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Neil Lennon reckons Brendan Rodgers got it wrong when he appeared to criticise Hearts' direct style of play – while James McFadden reckons it was a sign of 'deflection' from the Celtic boss. Speaking after the Hoops' 3-1 defeat to Hearts, which moved the Jambos eight points clear and asserted their credentials as a genuine title contender, Rodgers cited 'direct balls forward' as one reason for the defeat. That was strongly criticised by Kris Boyd who branded the comments 'disrespectful.' And two of his fellow pundits agree they were wide of the mark. Dunfermline boss Lennon , who replaced Rodgers at Parkhead in 2018, believes it's down to them to find a way if the opposition are proving difficult to play against. He said on Sky Sports after the game: "You have to find a way of playing through that and beating it. You're going to go to other teams like Livingston who are always up and at it. Hibs, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock all play a different way (to Celtic). It's their prerogative to play whatever way they find fit to be the best for their team. "As Celtic manager and players, you need to find a way of doing that. They normally do. They certainly didn't today. I didn't think Hearts were long ball today." And fellow pundit McFadden agreed entirely as he said: "They weren't (a long-ball team). Rodgers is deflecting from his team's deficiencies. "It's part of football, if you're not picking up the second balls, whether they're in the air or on the ground, and you're not ready to press and win the ball back, you're not going to win the game. "That for me was deflection from Rodgers to say 'that's what we faced today. They've been facing it forever." Follow Record Sport on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here . Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On , every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
