Hibs boss not surprised by rise of Griffiths
WHEN he signed Leigh Griffiths for Celtic, Neil Lennon had more than an inkling the tearaway striker with the uncanny instinct for scoring would come good.
As his Hibs team attempt to stop Scotland’s in-form forward at Celtic Park this afternoon, the former Hoops boss might regret being so right about the £1million gamble he took on the Wolves front man back in January 2014.
Amid the niceties of who will or won’t celebrate a goal or a victory in today’s fixture — with former Hibs favourite Griffiths vowing to stay shtum and Lennon himself insisting he wouldn’t go over the score in front of Celtic fans who still adore him — the meeting of these two teams does pose a few intriguing footballing questions.
Among travelling fans, there will be concerns over a defence that has looked intermittently solid yet clearly lacks pace in the full-back areas, with Steven Whittaker looking particularly sluggish for a player whose reputation was built partly on raw speed.
Against any combination of Griffiths, Scott Sinclair, Patrick Roberts, James Forrest and Callum McGregor, being even a little bit slow can be fatal.
And, for all the daring and drive of Celtic’s wide men, it is Griffiths who will do the damage to any opposition back line forced on to their heels.
Lennon saw that potential. He is hardly surprised to see his signing living up to expectations.
‘The fact that he is starting ahead of Moussa Dembele shows you exactly what Brendan Rodgers thinks of him,’ said the Hibs boss.
‘He has worked at his game and improved it. He is a free-kick specialist as well. The range of goals he scores is great.
‘For a little guy he is great in the air and his timing is superb. He can score left foot, right foot, headers — and he always seems to hit the target no matter if he is outside the box. He is better than he was three years ago when we brought him in.
‘The one thing he could do, and the reason we bought him, was that he could score goals. When I bought him, his goal record was fantastic, no matter where he had been.
‘Whether it was Livingston, Dundee, here at Hibs or Wolves, it was a goal in two. And he has taken that on. He’s becoming more rounded as a striker.’
The record of 67 goals in 100 league appearances bears out the confidence Lennon felt in persuading the Celtic board to double their initial bid for Griffiths.
There were plenty of fans who didn’t think the former Hibee would ever be ‘Celtic class’. There have been times, too, when Griffiths hasn’t helped himself. He has been forced to grow up and focus harder on being a professional all of the time.
Lennon believes that off-field work was always going to pay off, saying: ‘He got 40-odd goals one season, then he was terrific again last season — when he was called upon. ‘Dembele was in great form last year, so Griffiths had to bide his time. But he’s taken his chance.
‘He has scored in the Champions League group stage for Celtic and for Scotland against England. So he is proving a lot of people wrong.
‘You have to admire that about him. Because it’s not just for Celtic. For Scotland, he’s played really, really well.
‘He has taken his game on. He is a goal threat from many positions. His movement is good, he’s got stronger, he looks like he has that wee yard of pace. That all comes with confidence.
‘I am pleased for him. I know what he is like and he’s a threat but he’s just one of a list of worries I have when we play Celtic.’