You’ve talked about the protocols being perfect, would you concede they’ve not all been around the poolside and at the bar?
We were in our bubble. The players were sitting in a bar, they weren’t on top of one another. We were outside having a beer in our bubble for half an hour. This is being made out to be something it’s not. We weren’t doing a 20 man conga which was lauded by all and sundry because Scotland qualified for the Euros. Our players weren’t behaving like that at all. 80 per cent of them are teetotal so for anyone to call it a jolly is totally disrespectful to the professionalism and the way they conduct theirselves as men.
For me there was nothing wrong with the photographs, and by the way it’s illegal to take a photographs in Dubai without someone’s consent. However we weren’t hiding anything, we weren’t up to anything, we were out there sitting there on our day off having travelled all through the night. Again, that’s our problem and not anyone else’s, but it’s impossible to do any training the next day, so they were given some down time like they all were. This has been a stick to beat us with these photographs and it’s completely preposterous.
There should have been 2m social distancing, John Kennedy slip ups
Not everything was perfect but show me anyone who is doing the right things. For example, when we played Hibs we had to bus six players in two buses because we were told now that is the way it has to be. Three people on a 52 seater bus. That has not been going on throughout the season.
We have been going to away grounds where we are cramped in like sardines. Boxing Day at Hamilton there was no social distancing there, there was no physical distancing. It is inconsistent. Protocols of different clubs are inconsistent. We go to St Johnstone all crammed into a little dressing room. Inconsistent.
As soon as Celtic are deemed to do something wrong then bang. You are all wanting blood. It is absolutely scandalous.
It’s not so much a bloodlust
That’s your opinion? Not from where I’m sitting.
The chief exec has already apologised and you’ve said it’s warranted
I’m only apologising because unfortunately we had one player pick it up. We have to look at that and see what happened. My apology is to the fans because 13 players and 3 staff had to isolate for 10 days which is ludicrous. I’m not apologising for anything else. I’m not apologising for going out there and training for a week. I’m not apologising for the players having a day off.
Is there an apology due to a wider section than just the clubs fans?
To who?
To other clubs, to the population at large who had to stay behind here, to any reputational damage it’s done in the eyes of the government?
What reputational damage has it done? Compared to Raith Rovers, compared to Hamilton, compared to Kilmarnock, compared to Motherwell, compared to Aberdeen? What damage has it done?
Well the first minister and her deputy have said the trip shouldn’t happen?
Why didn’t they stop us from going then? We flew out on the Saturday, the country went into full lockdown on the Monday. You can’t tell me the government didn’t know that we were going into full lockdown before we flew out on the Saturday?
Was the risk going to outweigh the reward?
That’s alright in hindsight. At the time we felt it was worth it. You sit there pontificating to me like the rest of you all are. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We did everything we possibly could do avoid any damage. But like I say, we’ve been held to a higher standard. There’s no leniency at all. We sent pictures of the plane, pictures of the bus, everything social distancing but it appears it wasn’t good enough for some government officials.
In terms of the review of your position, has it happened?
You need to ask the board that.
Reports you are to continue until the end of the season?
Well that’s great news for me then isn’t it.
That’s not correct, you’ve not heard that?
No.
Is the positive test from someone self-isolating?
It’s from someone self-isolating.
Are you disputing that you should have been without that many players?
Yes.
On the plane they were saying you had to isolate if you were two seats forward or two seats back, which wasn’t the case. We were told it was three metres.
Is it inaccurate?
I disagree with and I’m not convinced that was what we were led to believe. On the buses, the way we’ve been travelling and the way every team has been travelling up and down the country, now - the way the government has set out the protocols since we’ve come back, you can only have three on the bus out of a 52 seater.
We played Hibs and we had six players who couldn’t drive so we had to bus them. We couldn’t put all six on one bus. We had to get two busses to take six players. That would have meant in Dubai, we would needed 20 buses. If that’s the case, every team in the country is breaking protocols.
You feel as if the goalposts are moved?
100 percent.
Is there an issue with the guidelines?
We followed the protocols and it’s backfired on us, we’ve been punished for following the protocols so for me they’re a complete waste of time.
From this new positive, any worry of self-isolating?
Everyone is negative. The whole squad is negative, bar two players. That’s remarkable, and it totally blows out the water the way the trip has been portrayed in certain quarters of the media, by certain pundits and by certain government officials as well. We did not abuse any 'privilege', we did the right things, we were totally professional. We had a little drink in the afternoon on a day off, completely allowed, no law breaking. Yet we come back to this barrage of absolute hypocrisy."