There is something I have always believed when it comes to football. Before we start writing a player off, sometimes we should take a step back, look at the bigger picture and remember that behind every football shirt there is a human being trying to adapt, settle, learn a new system and cope with the enormous pressure that comes with playing for a club like Celtic.

That is why I was pleased to see Chris Sutton standing up for Kasper Høgh.

Because Sutton is not simply another pundit offering an opinion from the comfort of a television studio. He is a former striker who knows exactly what it feels like when the goals dry up, the pressure increases and the narrative surrounding you changes almost overnight.

Most importantly, he has been there himself.

In 1999, Sutton moved from Blackburn Rovers to Chelsea for around £10 million. Expectations were enormous, but his spell at Stamford Bridge turned into a nightmare. He struggled badly, managed only one Premier League goal and was slaughtered for it.

Did that mean Chris Sutton had suddenly forgotten how to play football?

Obviously not. A year later he moved to Celtic, rediscovered his form and became one of the most important players of Martin O’Neill’s first great side.

He won honours, scored important goals and helped take this club all the way to the UEFA Cup final in Seville.

Funny how football works, isn’t it?

Sometimes the player is not the problem. Sometimes the environment is wrong. Sometimes the system does not suit him. Sometimes confidence disappears. Sometimes a footballer simply needs time.

Apparently, this is now a complicated concept for people who expect every new Celtic signing to arrive at Paradise and start scoring hat-tricks immediately.

Perhaps I should reach for my English-teacher dictionary.

The word we are looking for is adaptation. And that brings me to Kasper Høgh.

Yes, he has struggled for goals since that spectacular hat-trick against Kilmarnock. Yes, Celtic invested serious money in him. Yes, supporters are entitled to expect goals from their centre-forward.

I expect them too. Nobody is suggesting we hand out gold stars simply because somebody turned up for work.

This is Celtic. Standards matter.

But there is a considerable difference between demanding improvement and declaring somebody a failure before he has been given a proper opportunity to establish himself.

That is where I think some of the reaction to Høgh has gone too far.

A striker struggling for confidence does not suddenly improve because thousands of people remind him every day that he is struggling for confidence.

Brilliant coaching strategy, that.

What could possibly go wrong?

A striker needs service. He needs movement around him. He needs to understand his teammates and the manager’s expectations. He needs a system which allows him to use his strengths.

And yes, he also needs to take responsibility for his own performances.

Those things are not contradictory.

We can expect more from Kasper Høgh while still giving him the backing required to produce it. That is what Sutton appears to understand.

Martin O’Neill has publicly backed the player as well, and Sutton has spoken about Høgh adapting to the system and improving aspects of his overall contribution.

Against Motherwell, Høgh did not score, but he contributed to Benjamin Nygren’s second goal instead of becoming obsessed with chasing one for himself. That matters. A centre-forward should obviously score goals, but football does not suddenly stop counting everything else he does because his own name is not on the scoresheet.

Of course I want him scoring again.

I want to see the confident striker Celtic believed they were signing.

But confidence is a strange thing in football. One goal can completely change the way a player feels. One good performance can change the noise around him.

A short run of goals can turn somebody from a supposed flop into the player everyone suddenly claims they believed in all along.

Sutton understands that better than most.

Imagine what people would have said about him after Chelsea if Celtic had judged him entirely on that season.

Waste of money. Finished. Not good enough.

Cannot cope at a big club.

Then he came here and became a hero.

That does not mean Kasper Høgh is automatically going to become Chris Sutton. Of course it does not. It means football careers are not always linear. Players struggle. Players adapt. Players recover. And supporters should leave enough room for that possibility.

I am not asking anybody to lower their standards. I am not asking Celtic fans to pretend Høgh is playing brilliantly when he is not.

He needs to work hard. He needs to improve. And ultimately, he needs to score more goals.

But there is no contradiction between saying all of that and still wanting the guy to succeed.

That is what supporting a player actually means.

You do not wait until everything is going perfectly before offering encouragement. Anybody can cheer someone who is scoring every week.

Support matters most when somebody is struggling.

And Celtic supporters can be enormously powerful when they decide to get behind somebody.

Imagine being a striker desperate for a goal, knowing every chance carries the weight of the previous misses, and hearing thousands of people groan the instant something goes wrong.

Now imagine hearing them urging you to go again. Which environment gives the player the better chance? I know my answer.

Kasper Høgh does not need special treatment.

He does not need excuses.

He simply needs time, encouragement and the opportunity to show whether the player Celtic believed they were buying is actually there.

And if he ultimately fails?

Then judge him.

Football will give us plenty of time for that. But rushing to the verdict serves nobody.

Chris Sutton learned that lesson the hard way at Chelsea.

Celtic benefited enormously because Martin O’Neill looked beyond that failure and saw the footballer underneath it.

Perhaps we should remember that before deciding Kasper Høgh’s story at Celtic has already been written.

Football has a funny way of embarrassing people who rush to their verdicts.

I would rather give Høgh the opportunity to make his critics look ridiculous than help those critics destroy his confidence before he gets the chance.

Come on, Kasper.

Now go and score the goal that changes the conversation.

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