We all remember that rant don’t we?
The rant where Neil Lennon famously said that [The Daily Record], “The players have to be better, get your attitude right, get your mentality right.
“Some of you don’t want to be here? Leave.
“I just want the players who want to be here.”
As time went on, Celtic fans started to work out who those players where and as last summer transpired, it did seem that the players that eventually left the club, where the ones the supporters suspected.
But in an interview with Football Scotland, Ryan Christie opened up on that tumultuous time in Celtic’s history and gave his version of events.
Speaking about that interview, Christie said, “It was tough because, number one, I don’t think anyone had stated they were absolutely desperate to leave at that point.
“It was so early in the season where it’s a bit different for Celtic when you have such important games at the start of the season that it means you have to be focussed straight away.
“That’s when the transfer market takes over a little bit at the start of the season.
“Did it have to be said? I’m not so sure. I think everyone was desperate to get a result.
“Everyone in our squad was firing on all cylinders to try and get through.
“Had we got into the Champions League that season I’m sure that would have steadied some players’ heads about leaving because that’s an attraction itself.
“People probably look back at those comments now and think, ‘That’s where it started going wrong so early’ but we took it as a minor blip, it was frustrating but it was still early and in our minds we were still thinking we’ll go on to have a successful season.”
So if no one had stated they were desperate to leave at that point, why would Champions League football have steadied some players heads?
A strange contradictory comment that pretty much sums up that period at Celtic.
Christie is currently at Bournemouth where they are sitting 2nd in the Championship chasing promotion to the English Premier League