Leigh has to prove himself all over again Griff iths is determined to give Deila no reason to doubt him
WHEN Leigh Griffiths penned his four-year contract with Celtic in January, he was determined to put down some roots and inject some stability into a meandering career. A veteran of four clubs by the age of 21, courtesy of spells at Livingston, Dundee, Wolves and boyhood favourites Hibernian, Griffiths believed he had finally found a home when he joined his fifth in an £800,000 transfer from Wolves in the last transfer window.
Having been teased with the possibility of landing a £6million striker by none other than manager Neil Lennon himself, not every Celtic supporter was convinced.
Ever ebullient and utterly confident in his ability to strike a ball, Griffiths set about erasing those doubts by rattling in a respectable seven goals in his first 14 appearances.
If the departure of Lennon, the man who signed him, threw up a question mark in his own mind, he has resolved to remove it by proving his worth to new manager Ronny Deila over the course of pre-season.
We probably shouldn’t read too much into the Norwegian’s decision to deploy Griffiths in an unfamiliar wide-right role during Thursday’s friendly victory over FK Krasnodar, but the 23-year-old admits he has had to start from scratch.
‘I was brought here to score goals and, fortunately, I’ve managed to do that,’ said Griffiths. ‘It’s just unfortunate that the manager who brought me here left, but I’ve a new boss to impress and I know I’ve got to continue working hard.
‘Everyone has a clean slate. Maybe the old manager didn’t fancy a few players but the new one has come in and will be expecting a lot from everybody.
‘I want this club to be my home, that’s why I signed a long-term contract. I’ve signed for four years and, hopefully, I’m here for a lot longer.
‘The five months I’ve been here have been class, I’ve loved every minute of it and I want to keep it going.
‘I supported Hibs as a boy and it was a dream come true to play for them, but I was only ever on loan.
‘I’m at the biggest club in Scotland now and it’s a pleasure to play alongside these team-mates. Long may it continue.’
Deila has made it clear that he wishes to change Celtic’s style of play, moving the emphasis towards developing from the back and improving the team’s impact in the wide areas.
If Thursday is any barometer then a fashionable 4-2-3-1 system will be deployed, leaving Griffiths to fight with Anthony Stokes for the front role — and that’s before the manager has a chance to add It was a dream come true to play for Hibs but I’m at the biggest club in Scotland now new outfield players to the mix via the transfer market.
Griffiths is up for the challenge and is excited about the prospect of participating in European football for the first time in his career. UEFA’s champions path will give the Scottish title holders a good shot at reaching the Champions League group stage for a third consecutive season but the first qualifier is looming and will kick off in Iceland a week on Tuesday when KR Reykjavik play host.
‘Obviously I’ve played for Scotland but I’ve never played a European game at club level, so I’m looking forward to that,’ continued Griffiths.
‘We don’t really know much about Reykjavik at this stage but we are going to give them the respect they are due.
‘The game comes early but we’ll have played four times by the time we go to Iceland.’
Griffiths may not have grown up a Celtic fan but he has experienced first-hand the atmosphere generated by a Champions League night in the east end of Glasgow.
‘I’ve been a to a few; he said. 'I especially remember the games against Manchester United and Barcelona, the night Celtic got beat 3-2 (in 2008) and Barry Robson and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink scored There’s nothing like those nights.
‘That’s as good an atmosphere as I've experienced in a football in big games between
‘I’ve been involve Hibs and Hearts, especially the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden, but I've never experienced anything like a champions League night at Celtic Park.
‘We just need to get through these qualifiers. It doesn't matter how badly we
play, as long as we get the results to take us to the group stage — even if it’s a few scrappy 1-0s.
‘I’ve definitely improved since I signed for Celtic but there’s only one way to find out if I’m good enough to play at Champions League level.
‘Hopefully, we can get there and I’ll get a chance to showcase what I can do.
‘I’m always confident. If you don’t go out there believing you can do something then why play the game at all?
‘You need to go out, show your talent. Hopefully I can do that and show the manager what I’m capable of.’