Anthony Ralston

On the money! 100% agree


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Doesn't get enough credit for his crossing.

 

I think only Jota is better at whipping a cross in, TR does it first time so often and gets his man

 

BRENDAN RODGERS left behind some incredible memories for Celtic supporters after his tenure as manager, but he also left behind more than a few memorably far-fetched stories. From encounters with Rangers fans in the Clyde Tunnel to pipping Real Madrid to Charly Musonda, the Irishman had the gift of the gab to go with his undoubted coaching quality.

Perhaps his most outlandish tale though involved Danny McGrain, and it might not be the one that immediately springs to your mind.

Rodgers once famously told of how Celtic legend McGrain asked him – referring to him as ‘Boss’ - if he was still wanted at the club when he arrived as manager, to which Rodgers replied: ‘As long as I’m here, you’re here’. McGrain himself, it should be noted, can’t recall the interaction.




For Anthony Ralston though, the comparison Rodgers once made between the then up-and-coming right-back and club great McGrain really takes the biscuit, with the 23-year-old modest enough to admit that as well as he has done recently, he is unlikely to ever be able to lace McGrain’s boots.


Still, there is one area where Ralston has now eclipsed McGrain, and that is in the goalscoring stakes. Ralston scored five last season as he resurrected his Celtic career, and now has 10 in total across his career, while for all of McGrain’s brilliance he only managed nine goals across the 18 years that he played.

McGrain is still indeed at the club, despite the exit of Rodgers, and he will be hearing all about that stat the next time Ralston bumps into him in the corridors at Lennoxtown.

“I hadn’t realised I’ve now scored more goals than Danny – I’ll need to mention it to him,” Ralston said. “He’ll love that!


“I don’t think I’ll ever reach Danny’s levels but at least that’s something I can have over him.

“It was nice to get compared to him, of course, but the one thing I’ve never done is get carried away over things that get said. I keep myself grounded and I gave good people around me to keep my feet on the ground.




I’m not sure how Danny felt about being compared to me!

“I managed to get a few goals last season and a couple of big ones – I’ll take it. There were some individual moments but the most important is what we did as a team. There were big moments throughout the season and everyone to a man stepped up.

“That’s why we are champions. We need to do it again and it’s about the team rather than individuals."

Celtic have been strengthening that team bond and collective ethic on their pre-season training camp in Austria and the Czech Republic over the last couple of weeks, but they returned to training at Lennoxtown yesterday ahead of their first home friendly of the summer this afternoon against Blackburn Rovers.

Ralston is expecting a decent test in front of a sell-out Celtic Park crowd, and he can’t help but think back to a year ago when West Ham were the opponents in the corresponding friendly last summer. The landscape around the club could scarcely have been much different to now, with new manager Ange Postecoglou scrambling to get a squad together in time for the start of the season.

It became something of a turning point in that process, with the humbling 6-2 defeat proving the end for some players at the club, and a new beginning for the likes of Ralston.

“The West Ham game last year was a bit of a learning curve for us,” he said. “We had a lot of young boys playing and we were getting used to a new system.




We had to take it on the chin. The gaffer knew we’d kick on and it just shows you how things work out.

“We ended up winning the league. Pre-season is about getting game time and match fitness, as well as gelling as a team.

“It’s about implementing our style of play and you sometimes need a few learning curves along the way at this stage.

“We will up our performance again against Blackburn. The gaffer is looking for us to keep improving.

“We’ve started very well in pre-season and we want to continue in that way.”

The settled nature of Celtic’s squad this summer has made that process all the easier, with the vast majority of players now steeped in the culture of continuous improvement that Postecoglou has fostered at the club.

“It’s been good to get the boys back together and we’ve picked up where we left off last season in terms of the standards we expect to hit in training and in the matches,” Ralston said.

“It’s good the new lads have had a bit of time to settle in and the others from abroad who arrived last year now have got a taste for it over the course of last season. It’s a lot more settled and we are ready to kick on for the start of the season.

“We’ve had some good games under our belt and we’ve shown we are an aggressive team.

“The work will continue this weekend and by the time the season comes we’ll be ready to go.”

 

Jesus Danny McGrain, lol

If Tony is a tenth as good as Danny he'll be the 2nd best fullback I've ever saw at Celtic.

Danny is the only Celtic player I could ever put in my world xi.

 

Year ago from now the guy was a lost cause * me what a turnaround as a few have said technically not the greatest but for desire and determination and willingness to learn has to be up there!

 

I wouldn’t have any of them ahead of each other, game by game basis for me, depending on what we need. Both are amongst the most dependable in the team, so whatever style we need to rely on most at that point, thats who starts.

 

Bigger goal threat

 

What do you see as the reason to play one over the other, dependent on the game/opposition?

Domestically Ralston is what we need 95% of the time I'd say. Even in Europe given Angles desire to be attacking Ralston makes most sense to me. Probably missing something (a lot) though in that assessment.

 

Year ago the now he was flying in pre-season, Ange talking him up and TC forum was in full denial Lee O’Connor is clearly a class above mode

 

Lost opportunity would be close to the mark.

Not the first to get a hard time from the support based on not a lot, but it was embarrassing at times how quick people put him down for next to nothing.

 

Defensively with a clever wide player up against us I’d have Jura, general possession play I’d have Jura. If we need to force a game I’d have Ralston every time, but that’s a fact I’d be drilling into Jura as well, because he has the ability for a deadly end product as well, but he absolutely does not show it anywhere near consistent enough to touch Ralston’s output attacking wise, passing and crossing. But Jura helps control and covering others an incredible amount. Jura’s like Taylor but much, much better for me, and that’s a reason I like Taylor.

 

Agree on the clever wide player. Not so much on general possession as in tough games Ralston shows so much more than practically anyone else for the ball. Jura much less so.

I'd also argue Ralstons games against Alkmaar and Mitjland matched anything Jura did in terms of control and covering last year.

 

Jura’s possession play is * class, up there with Calmac’s and his is a different level from what we’re used to.

Ralston’s final ball is far, far better. He’s got the killer ball and tries to do the possession play, can to a certain extent. That’s Jura’s natural game, they’re the exact opposite of each others strengths for me.

Ralstons aerially dominant, Jura’s not. Jura’s positioning is exceptional, Ralston’s isn’t. Ralston’s final ball is * brilliant, Jura’s isn’t. Jura’s covering is unreal, Ralston’s isn’t.


Thing is, I don’t think either of them are bad at the * the others really good at. Great options, I’d say the same with Giakoumakis and Kyogo. And that’s what we need.

 

I think Juranovic is a cracking player, but his possession play, whilst good, is nowhere near Calmac.

 

It’s crazy having two very good RB’s. It’s rare having one decent in that position.


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Dalglish and Henke would have got a game for any team in the World

 

Not sure why you quoted me, great players but not the best players in those positions I've saw. Danny was.

 

Aye that was probably overboard that

 

Hope he's ok