NO MORE CRYING GAMES FOR RYAN
Qualifying on regular basis for finals vital to Scots hero
RYAN CHRISTIE melted the hearts of a nation with his raw and emotional response to Scotland’s qualification for Euro 2020. A 23-year absence from major tournament football had bottled up all manner of feelings and frustration and it felt like Christie was channelling it all as he conducted a tearful post-match television interview pitchside in Belgrade last November.
He doesn’t want to go through that again. In fact, he never wants to see any Scotland player forced to articulate two decades of broken dreams.
Friday’s win over Moldova has moved Scotland into the World Cup play-offs and, although qualification for Qatar 2022 will require two monumental performances in March, the Bournemouth man believes a standard has been set. Qualification, he contends, should not be a once-in-a-generation event but something the team aspires to at the outset of every campaign.
He said: ‘The World Cup is on everyone’s mind now. The first thing we said when we met up for the Euros was that we wanted to do ourselves proud. But we also said we didn’t want to be a one-hit wonder. We wanted to make that the benchmark and make it a regular thing that we qualify for tournaments.
‘We can’t just rest on things. We want to keep pushing. Getting to the World Cup is that step harder but, with the group we have, and how well we are playing, we feel like we can definitely achieve it.
‘We have a young vibe in this team and everyone is desperate to qualify again.’
Christie missed the game in Chisinau through suspension but is available for selection tomorrow night as runaway group winners Denmark come to Hampden.
Although the 2-0 win over the Moldovans has secured a play-off spot, Scotland need a result to ensure the home draw that comes with seeding for the semi-final in March.
The Danes, who reached the last four at the Euros, are of a standard akin to the level of opposition that Steve Clarke’s team will need to overcome if they are to see the job through in the spring. And Christie has first-hand knowledge of just how strong Kasper Hjulmand’s group is.
Since leaving Celtic for Bournemouth in August he has enjoyed playing alongside Philip Billing, a powerful and creative midfielder who has arguably been the Championship leaders’ best player this season.
Billing, transferred to the Cherries from Huddersfield for nearly £15million, has just a solitary cap for the Danes, earned in a friendly against the Faroe Islands. And after missing out on Hjulmand’s squad for the Euros, the 25-year-old admitted he was considering switching allegiance to Nigeria.
‘The fact Phil isn’t in their squad just shows how much quality Denmark have,’ says Christie. ‘Since I’ve joined Bournemouth, he is one of the players who stood out.
‘He has so much quality and has shown just how good he is. I have not played a game with him where he hasn’t had an impact. I also like the fact that he is always right behind you if you fly into a tackle.
‘He’s there to help you out. We saw a couple of trips ago just how strong Denmark are, particularly at home.
‘Being at Hampden should help us but they are top seeds for a reason.’
It’s fair to observe that Christie’s own status within the Scottish team has apparently diminished over the last year. Although he excelled that night in Belgrade, scoring a stunning goal to open the scoring, he was in the grips of a troubled season at Celtic where the team’s regression affected his own performances.
He had enough credit in the bank with Clarke to earn a starting spot against the Czech Republic in the opening match of the Euros but was substituted at half-time and did not feature at all in the subsequent games against England and Croatia.
With Clarke favouring a 3-5-2 formation, Christie has usually found himself competing with the talismanic John McGinn for an advanced midfield role or a place in a front two that is invariably populated by Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams.
‘The manager has been playing the system for so long now that we all know how we play,’ he reflects.
‘There are a few boys, myself included, playing as a winger for their clubs and we know we have to slightly change position when we come away.
‘Over the course of my career, I have been quite versatile. I have always moved about, so hopefully that can suit me for the international set-up going forward. Wherever I play, I will be happy to do a job.’
Christie’s professionalism was writ large in the way he started the season. Despite moving into the final six months of his contract and knowing he was likely to move before the transfer deadline, he was a key performer as new manager Ange Postecoglou transitioned into the job at Celtic.
Come deadline day, Christie was on his way to the south coast for the new challenge he had long coveted and he has established himself quickly in Scott Parker’s team.
He sees certain similarities with Brendan Rodgers, the man who developed him into a first-team player at Parkhead.
‘I spoke to the manager on the phone before I signed and I was really impressed,’ says Christie. ‘But since then I have seen the way he takes training and the intensity he sets and been even more impressed.
‘He played at the top level as a player and has done really well as a manager. He is so passionate. Every time he steps onto the training pitch you know you have to be right at it.
‘The boys have been flying and a lot of that will be down to him. Long may it continue. In terms of the kind of preparation and detail he puts into games, he is similar to Brendan.
‘He is very switched on. I like to have managers who are like that. I feel that in this day and age you need that. He is a bit more hands-on than Brendan was at Celtic. You can see why he has done so well in his managerial career so far.
‘I feel like I have settled into it a bit now. Things can be a bit hectic when you are moving and stuff like that but since the last international break it has been good.
‘I have enjoyed it since I came down, it was everything I thought it was going to be. The manager, the way he likes to play, it has suited me. It is pretty easy to join a team that is flying.’
Although Christie has added spark and invention to Bournemouth’s team to the point where he ranks among the top five assist providers in the division, he is still awaiting his first goal.
‘Honestly, I couldn’t score in a barrel of anything at the minute,’ he groans. ‘But as long as I am getting a few assists here and there I will take that for now.’