at least look forward to the fact that Caldwell is unlikely to be at the club next season, Scottish fans may have to suffer his performance and attitude a bit longer.
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