The Battered Shield of Loyalty: When Defending Becomes Enabling The loyalty defense is a familiar shield in football, often deployed by managers when their team's results go awry.
Andy Halliday employed this tactic when discussing Derek McInnes's tenure at Rangers, citing the pressure and flak the manager was receiving for the team's poor start.
However, what struck a chord in Halliday's words is the implication that defending someone else's decisions can sometimes become enabling.