Celtic Will Love Lawrence Shankland’s All Mouth, No Movement Captaincy Debut
The new captain's performance and post-match reaction suggested leadership will be tested much sooner than many expected.
Phillip Cooney 
Lawrence Shankland arrived at the Ibrox club carrying huge expectations.
He was handed the captain’s armband and presented as the man who would inspire a title challenge.
After one league match, his football was not the biggest talking point.
His reaction after the final whistle was.
For Celtic, that should be a very encouraging sign.
Lawrence Shankland Is Following Derek McInnes’ Lead
Leadership is tested when things go wrong.
The best captains demand more from themselves before pointing elsewhere.
Instead, Shankland joined the protests towards referee Nick Walsh after the draw with Dundee United.
Moments later, Derek McInnes stormed onto the pitch to continue the confrontation.
The similarities between manager and captain were impossible to ignore.
Neither appeared interested in looking at their own performance first.
Instead, the officials became the centre of attention.
That is an alarming mentality after just one league fixture.
Both men are widely regarded as staunch supporters of the Ibrox club.
That may play well to sections of the support.
However, being staunch wins nothing on its own.
It does not score goals.
It does not create chances.
Most importantly, it does not win league titles.
It may play to the gallery, but without substance it quickly becomes meaningless.
Lawrence Shankland Must Produce More Than Excuses
Reports claimed Shankland covered just 2.6 kilometres during the 90 minutes.
If those figures are accurate, they are astonishing for a captain and centre-forward.
The performance simply did not justify the emotion shown afterwards.
Shankland has enjoyed an impressive goalscoring career.
However, his honours list tells another story.
He has won the Scottish Championship with Dundee United.
He also won Scottish League One with Ayr United.
He has never won the Scottish Premiership.
He has never lifted the Scottish Cup.
He also knows what it feels like to fall short when the pressure increases after Hearts’ title challenge slipped away.
Now he faces even greater expectations.
If his first instinct after dropping points is to follow his manager in blaming officials, serious questions must be asked about the leadership at the club.
Championship-winning teams respond with better performances.
They do not make the referee the biggest story after the opening game of the season.
Celtic should take confidence from what unfolded.
If Lawrence Shankland and Derek McInnes already appear rattled after one match, the pressure will only become greater as the season develops.
Captains earn respect through performances, composure and trophies.
Not by arguing with referees after failing to win football matches.
Eric Knott 
