BIG CRAIG WOULDN’T CHOKE IN OLD SMOKE
When one of Europe’s elite call you’re going to think about it. Seriously think about it. Whatever Celtic’s No.1 is thinking about gaffer Rodgers’ decision to blank Blues bid, it’s wrong to call him a settler or question his ability to succeed again in En
He went from being a £9million Britishrecord signing, a 50- game- a- season ever-present and a stick-on first pick for his country to a dad who struggled to get down on his hunkers to play with his young daughter.
Settling would have been taking the insurance cheque four years ago.
Settling would have been giving up on the constant mental and physical pain of the trial and error he went through, criss- crossing the world trying to find someone, anyone, who knew enough to fix his patellar tendon.
Settling would have been not bothering to learn how to walk differently to allow him to minimise the pain enough to train.
So anyone who thinks he wants to speak to Chelsea because he’s content just to go down there and park his backside on the bench for the money doesn’t have the faintest idea what makes the guy tick.
He wants to talk to them, has arguably earned the right to, because there’s a force driving him that stretches miles beyond the dough, attractive though it may be.
He has never hidden the fact a bit of him wants to go back to England to play at some point. He wants to prove to himself as much as anyone else that he’s as good as he believes he is in that environment because he never fully realised it when he was there the f irst time around at Sunderland.
And that’s despite winning the official award for the Best Save in 20 years of the Premiership.
So when one of England’s, and Europe’s, absolute el ite come calling, when a manager of the standing of Antonio Conte has you on his list, of course you’re going to think about it. Seriously think about it. What would he be giving up? A helluva lot, to be fair. Pretty much a guaranteed jersey and nailed- on medals for the foreseeable future. Champions League football. Maybe being part of the immortality a Treble invariably brings. Possibly the Scotland No.1 shirt he only won back against England after seven years without a start. There’s no point kidding on he doesn’t have it all good at Celtic. As good as it gets, maybe. It hasn’t been without its chal lenges. This season par t icula rly, hea r ing Brendan Rodgers hail Dorus de Vries as nothing short of the second coming in gloves and boots, his Heaven’s XI sweeper keeper, must have been tough when he’d done so little wrong.
Again though, Gordon didn’t settle for thinking he was done.
He listened to what his gaffer wanted, worked like a beast on it, and when he came off the bench at half-time in that game against Killie back in September, deep down you knew only an injury or a red card would keep him out again. We haven’t seen de Vries in 23 games since.
So why give that up? Why replace certainty with uncertainty, home with away, guaranteed games and medals with almost certain frustration?
Because sometimes you have to take your chances.
He’s effectively gambling on someone else’s misfortune to provide him with an opportunity of his own.
He knows he’s not going to knock Thibaut Courtois off his perch down there if the Belgian is fit. He may have a reservoir