Carter-Vickers gives update on ‘distraught’ teammate after VAR intervention.
Everything that Cameron Carter-Vickers said to the media after Celtic’s 2-0 Scottish Premiership defeat to Hearts…
How difficult an afternoon was that for Celtic with 10 men?
It was clearly challenging. We were disappointed that we did not receive the desired results. Overall, I believe we can be proud of the performance we gave. We created a lot of opportunities, even when we were down to 10 men. So, yes, I believe there are many benefits that we may derive from it. Whether we won or lost the game, what we need to do for the balance of the season is fairly obvious. We’ll just focus on that.
What were your thoughts on the decisions?
You might argue whether the first one was a red card or not, but I believe the referee saw it live. He has a clear view of the situation and issues a yellow card. So he can alter it when he gets to the monitor? I am not convinced that is correct. As we all know, when photographs are slowed down, they can look significantly worse. I would like the referee to stick to his earlier ruling, especially because he had a clear view of it the first time around.
Did you think it was a handball against Tomoki Iwata for the Hearts penalty and is it hard for you as a defender to understand the handball rule?
I don’t think a single player on the pitch knew who had handballed it. I think most people on the pitch thought it was Ali, Ali Johnston, handballed it. Obviously, it wasn’t, it was Tomo (Iwata). When you are jumping for the ball, your arms naturally come up. On top of that, there is a lot of pushing and shoving that goes on which can move your body and make it seem like it moves in the direction of the ball when you never meant to do it.
The manager was frustrated at the fact that the referee saw incidents live but they ended up being re-refereed by someone away from the stadium. How frustrating is that for players because you know the speed of the game?
I fail to see why the referee needs to go to a monitor at all if he saw it plainly the first time around. It’s acceptable if he hasn’t seen it, has only seen it through bodies, or hasn’t got a decent angle. However, he had a clear picture of the situation the first time and issued a yellow card. I simply don’t get it. And not only in that situation, either. I don’t think a referee needs to give it another look once he’s seen it plainly.
Is it a worry that incidents and decisions like these could cost you or decide the title?
They could do. We can’t let our focus go on to that. We have just got to focus on our own performance. Like I said, even when we went down to 10 men, we created a good few chances. We probably would have liked to have stopped them from scoring a second. That is all we can focus on. As long as we keep improving and getting better we will be alright.
Does this feel like a missed opportunity to go back to the top of the table?
In terms of results, sure. Not in terms of performance, I think. It is never easy to reduce the number of soldiers to ten. Naturally, some of your influence over the game will be lost. I believed that we were most likely the team that generated the better opportunities for the most part. We only need to have trust that if we continue in that direction, the desired outcomes will materialize.
With both Rangers and Celtic losing at the weekend unexpectedly does that show you that there will be more twists and turns in the title race?
100 per cent. We have also got to play each other twice. Nothing is done yet. For us it is about focusing on ourselves and what we can control and trying to be the best versions of ourselves that we can.
Aside from the VAR controversy, is it easy to forgive Adam for missing the penalty?
Yeah. He came in and in his second game against Hibs away he scored two big penalties for us. He scored late on against Motherwell and again the other night against Dundee. We have full faith in him as we do in all our players. One penalty miss can happen to anyone.
You are one of the leaders in the dressing and with Callum McGregor out how important is it for you and the senior guys to step up and be leaders? Do you feel a responsibility personally to step up?
Perhaps somewhat. Though I don’t always use the term, I always like to think of myself as a leader. We control and govern things collectively. Naturally, I have opinions about stuff. I consider myself to be fairly adept at adding context to both favorable and unfavorable circumstances. I kind of envision my position on the squad in that way. The characters of other players are distinct. We have a nice mix of characters, in my opinion.
Callum is going to be out for a while now. How do you feel you played without Callum? Did the midfield area of the pitch function okay?
I think when we had 11 men we started the game pretty well. Paulo has played quite a bit so he is ready to go, Tomo has been playing really well in the last few games when he has been in and obviously Matty has been one of our best players all season. So, yeah, I think we have got the players to cope.
How was Yang? He looked pretty distraught.
Obviously, you are distraught when you get sent off and it affects the game like that. You are going to be down a little bit. But most of the boys got around him straight away and I think he is feeling alright now.
How is Adam settling in off the park and on it?
Really good. He is a great guy. He is actually quite funny. He makes the boys laugh and is a great character.
Does he feel like a Celtic player already?
Yes, he really is. Although I am aware that it is a loan, the circumstances are the same as they were when I joined. Players are a part of the team and the club whether they are on loan or have signed a contract. He is made to feel at home by everyone.
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