I feel that any criticism of the hallowed one should always be qualified in order to prevent a backlash. Many people will quite rightly point out the increased pressure a high profile player like Artur Boruc inspires, or the fact that he is having a few domestic issues etc etc; but the fact of the matter is that his recent performances have been considerably below par and not good enough. Admittedly the 'par' has been set by his own wonderful displays that have quite rightly earned him the tag of being the best Celtic goalkeeper in a couple of generations but his performances in recent times have taken a dramatic dip.
Further to that, Boruc is more than entitled to expect a little assistance from his team mates in times of need or reduced form, such has he supplied to the team in recent seasons ensuring that so many 1-0 leads became 1-0 victories but has the time come for Artur to be a little more accountable for his mistakes?
The reason I suggest this is not from some knee-jerk reaction point of view, it is from a more objective view point. Artur has been complicit in quite a few soft goals of late, and none more than yesterday's howler from a shot from distance that was hit straight at him. My opinion on this matter is that if a player's form takes a considerable dip and there are viable and tangible reasons for this, i.e. his recent late night partying and alcoholic convalescing from knee surgery then the player should be dropped to show everyone in the team that, despite previous glories they are not above reproach, especially given that Artur was granted special permission by the Club to return home during his recovery. Abuse of this special dispensation should not go unpunished, especially if a drop in form is forthcoming.
Some might say that this is a dangerous precedent to set, but this is fully justified in my opinion. Whilst we do not have an able enough deputy in Mark Brown for us to be fully comfortable you have to send out a clear message in such circumstances and maybe being dropped for our next match will help Artur to refocus and get back to his best. Let's face it the tie against Villarreal is only important for matters of pride and not for the result so would this be a good time to send out the right message?
Yours in Celtic
Clydebuilt