STAR SHINING
ABERDEEN I’m flying as Dons loan has helped toughen me up
RYAN CHRISTIE wanted to toughen up. Now he’s made of Granite and feeling like a main man instead of just a shirt filler.
Needing to go out on loan to try to get games and impress Brendan Rodgers at parent club Celtic, he had to find the right home.
A place where the demands are severe. Where expectations are high. Where you either get tough or get left behind.
Christie had already tasted five months at Aberdeen in the second half of last season and Pittodrie offered everything he needed.
Under the outstanding tutelage of Derek McInnes, his performances and tactical awareness have grown and his talent has blossomed.
With the demands of a club like the Dons also testing his mental strength, Christie has been able to develop a mindset to cope with the stresses and strains of needing to produce every week.
Interim Scotland boss Malky Mackay recognised that growth by calling the playmaker into the set-up for a full international debut against Holland last week and everyone is getting the benefit.
Christie is able to see tangible improvement. Celtic are getting their player shaped and improved while Aberdeen are holding the services of a matchwinner for an entire season.
It’s a no-lose situation and the player himself is savouring the benefits of life in the Granite City, insisting every day spent with the Dons is improving his development.
Christie said: “There are demands at Aberdeen. It’s one of the main reasons I chose to go there on loan.
“I’m not saying it is as big as Celtic but there is still that pressure and expectation to win games week in, week out.
“It was key that I had that pressure placed on to me every game. That experience helps me know I can deal with it.
“I’ve felt this season and at the end of last season I can make myself a key player instead of going back to being a shirt filler. I’m feeling confident that I can be the one that people look at to influence or change a game.
“It’s nice to have that confidence and I’m lucky I have it at Aberdeen. Everyone talks about going out on loan and getting game time but it has really helped me to be playing every week. I’m really loving my football in Aberdeen with the way we are playing.
“It is showing. My performances at the beginning of the season were up and down and my consistency is something I need to work on. If I can get consistent at the top of my game then I’ll be happy.”
If Christie needed any additional inspiration over where his spell in the North East can take him he only needed to look across the dressing room during the international friendly last week.
Callum McGregor wasn’t able to sustain an early surge at Celtic.
After an impressive loan spell at Notts County, the midfielder was thrown into the first team when Ronny Deila became boss.
He exploded on to the scene with some vital goals but eventually drifted out of the picture.
Some thought McGregor had lost his big chance but nothing could have been further from the truth.
He is now a genuine Champions League performer. He played and scored against Bayern Munich a fortnight ago and also made his Scotland debut against the Dutch.
Christie said: “Callum is a good example. Playing alongside him during the Scotland gathering, you can see he is an exceptional player. “He is so gifted and you look at the way he has come through at Celtic. He had to go away to England to get games.
“It shows that when you do go out on loan it doesn’t mean that you are on the road out of that club. You can see how Callum has kicked on.” RYAN CHRISTIE