Frank McAvennie has defended Cameron Carter-Vickers after the Celtic defender was criticised for taking 'cheap shots' at the team's tactics following the 1-0 loss to Rangers at Parkhead. The former Hoops striker insists the USA international had every right to question the approach in the Old Firm defeat.
Defender's comments sparked debate
Carter-Vickers described Celtic's style of play as 'a bit too random' after the match and argued the side need to 'get a script and stick to it'. The comments were viewed by some as a slight on manager Martin O'Neill, with Celtic hero Alan Stubbs among those to criticise the defender.
The defeat to Rangers came a week after Celtic were thumped 3-0 at Ibrox, crashing out of the Premier Sports Cup at the quarter-final stage. Carter-Vickers was missing with a calf strain on Sunday as Celtic bounced back with a 2-0 away win at Motherwell.
McAvennie's verdict
Speaking on the Let Me Be Frank Podcast, McAvennie said: "I think players are entitled to say what they want. If the coaching is terrible, the coaching is terrible. I guarantee the coaching is nothing to do with Martin (O'Neill), the coaching is done by Shaun (Maloney) and Fozzy (Mark Fotheringham). Martin has never done the coaching. If it (the coaching) is not right, it's not right. He never said anything bad."
McAvennie also questioned why Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has remained on the bench in the last two matches. He added: "I still don't know why Oxlade-Chamberlain isn't playing. We have got a gap in the middle which I keep talking about."
Forward concerns
On Benjamin Nygren, McAvennie said: "Nygren keeps going upfront. He scored a goal (on Sunday) but when he is not scoring he has done nothing." Kasper Hogh hit another blank at Fir Park, but McAvennie is confident the Dane will return to scoring form with better service from wide areas.
McAvennie stated: "It's a confidence thing, as a striker he is going through (on goal) and thinking 'oh I might miss this'. Normally he would just put them away as he's scored goals in Europe. I think (Hogh) he will come good when they (Celtic) start going down the wing and getting the balls in the box."
