We’re under scrutiny but that’s when you look to your team-mates for strength
Christie insists Celts must stick together to halt slide
We have to forget about this game, look at it and right the wrongs RYAN CHRISTIE
RYAN CHRISTIE insists there’s no reason for panic at Celtic despite suffering yet another dent to their season with defeat to Kilmarnock.
The 23-year-old made his first start in the Hoops since December 2016 after two spells on loan at Aberdeen and called for his team-mates to stand together if they’re to emerge from a dismal run of just one win from seven attempts on the road.
Christie is adamant excuses won’t wash as they look to redouble their efforts in a bid to dig themselves out of the malaise which has been apparent in recent flat displays.
With the spotlight now falling on a squad that looks a diminished force both as an attacking threat and defensive unit, the midfielder insists it’s time for a united front to be shown when they head to St Johnstone on Betfred Cup duty on Wednesday night.
Christie said: “It is just about belief and togetherness. We know we have that when we look at each other.
“We are starting to come under a bit of scrutiny but that is when you start looking to either side of you, at your team-mates. We have the belief to do that.
“We are not panicking. We still highly believe we can push on and get back to the top of our game. It is important we do that as soon as we can.
“Now we go into the St Johnstone game and we are desperate to put ourselves into a semi-final. Everybody has to be at the top of their game.
“We have to forget about today, look at it and right the wrongs.
“Most importantly focus on that and make sure we come out of that having progressed into the semi-final.”
Celtic followed their draw with St Mirren in Paisley by dropping all the points in Ayrshire thanks to a last-minute strike from former Hoops academy kid Stuart Findlay.
Once again it was a failing from the Hoops in the final third to use imagination and display a cutting edge which has been absent for huge parts of their league campaign so far.
At full-time in Ayrshire there were signs of some discontent from Parkhead fans with the odd dissenting voice being heard from the areas of the ground housing the travelling supporters.
Christie wasn’t in the mood to start pointing fingers and says if the blame game is going to begin then they should look no further then their own dressing room.
He said: “It is always gutting to lose a match in the last minute, particularly from something as simple as a set-piece.
“At Celtic we like to pride ourselves on the simplistics of the game and it is frustrating to concede in the last minute in this way.
“You really know what you are going to come up against in Kilmarnock, they have done so well in the last couple of seasons.
“Their manager has done well to get them well structured throughout their team.
“We dominated the ball for pretty much the whole match and for them to have only two shots on target and win 2-1, you can say that is unfortunate but we can only look at ourselves.”
Celtic’s lack of goals can be summed up by having found the net on average just once per game in the league which is six matches old.
And they are offering increasing encouragement to all-comers that a genuine title challenge could be on the cards.
If there were any positives to take from the loss at Rugby Park that saw six changes to the Celtic line-up from their midweek win over Rosenborg then it was the display of Christie. The playmaker did at least attempt to spark his side into life with a dynamic display.
But the former Scotland Under-21 kid is convinced the bigger picture of three dropped points has taken any shine off his impressive contribution.
He said: “I was glad to start, I was hoping it would come soon and it has.
“Obviously the most important thing is to pick up three points and we haven’t done that so I am pretty gutted.”