LEDLEY WARY
Welshman’s respect for friends who will be foes on Friday
JOE LEDLEY stood shoulder to shoulder with a core of Scotland internationals as Celtic surpassed expectations to reach the last 16 of the Champions League this season. Little wonder, then, he is utterly dismissive of Welsh legend Mickey Thomas claiming the players at Gordon Strachan’s disposal are the worst group in the long history of the Scottish game.
Ledley could be pitched into combat against club colleagues Charlie Mulgrew and Kris Commons when Wales visit Hampden for Friday night’s World Cup qualifier. And the Celtic quota in dark blue could have been doubled had Scott Brown and James Forrest not both been ruled out through injury.
The former Cardiff City man has trained every day alongside this quartet over the past couple of seasons and is full of admiration for what they bring to a side.
Indeed, he will warn his Welsh team-mates that the ability both Mulgrew and Commons possess with a ball at their feet will be a major threat to hopes of repeating the 2-1 win Chris Coleman’s men enjoyed on home soil last October.
With a large group of Scotland players also now operating in the rarefied atmosphere of the English top flight, Ledley is adamant Thomas is well off the mark in his scathing assessment.
‘I don’t think that at all about Scotland,’ said Ledley, when asked about the comments from the former Manchester United midfielder, who won 51 Welsh caps.
‘For me, they have a fantastic squad. A lot of their players have played in the Champions League or are playing in the English Premier League. I think any supporter of a nation who has players at that level would be happy with that.’
The 26-year-old also knows that Scotland don’t need any extra motivation to be laid in front of them as they seek a win to mark Strachan’s competitive debut.
‘No, they don’t,’ he admitted. ‘Scotland have a great squad and great players. We know that and we need to be wary of them.
‘I obviously know Kris Commons and Charlie Mulgrew from the squad for this game and they are fantastic players. I have played with them for a few years now and I know how good they are.
‘Kris can score from pretty much anywhere on the field and from any distance.
‘ He will be a tricky player to play against — and the same goes for Charlie. ‘I think he has been fantastic again this season — and has probably been Celtic’s best player over the past couple of years. He is always a threat at set-plays and can impose himself on a game.’
Despite Ledley’s obvious respect for Scotland, it would be wrong to think he will be travelling north with any kind of inferiority complex. Such a notion seems impossible when you have the brilliance of Gareth Bale in your side.
The Tottenham superstar singlehandedly destroyed Scotland in Cardiff when he netted both goals to effectively end Craig Levein’s reign as national manager.
And Ledley admitted he had enjoyed winding up Mulgrew every time Bale graced Match of the Day with another exhibition of his extraordinary ability.
‘You know something is going to happen every time you see Gareth,’ said Ledley. ‘He can get a goal or go on a mazy run.
‘For me, he is one of the best players in the world and I am looking forward to him playing against Charlie!
‘I can’t remember the last time Gareth had a bad game, so that isn’t good news for Charlie.
‘Seriously, he has progressed so much. He has confidence and maturity and has kicked on to another level. There is no stopping him sometimes.
‘But Charlie is a fantastic player and I know he’ll be up for the challenge. You never know, he might stop him.’
Ledley (below) will hope to again enjoy the bragging rights when he returns to Lennoxtown later next week. Complaints from his Scottish colleagues about the ‘ goal’ Steven Fletcher had controversially chalked off in Cardiff were dismissed with a wave of the hand last autumn.
‘They just made up excuses, really, like it was never a penalty for our first and they should have had a goal — stuff like that,’ said Ledley, breaking into a grin
‘That’s football. We got the three points at the end of the day and they simply can’t argue about that.
‘ Obviously they fancy their chances now but I always fancy my chances as well. So it will be a good game and I look forward to playing against them.’ Ledley also insists he will feel no anxiety about returning to Hampden despite Celtic’s dire recent record at the national stadium. The midfielder has ended up on the losing side on his last three visits — against Kilmarnock in last season’s League Cup Final, Hearts in that year’s Scottish Cup semi-final, and then St Mirren in this term’s League Cup last four. Two wins over Aberdeen and one against Falkirk are more positive memories. Ledley, though, also scored in the 2011 League