ROAR BACK TO SILENCE DOUBTERS
Griffiths urges Celts to stick together ahead of a season-defining fortnight
JUST six weeks after kicking their first ball in anger, both on and off the field, Celtic have already arrived at a defining period in their season.
While dates with Hearts and Rangers in the Premiership were already writ large in the diary, unconvincing displays against CFR Cluj and Dunfermline have given cause to now view them with much greater caution. Swedish champions AIK Stockholm, who will pitch up at Parkhead on Thursday, represent a real threat to the consolation prize of the Europa League group stage.
Away from what happens on the park, the fallout from last week’s deflating defeat to the Romanians will surely see the remaining days of August punctuated by swift action in the transfer market.
Having been held accountable for a fourth Champions League exit in six years on account of a transfer strategy held to be both parsimonious and haphazard, the Celtic board can ill-afford to also carry the can for surrendering their domestic dominance.
The arrival of at least four bluechip signings over the course of the coming fortnight to aid Neil Lennon is surely now the minimal requirement to prevent an outbreak of full-scale insurrection among the rank and file. For those players the manager
does presently have at his disposal, there is also a responsibility to ensure a promising start to the campaign isn’t washed away by mounting negativity.
Because as catastrophic as Cluj proved to be, there was little sign of it being in the post as Celtic eased past Sarajevo and Nomme Kalju.
And as much as they struggled to see off Dunfermline in the Betfred Cup, they did stick 12 goals past St Johnstone and Motherwell in their opening league fixtures.
Leigh Griffiths needs no one to tell him how it works in Glasgow, though. Impressive, expected victories rarely live long in the collective psyche. Especially when they are followed by an unforeseen disaster.
Ahead of four games which will go a long way to setting the tone for the coming nine months, the 28-year-old knows that positive results are truly the only way to ensure that the volume is screwed down on growing murmurs of discontent.
‘We need to stick together now,’ said Griffiths. ‘The boys are frustrated and we now need to go out and take out our frustration in the next few games. We have a point to prove. We also have to get bums on seats on Thursday nights because we need the support to be the 12th man.
‘It’s a huge couple of weeks for us. Obviously, the play-offs against Stockholm are crucial and then we have Hearts at home and Rangers away. That’s a defining period.
‘If we can get through those four games by qualifying for the Europa League and taking full points from the Premiership fixtures, then we’ll be in good spirits.
‘The alternative definitely doesn’t bear thinking about — if you flip the coin, then we could be out of Europe and beaten at Ibrox and things become even worse.’
This is hardly uncharted territory for many at the club. One year back, Brendan Rodgers’ side lost their second league game at Tynecastle, came off second best to AEK Athens in the Champions League qualifier then lost Moussa Dembele without adequate time to replace him.
A circling of the wagons ensured Lithuanian side Suduva were dismissed as a Europa League adventure was secured and Rangers were defeated in the first Old Firm game of the season.
The mettle shown in such adversity may prove to be Lennon’s ace card as he plots a similar response 12 months on.
‘It’s a test of character but the good thing about being at a club as big as Celtic is that you always have a chance to make amends quickly,’ Griffiths added.
‘Okay, we won’t be in the biggest competition but we need to make a real statement about how good a team we are.
‘We’ve been written off before. Last year, we were eliminated from the Champions League by
AEK Athens and we bounced back to win the Treble. So people shouldn’t be writing us off this time either.’
The expectation is that the Swedes will be a significant upgrade on the Lithuanians. Sebastian Larsson, as opposed to Henrik, may be the star man of Rikard Norling’s side but the team presently sitting third at the midway point of the Allsveskan have pedigree.
‘I know the fans wanted Champions League but that’s gone,’ said Griffiths. ‘If they still want European football, then they will have to help us get over the line. AIK are no mugs, they will be a decent side, and we’ll need the fans to help us to victory.’
When Cluj scored their fourth goal of the night last Thursday, the Europa League held all the appeal of a course of dental treatment.
In the cold light of day, though, its merits are plentiful. Last season’s dramatic win over RB Leipzig at Parkhead, to effectively seal a last-32 date with Valencia, was a Champions League night in all but name.
‘You can look at last season,’ Griffiths continued. ‘The group had the makings of a Champions League one with Salzburg, Red Bull Leipzig and Rosenborg. It was a hard group which we managed to go through and then it was Valencia, one of the huge names in Spanish football, and I think the fans enjoyed that game.
‘It will be difficult for us. First we need to make sure we turn up for both games against AIK, concentrate for the full 90 minutes and get the job done.’
Lennon can vouch from personal experience of the merits in refocusing on the consolation prize. Part of the side which crashed out to Basle in the Champions League qualifier for 2002-03, the road to Seville saw Martin O’Neill’s men take big scalps such as Stuttgart, Blackburn and Liverpool.
‘The gaffer touched on the fact that when he was a player, that Celtic team were put out the Champions League and that season they made the UEFA Cup final,’ Griffiths recalled.
‘He mentioned that straight after the game on Tuesday. So hopefully there is that silver lining in the cloud. In that if we do get through, and we can go on a decent run, then who knows where it can take us. But first and foremost we need to make sure we get there.
‘That team had Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton and John Hartson. There aren’t players like that kicking about anymore.
‘So it’s time for us to make a name for ourselves at this club whether it be me or Odsonne (Edouard), Broony (Scott Brown) and James (Forrest)— who have made the last 16 before — so we need to make a name for ourselves and that we are remembered for doing something.’