Leigh Griffiths

Leigh Griffiths has reaffirmed his desire to play for Scotland after having to deal with the frustrations of his commitment being widely questioned.

The 28-year-old Celtic striker withdrew from Alex McLeish’s squad for the double header against Israel and Portugal in October to focus on his fitness.

Illness and injury led to six weeks out before he came off the bench to score the third goal in the 3-0 win over Hamilton last week.

Ahead of Celtic’s Ladbrokes Premiership game against Motherwell at Fir Park on Wednesday night, Griffiths told his tale when asked if he had been brave to pull out of McLeish’s squad to get himself right.


You could say it was brave but a lot of people didn’t agree with that and I had to take the abuse I got in the chin,” said Griffiths, who noted that Scotland were on Sunday drawn against Belgium, Cyprus, San Marino, Russia and Kazakhstan for the 2020 European Championships.

He added: “It was unfortunate that I was ill and injured at the same time. It is always difficult when people want to question it.

“Online, it is very difficult to bite your tongue. You just need to step back and try to ignore but it is difficult when you are in the street and people ask questions, you just need to give the answer you have been saying all along.

“I have said time and again that there is no bigger honour in football than representing your country and I am still the same.


You hear a lot of people venting their opinions, saying I took the huff because I wasn’t going to be playing.

“It wasn’t like that at all. I have taken it on the chin here when I have been playing well and then not been playing the next game.

“I wanted to concentrate on being fit. Looking forward, I am more than happy to go into the Scotland squad if I am selected.

“I was looking at the draw for Euro 2020 and we have a good group for that and hopefully I am involved.

“That all comes from playing well for Celtic and getting game time.”


Griffiths insists his relationship with McLeish is strong as he looks to feature at Fir Park, after being an unused substitute in Sunday’s Betfred Cup final win over Aberdeen at Hampden Park.

He said: “Everything is fine. Me and Mr McLeish had a chat. I told him what I wanted to do and he accepted that.

“There was no animosity or anger between either of us. I texted him after they got into the play-off and he quickly replied. There is no animosity at all and hopefully I am still in his plans.”

 

This guy shouldn't take penalties..

He's missed plenty..

Hold up and link up play is pathetic as well..

 

Didn’t have faith at all with the penalty he’s missed too many, can see why he played but he’s nowhere near a starting position at this point.

 

We desperately need a new striker. Griff should be third choice.

 

His all round game is so poor for where we want to be.

Sticks out like a sore thumb when he plays.

Badly need another striker in January to compete with Edouard.

 

Been really poor, injuries aside hes a shadow of his former self.

 

Spent more time lieing on the deck ‘injured’ tonight

 

Regressed to *

 

Dreadful tonight

 

He's abysmal when asked to link up..

We absolutely need better in January. That isn't controversial..

 

His hold up pay is awful.

 

Still canny believe we have him another new deal recently.

 

He’s been out for pretty much a year and is still out 3rd top scorer, that’s not him match fit tonight. He gets a by from me.

 

He’s * at pens, and corners are average. But I’m still hoping we keep him and play him. He’s a great player, who for whatever reason hasn’t been up to it this season. Injuries, confidence, private life, * knows.
He’ll come good again and start banging them jn.

 

He honestly won't, people have been making excuses for him for years now since his 40 goal season, during that season he was glamorized as digging us out of holes but when you watch back it was his constant sitters and selfish play putting us in holes then he would score and give the illusion that he was a hero, my opinion is he is just not good enough to be playing for us, we need more quality strikers, I will take a lot of abuse for this but * it, been saying it for years. Selfish player, only thinks of his own individual performance and goals, and constantly puts us under pressure with his dreadful finishing, never clinical with easy chances, and scores the odd screamer and gets hailed a hero.

 

His chocolate calves and inability to stay fit has caused him to be an unreliable choice. I’d agree with those saying he’s regressed.

 

Every striker is selfish though tbf, they wouldn’t score half as many goals otherwise. Griff isn’t any greedier than Eddy or Moussa for example.
Rodgers’ first season, Griff was playing excellent, it wasn’t till he got injured that dembele got a proper chance.

 

Yes but it was not until you saw Dembele you see the levels and what they offer, Griffiths for me is just an above average SPL striker, if he was so great we would have had offers, only reason he is so loved here is he panders to the fans constantly, my opinion is he is not the quality we need at this club.

Prove me wrong, if someone can explain what's so fantastic about him other than he tries his heart out type argument then I will gladly be proven wrong.

He is not clinical, he wastes so many guilt edges chances, far more than others.
His link up play and general all round game are very poor.
His free kicks and corners are absolute *, free kick ratio is not that great, scores one now and then.

 

He’s a good goal scorer on his day, but there’s been a lot of good goal scorers in our league recently, Adam Rooney, Michael Higdon, Kris Boyd, Liam Boyce etc..

At Celtic you need to be more than a goal scorer to be the main man. Griffiths isn’t at the required standard to be that man. I also think his 40 goal season made him out to be better than he really was. His link up and hold up play has always been questionable, to be fair to him he did improve a bit under Brendan when he arrived, but for a good year now he’s been pretty dreadful. Looks slow, weak, first touch is a tackle and is too greedy. Eddy gets stick for being greedy but * Griff is worse.

Very likeable guy, thanks for the memories but we need better

 

Absolutely spot on.

His all round game improved in the early days under Rodgers, but he's regressed back to his old self where if he isn't scoring, he offers absolutely * all to the team. He's 28 now, so he realistically isn't going to get much better in terms of his technical ability. So with that, added to the constant injuries...the new contract was mental.