SAVED BY A BIT OF LIP SERVICE
INVINCIBLES Leigh enjoys title party after fearing Jags strop had cost him his place
FROM the chill of a ‘death stare’ to a kiss of forgiveness and a joy more intense than that felt on receipt of any previous title medal. No-one could dispute Leigh Griffiths rode an emotional rollercoaster on the last leg of his journey to become an Invincible. One that required the safety belt pulled tight.
It began to be propelled down the tracks last Thursday evening. The anger Griffiths publicly exhibited at being substituted in a 5-0 win over Partick Thistle rapidly gave way to profound regret. All it took was a glance at the look on Brendan Rodgers’ face.
Relief at being pardoned by his manager was then followed by the sheer delight of scoring in Celtic’s final Premiership assignment.
His 18th goal of the season, a header thumped past Hearts keeper Viktor Noring, popped the cork on the trophy presentation party. Stuart Armstrong later wrapped up a 34th win in 38 league games.
The first side in more than a century to complete an unbeaten top-flight campaign, Celtic added a record points haul for good measure. This was a day when history was realised. And not one Griffiths would have wanted to watch from the sidelines.
Asked if he thought he might have been dropped in the wake of his Firhill strop, he replied: ‘Aye, kind of.
‘Listen, I spoke to the gaffer after the game. It was one of those ones where I didn’t want to be going off, but he explained why I was taken off. The boys were giving me a bit of stick after it and I saw a lot of people on Twitter giving me abuse.
‘I knew after the game the gaffer had drawn a line under it and I was looking forward to this game. I was delighted to be back on the pitch scoring goals.’
Rodgers had planted a smacker on his cheek after full-time in midweek, offering a clear indication bygones would be bygones.
‘To be fair, I didn’t expect that,’ grinned the striker. ‘I got the stare of death on the bench! That was enough to tell me enough was enough.
‘But, after the game, the gaffer drew a line under it and we moved on. Thankfully, we got the win today and can go and celebrate. Is he a good kisser? Not bad, aye.’
Rodgers revealed Griffiths had texted him at 7am on Friday to further express his contrition. While the timing was questioned, the sentiment was not.
‘I wouldn’t say it was 7am, I think he needs to check his clock,’ quipped Griffiths. ‘It was kind of early, I must admit.
‘But I just wanted to get my message across I shouldn’t have done what I did. It was disrespectful towards him, my team-mates, the fans. It was no disrespect to Scotty (Sinclair) coming on. The gaffer was wanting to get his goals tally up and try to see the game out. In no way, shape or form did I mean any disrespect to the management, staff, players or fans. It was a moment of madness and I apologised for it.’
This was the fourth time Griffiths had celebrated lifting the Premiership trophy with Celtic, following a £1million move from Wolves in 2014.
‘This one is a bit more special than other ones,’ he admitted. ‘Every title is great, but as long as we didn’t get beaten we knew we were going to be invincible. That was the message going out at the start of the game. It is a great achievement.’
The opposition faced will be cast up by some as a caveat against the exceptional merits of not losing a game.
Griffiths, though, rejected a claim from ex-Rangers striker Kris Boyd that Celtic’s feats were taking place amid the worst-ever standard of Scottish football.
‘I saw that,’ said Griffiths. ‘But if you look at it as a whole, Aberdeen have a really good points tally, St Johnstone are playing really well, as are Partick Thistle. Rangers have had their ups and downs.
‘Going through the whole season unbeaten is quite an achievement regardless of what league you’re in.
‘Everybody is allowed an opinion. He played in a good Rangers team back in the day. We can only play what’s put in front of us.
‘It’s a testament to the boys. We have faced different challenges throughout the season and come through it with the sun shining.
‘After the split was made, we had two really tough trips, Ibrox and Pittodrie. I thought if we could get through them, we had a really good chance. The pressure was on us. But we have shown we have the bottle and mentality.’
Aberdeen now stand in the way of the Treble. Winning at Hampden would also give Griffiths his first taste of Scottish Cup success having been a runner-up with Hibs in 2012 and 2013.
‘If we win it, then after the game I will be thinking: “Thank God!” ‘I’ve been to two finals and been beaten twice. Hopefully this is third-time lucky. I am not counting my chickens. We are under no illusions Aberdeen will bring their A game. They are a really good side and, on their day, can beat anybody.
‘We have a week to prepare now and will do everything we can to be properly prepared. Come three o’clock on Saturday, we will be ready to go.’