Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers called on his players to focus on the football and ease the dissent among fans with results after a 1-1 draw at Aberdeen exacerbated the concerns of the Hoops support.
Celtic ran out to chants of “sack the board” from the visiting fans and a banner reading “Celtic board, on your heads be it”.
Supporters were unhappy with a transfer window that saw Nicolas Kuhn and on-loan Norwich forward Adam Idah arrive and the likes of David Turnbull and Mikey Johnston depart.
Kuhn netted Celtic’s equaliser in the 63rd minute, four minutes after coming off the bench, but many supporters believe the failure to further strengthen the squad has risked their cinch Premiership title defence and they resumed their chants of dissent after the game.
The name “Lawwell” was central to the noise, after the influence of chairman Peter Lawwell and the record of his son, head of recruitment Mark Lawwell, came under scrutiny in recent days.
Rodgers had called for unity ahead of the game and he said afterwards: “I can only concentrate with the players on what we do on the field.
“You always find that winning games and performing well can ease those situations, and that’s what we aim to do.
“Supporters pay their money, they have every right to say what they want to say.
“For us it’s the field, we can only control that. If we can do that, then we will be okay.”
Rodgers, who felt his side lacked aggression in the second half, agreed it was “very important” not to let the complaints become a distraction to his players.
Although the fans were chanting against the board before and after the game, they applauded the players and manager after the final whistle and supported throughout.
“Whatever goes on outside of the field, you have to be able to deal with that,” he added.
“At a club like Celtic, and the biggest clubs, there will always be that pressure there. I don’t need to add any more pressure to the players. They understand, playing here.
“My job is to give them the confidence to find the results we need to find. But there’s still so many games and a long, long way to go.”
Aberdeen did not manage a single effort at goal in the first half but Bojan Miovski netted on the counter-attack in the 50th minute and the Dons had several opportunities to win the game in a strong second-half showing.
Caretaker manager Peter Leven revealed his simple message to his players at half-time: “Relax.”
He added: “Celtic are a good team, they are going to pin you back but when we turned possession over, we just needed to make a few more passes.
“We knew Celtic were going to press the first five seconds. I just said ‘believe in yourselves, be a bit more braver on the ball’. And I think you could see that in the second half.
“We had a few chances in the second half. The boys ran well second half, pressed them, passed the ball a lot better. It was just about belief.”
Aberdeen players were incensed that referee Steven McLean did not send off Maik Nawrocki after the defender fouled Miovski while already on a yellow card but Leven did not make much of the incident.
“I never saw it again,” the first-team coach said. “The second yellow card never happened but it’s one of these things the referee has got to deal with.”
Sporting CP boss Amorim apologises for holding West Ham talks
Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim has publicly apologised for holding talks with West Ham, who view the 39-year-old as a contender to replace David Moyes at the end of the season.
This week, widespread reports said Amorim had travelled to London for talks with the West Ham hierarchy, as they weigh up their options ahead of Moyes' contract expiring in June.
Moyes delivered the Europa Conference League trophy to the London Stadium last season but has long struggled to win over sections of the Hammers' fanbase, and a poor run of form has seen their hopes of European qualification fade in recent weeks.
Amorim, who led Sporting to the Primeira Liga crown in 2020-21 and looks likely to oversee another title triumph this term, has also been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool in the past.
He was roundly criticised for making the trip to London while still under contract, and on Saturday he admitted the visit was a mistake.
"So, let's get the elephant out of the room and I'll talk about it once," Amorim said in a press conference to preview Sunday's trip to Porto.
"The first thing is to say that the club was aware of my trip. It's important and changes the context.
"Then, let's talk about the 'cloak of secrecy' that surrounded the trip... I 'secretly' parked the car outside, secretly walked past 15 people and took photographs, then got on a plane behind the club's back.
"It didn't happen in secret or without permission. Obviously my trip was a mistake, the timing was completely wrong, it didn't seem right at the time.
"It was wrong, especially when I'm so demanding with my players and always the first to say that each one's actions can overpower the team. I have removed players from the squad for much less.
"It was my mistake, I have to accept it and live with it. It didn't seem so bad at the time but thinking about it later, it's very clear.
"Now it's time to move on. I apologise to the Sporting fans, the staff and, mainly, to my players for the mistake I made."
Wilder laments "complete lack of leadership" as Blades' relegation confirmed
Chris Wilder feels his Sheffield United side's "complete lack of leadership" has been a key factor in their relegation from the Premier League.
The Blades will be playing Championship football next term after a dismal one-season return to the Premier League in which they have won just three of their 35 league outings.
Sheffield United's 25th league defeat of the season confirmed their relegation as they were hammered 5-1 away at Newcastle United on Saturday despite Anel Ahmedhodzic putting them in front at St James' Park.
A drubbing ensued after Alexander Isak's leveller, and the final whistle condemned the Blades to the second tier with three games to spare.
In Wilder's view, the club needs to rectify a lack of on-field guidance if the Blades are to bounce straight back up, embodied by the tough outing at St James' Park.
Wilder told the BBC's Match of the Day. "There are plenty of games where we have been put to bed early but today we should have been 3-0 up at half-time. I'm scratching my head that it was 1-1.
"Newcastle up their game and get a head of steam. Then our old mistakes start to fall in and goals go from two to three to four to five pretty quickly.
"There's a reason why that happens. It's an incredibly young side and there is a complete lack of leadership out there. I thought at times I was going to have a heart attack in terms of trying to get the messages on."
Wilder acknowledged there could be tough times ahead for the club, though he hopes he retains the trust of the fans having been brought in for his second spell as Blades manager midway through the season following the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom.
"It's going to be a tough summer for everybody," Wilder continued. "We have not been good enough. The league has been too powerful for us right the way through the season.
"Sheffield United is a really good football club. I think everyone understands that but it's been a really poor season.
"I've still got another year left of my contract. I'd like to think that the supporters can trust me. I'm enthusiastic and committed along with my coaching staff to get it right. We know exactly what direction we need to go, what the culture is going to look like, what pre-season is going to look like."
Huddersfield Town all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off fate is decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellows strugglers Birmingham City.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
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