SHIN YAMADA, HAYATO INAMURA: CELTIC PLAYERS CAUGHT UP IN MANAGER/BOARD PROXY WAR
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 5 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Much has been said over the last couple of days about the utter incompetence of the Celtic Board and the utter failure of their recruitment strategy during this latest transfer window.
And I agree with all of it. As I said the other day, the Celtic Board have now crossed a line from simple ineptitude in the transfer market, to gross corporate negligence.
Heads would roll for such failures in almost any other line of business.
With all that being said, I also feel that our manager Brendan Rodgers has, at times, also acted in a manner unbefitting a man of his position. Last night’s Europa League squad announcement confirmed this.
Shin Yamada, Hayato Inamura: Celtic Players Deserving of More Respect
Now, at the time of writing, I understand that neither Shin Yamada nor Hayato Inamura have done enough to show that they are up to task of being at a club as demanding as Celtic, so far.
None among Shin Yamada, Hayato Inamura, Celtic’s other summer recruits have had anywhere near enough of a chance to prove themselves yet. Our league season is only 4 games old, and we’ve only played 2 European matches so far.
With that being said, both of these players made the decision to leave what were very stable and comfortable positions in with their clubs in Japan to come to Celtic and show that they are able to make the same step up as Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi before them.
Both would have been promised that they would, at least, be given a fair chance to stake a claim for first team football. Whether it was Brendan Rodgers who sanctioned these signings or someone else on Celtic’s staff is irrelevant.
For Brendan Rodgers to now leave these players out of our European squad for, seemingly, no reason other than “they weren’t his signings” seems petty, unprofessional, narcissistic and actually quite cruel.
Yamada especially, was no doubt hoping that the move to Celtic and the chance to showcase his ability on the European stage would help him build on his single cap for Japan so far and, at least, stake a claim to be part of the squad for next summer’s World Cup.
But if even his club manager doesn’t show the faith in him to make him part of the Europa League squad, then can we really blame Hajime Moriyasu (a man whom my distain for his management style is well-documented), if he also decides to give Shin “the Kyogo treatment” and freeze him out of the international squad.
Brendan Rodgers seems to be making some kind of point in his clandestine, proxy war with the members of the Celtic Board who we know don’t like him and can’t wait to get him out the door.
However, it isn’t Shin Yamada or Hayato Inamura’s fault that Brendan Rodgers and Peter Lawwell don’t get along. Yet, these two players seem to be the only ones being made to suffer in this passive-aggressive back and forth between Rodgers and the board.
Yes, as a Celtic fan in Japan, I will admit a bit of personal bias in this. I’ve seen what these guys can do when given the chance. It frustrates me that they’re not getting that chance simply because of our manager’s hurt ego.
Inamura, in the eyes of many showed enough in pre-season that he could be an able back up to Kieran Tierney. In fact, with the right coaching, many fans seem to agree that he could develop into a really classy defender.
Meanwhile, Tierney struggles to last more than 70 minutes on the pitch, and his understudy Marcelo Sarrachi is only here for, at most a year, since there’s no option to make his deal permanent at the end of the loan.
It’s not just Celtic fans who are confused and, a little annoyed by this. I read a piece in the Japanese press today asking “What have Inamura and Yamada done to offend Brendan Rodgers?”
That’s the conclusion that many over here in Japan have been compelled to reach, because they assume that a manager of Rodgers’ international standing and experience should be above the childishness of “I didn’t ask for those players so I’m not playing them.”
Leaving Inamura out for someone who just came in last week seems like a slap in the face. Leaving out Shin, and Johnny Kenny for that matter, in favor of one of Rodgers’ preferred signings who might not even be fit enough to play for several weeks yet, is just downright insulting.
The Board are to blame for the vast, vast majority of Celtic’s current ills. However, if our manager does indeed plan to stay and see out his full three-year deal, then he needs to stop taking out his understandable frustration