Brendan Rodgers: 'I don't need to bite my tongue'

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers declared he had the right to air his emotions as he claimed the pursuit of unity was his main motivation in calling out the reaction of some fans on Sunday.

Rodgers had argued that supporters who chanted the name of signing target Kieran Tierney were being disrespectful to fellow left-back Greg Taylor.

And, after a 3-0 win over St Mirren, he called for fans to show their support, instead of negativity, when his players need to pass the ball back to change the point of their attack.

Ahead of Wednesday's visit of Dundee United, Rodgers described his comments as an "observation" rather than a demand.

"I think everyone has the right to air their emotion and their feeling, and that was my feeling from the weekend," he said.

"Listen, the Celtic support is an amazing support base, what they give the team and how they support the team and how they travel with the team. So I’m not going to start to tell people what to sing.

"But for me it’s just that bigger picture around this period of games in particular, where pitches are a wee bit lumpier than what they normally would be and the game may be a little bit slower than what it can normally be. So that isn’t always the fault of the players. That’s just sometimes how it is.

"That support can really help the team in what is a really, really gruelling period for us.

"I’m not going to beat about the bush when I’m talking about the bush. I’m experienced enough to say what I think and what I feel, but not in a derogatory way to anyone.

"Everything that I put myself through to come back here, I’m so, so happy that I came back here. I love my life and love my job here. But it’s also important to be able to say what I think.

"Sometimes you’re paid not to say what you