Scales feels Ibrox cauldron was his early proving ground
Defender looks back on day Rodgers threw him in at the derby deep end
PRESSURE has been an omnipresent part of Liam Scales’ Celtic journey so far. Brought in during the earliest days of Ange Postecoglou’s tenure, the young defender, then 23 years old, joined the club at a time of major transition.
In the wake of Celtic’s one-toforget campaign of 2020/21, the Australian manager would bring much success to Glasgow’s East End over the course of the next two years. But as a relative unknown walking through the door – one who was decidedly not Eddie Howe, the man who many assumed would take over the hot seat from interim manager John Kennedy – so much hung in the balance at that moment in time.
When Scales failed to force his way into Postecoglou’s plans, a season of bit-part appearances preceded a season-long loan spell at Aberdeen for the entirety of the 2022/23 Scottish Premiership campaign.
In his bid for first-team football, this proved to be an inadvertently prescient move and one that would pay off the following season. With a year’s worth of first-team football under his belt that he otherwise would have forfeited had he stayed at Celtic, Scales was ready to go when Brendan Rodgers required the 25-year-old’s services at short notice following a string of defensive injuries.
There is surely no fiercer proving ground than an Old Firm derby at Ibrox with no travelling away fans – which Scales discovered first hand in a high-pressure 1-0 win on September 3, 2023.
“[Ibrox] was a chance for me to prove a point and prove that I was able,” Scales said. “I think the fact that I was thrown into it and didn’t have time to think about it, and I came out in a good place from that. It gave me belief and it gave me a hunger for more games like that because it was an unbelievable experience.
“I knew there was no hiding in that game. It was almost a turning point in that it proved to people that I was able. I believed I could go in and do well, I’ve always had that selfbelief, it wasn’t a surprise to me, but I know now how important that game was for me in terms of how the season has since turned out for me personally.”
By all accounts, Scales hasn’t looked back since. His 40 appearances for Celtic this season are matched only by workhorse club captain Callum McGregor, a shift that earned the young Irishman a four-year contract extension last week, and saw him line up against Europe’s elite in the shape of Lazio, Atletico Madrid and Feyenoord in Group E of the Champions League.
Given his initial uncertainty around procuring first-team football this season, the 2023/24 campaign has been one to remember for Scales.
He added: “I think it started [to click] for me in the Champions League games because that was the unknown for me. I hadn’t played at that level before. I didn’t have any fear going into those games because I thought it was a brilliant opportunity going in. When I realised I was capable of playing at that standard, that’s when I realised that I felt like I could do well here.
“It gives you a buzz and it fills you with adrenaline. It’s where everyone wants to be so you have that feeling. But then at the same time the [UCL theme] is over in a second, and then you’re out on the pitch and you can’t think about it [because Antoine] Griezmann is running at you!”
Now deep in the throes of the business end of the season, the pressure has reached new levels in this year’s Scottish Premiership title race.
And as Celtic and Rangers prepare to lock horns for the fourth and final time in league competition this Saturday at Celtic Park, the stakes really couldn’t be higher.
A win for Brendan Rodgers’ side would see them pull six points ahead of their city rivals with just two games remaining thereafter. Should Philippe Clement’s men prevail, on the other hand, and it’ll be all square at the top with pole position determined by goal difference; a figure that’s currently weighed five in Celtic’s favour.
For Scales, the ability to handle the pressure on and off the pitch is part of modern football – but it’s something that’s been helped immeasurably by the Celtic manager.
“He’s great and he instils belief in all of us,” said Scales. “You might be feeling a bit of pressure and he’ll just take it away, calm it down, and show
I think the fact that I was thrown into it and didn’t have time to think about it, and I came out in a good place from that. It gave me belief and it gave me a hunger for more games like that
why we’re here and really make us believe in ourselves. So, that’s a good trait and it helps us a lot.
“I feel like I’m alright under pressure. I think most people are at this level, I think it’d be hard to get to a certain level if you struggle under pressure.
“I feel like most people here are good under pressure and we’ve a squad full of players who have a good mentality. That really helps, we’re all here together, there’s no bad eggs, no one against us, we’re all here and we’re all one unit working towards the same goal and that’s what helps us most.”
On the pitch, Scales is a firm believer in the collective mantra of taking things game-by-game, but away from the training ground and matchdays, the 25-year-old does whatever he can to switch off from football altogether.
He added: “I don’t really use social media, and I don’t really follow football outside of what we do. I do watch the big games and I like tuning into the League of Ireland, but when I go away from [training and games] I sort of switch off from football.
“It’s not as big a part of my life outside of the training ground, as much as it is with other players, but people are different. I do love football, but to deal with that pressure you’ve got to have other things to take your mind off of it.”