Former Celtic player calls the club 'Mickey Mouse'

Celtic might win trophies on a consistent basis but it is not the easiest club to succeed at for players. That is because the pressure is to win pretty much every game and getting into or staying in the team is not easy. It is especially true for those arriving at Parkhead late on in their careers. It is not a place you can cruise, that is for sure.

One positive thing that Celtic have done in recent years is move away from their policy of signing veteran players just because they are available as free agents. Of course, there have been exceptions.

The likes of Joe Hart and Aaron Mooy did very well. Kasper Schmeichel is proving to be a shrewd addition as well. One player who did not though is Carlton Cole.

Cole was signed by Celtic in October of 2015. He would leave the following summer. He had only played five games for the Hoops over that period of time, scoring just once. And now, the former Chelsea, Aston Villa and West Ham United player has given his take on his stint at Parkhead.

Former Celtic player calls the club 'Mickey Mouse'

It looks like Cole was not a fan of the medical team at Celtic. As reported by Glasgow World, he said while speaking on the Let Me Be Frank Podcast:

"From the outside at the time, Celtic looked like a massive club but when you go in and you see it, it was a little bit Mickey Mouse. It wasn't great.

“For me, the medical team was essential to keep me going and keep me fit. But there were two - it was divided. There was the old faithful, the Scottish medical team and there was the Norwegian medical team as well. They couldn't really agree, the two medical teams.

“So when you went in, you had to pick a side as a player. It was just really weird for me. That was just one of the things. But I'm not saying it was just that. But I'm just saying I was mentally prepared for these things. And it culminated into me not performing."

Of course, we were not there. So, we do not know about the problems that Cole faced during his time at Parkhead. But it is safe to say that his comments will not go down well with most Celtic fans.

Perhaps it is worth mentioning though that Cole had not been performing at a high level even before arriving at Celtic. He had scored a combined 11 goals in his last three seasons for West Ham United. And he would never score a professional goal after leaving Glasgow either.