Leigh Griffiths

This

 

Indeed

Guys not right.

 

Canny be real.

 

I would recognise that * anywhere

 

Aye I bet you would.

 

LEIGH Griffiths has, as the 97 goals he has scored and eight trophies he has lifted in the last four years testify, done none rather well since signing for Celtic from his beloved Hibernian.

But could the striker have achieved more had he not been plagued by persistent problems with his calves and spent extended periods out of the first team during that time?

The 27-year-old, who made his comeback from a two month spell on the sidelines when he came on in the 3-0 win over Ross County at Parkhead on Saturday, is convinced he could have fared even better.

But he is optimistic the specialist he consulted during his latest stint out has finally got to the root of the problem and that even better times lie ahead of him.

“He identified straight away during my assessment where it was coming from and how we can rectify that and move forward,” he said. “Hopefully we won’t have another problem again.

“It is all to do with my hips. My hips were blocked and my calves and hamstrings were doing double the workload. I wasn’t getting the full range of my movement. That is why my calves were going either side. It wasn’t just one specific area, both sides were going at different times.

“Hopefully now that has been released and the muscles are flowing again I will be back sharper with a lot more movement in my legs.

“I am hoping the best is still to come. With the muscle being released now and unblocked it is going to give me a lot more movement in my legs. Hopefully working with manager and fitness staff means that come pre-season I will be flying and back to my best.”

Griffiths, who is hoping to start in the Premiership match against his former club Dundee at Parkhead this evening, admitted the problem had been a source of huge frustration to him despite the success he has enjoyed at Celtic.

“I am feeling good, playing well, scoring goals and helping the team get three points and then suddenly, bang, they go and I am out for three or four weeks at a time,” he said.

“Obviously, it was a bit longer this time. But I am hoping that is it done now and I can move forward. Hopefully I won’t have another problem again.

“I have hopefully got 10 games to go to reach that 100 goal mark. If I get a good run in the team, if I get a good few minutes under my belt I will have not time I will hit that before the end of the season.

“Being fully fit, you don’t want to miss out on games. Hopefully I have earned my place either in the starting XI or on the bench and can come on and contribute. It is an exciting part of the season to be involved. The semi-final is going to be massive for us. We need to win our next two league games before that to put us in good stead for the league title.”

Meanwhile, Griffiths admitted he is hoping that Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will allow him to play for Scotland in their end-of-season friendlies against Peru and Mexico due to the fact he has missed two months of the season.

Rodgers looks set to ask the SFA to excuse many of his first team regulars from the summer tour because they will have important Champions League qualifiers to play in the middle of July.

But his centre forward is optimistic that he will get the go-ahead to travel with his national team to South America at the end of May and North America at the beginning of June given the amount of football he has missed during the 2017/18 campaign.

“With the amount of football I have missed this season I don’t think it would be a problem for me to get the extra minutes under my belt,” he said. “That is my aim.

“Obviously they are two difficult games, but they are two exciting games as well. The travelling is a bit of nightmare, but I would be able to come back and still get a decent rest before we start pre-season.

“I have always said whenever I have been called upon for my country that I am delighted to be a part of it. Hopefully at the end of the season if I am called up the manager will let me go.

“I have not spoken to the Scotland manager or my club manager here about it. As the season draws closer to an end hopefully we will sit down and have a chat. Like I say, I have missed a lot of football so I don’t think it will be a problem.

“It doesn’t seem like a long rest that we get. Hopefully, we will get to the Scottish Cup final and win it again. Then we are straight away with the Scotland squad and on a plane. We are looking forward to getting a really good rest, but, like I say, there are two really exciting games to go and play in.”

Griffiths missed the friendlies against Costa Rica at Hampden and Hungary in Budapest that Alex McLeish, who took over from Gordon Strachan as Scotland manager for a second time back in February, took charge of.

However, the 17-times capped centre forward, who became a hero with the Tartan Army with the two free-kicks he scored in the 2-2 draw with England in a Russia 2018 at Hampden back in June, is desperate to be involved going forward.

“You are disappointed to miss out, but being injured is part and parcel of football,” he said. “That can’t be helped at times, but if Mr McLeish got on the phone to me and explained that he was wanting me for the summer friendlies and that I was going to get game time, I’d be delighted to go.”

Griffiths feels he will, despite his goals against England and in the subsequent Russia 2018 qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia, have his work cut getting selected up front for his country in future given how well both Oliver McBurnie and Matt Phillips did in his absence.

“Matt has come in for flak before with his appearances for Scotland, but we know what he can do,” he said. “He’s not a natural No.9 if you like, but he showed he can put himself about and did really well.

“Oli has been flying at Barnsley after some Premier League appearances for Swansea. He’s another striker vying for the jersey.”

 

If the best is yet to come from him, we’ll have some player on our books.

 

Sounds kinky.

 

Signed from his beloved Hibernian? Takes 2 seconds on Wiki to see that's wrong.

 

LEIGH GRIFFITHS has revealed he wants to stay at Celtic for LIFE after opening new contract talks.

The Hoops striker’s current deal runs until 2021, but he is keen to commit for even longer.

Griff, 27, joined Celtic in January 2014, and would love to follow Scott Brown and spend a decade at Parkhead.

Griffiths said: “My representatives are working behind the scenes to try and get me a new deal.

“It is early stages now, but hopefully we can get it done sooner rather than later.

“I have another two and a half years left but why would you want to go anywhere else? You’re playing at a top club with a top manager in front of 50,000 or 60,000 every other week.

“There’s no reason to go anywhere. You have Champions League football every season.

“It’s hard to get there now, but when you do get there, those are memorable nights.

“Hopefully it we can come to an agreement, I’ll not be far off Broony.

“I think he has deserved his testimonial. The type of guy he is, he is deserving of everything he gets.”

Griffiths was at Wolves before he signed for Celts, and would have no shortage of offers from England if he was made available.

The Hoops hitman has shot down suggestions he has stayed in Scotland because he can’t cut it down south.

Griffiths added: “Everybody keeps mentioning I was put off in England and came back up the road because I was scared.

“But if you look at the records, I still finished joint top scorer when I left Wolves in January.

“Fair enough, we were in the Premier League, and I got put on loan.

“But that stood me in good stead for going back down. I had a good crack at it when I went back down, but when Celtic come calling you do not reject it.”

Meanwhile, Scotland striker Griff has revealed how he ended up flying an Irish tricolour in the stands after Celtic’s 3-2 Old Firm win at Ibrox.

He said: “Some guy handed it to me. It was just one of those things. It wasn’t intentional.

“I just wanted to show everybody how happy I was the team got the three points.

“You want to go to your fiercest rivals and show what a good team you are.

“Being injured, you aren’t involved on the pitch. But you want to make sure you enjoy it off the pitch too.

“I don’t think I am the only one. Kieran Tierney and other players go to the away games if they are out and mix with the fans. I am no different.

“It just so happens the one I went to was Ibrox. Maybe I got a wee bit carried away.

“But after the game you are happy your team has won and you have beaten your fiercest rivals. You want to go and celebrate with the fans.”

 

Yasss Griff!

Edit: * ridiculous that anyone thought he had to explain why he flew an Irish flag. *.

 

I love this man.

 

Hahaha brilliant he's got 2 and a half years left but is already wanting to extend his stay.

Get him that contract now Peter!!

 

If Griff signs a new contract he could end up scoring 200+ goals.
If he did that then he would certainly be classed as a legend in my eyes.

 

Disappointed with this....
















For life? At 60 he'll be better still than a lot of strikers we've had but surely we can do better. Probably have about 200 Grandwains right enough so will need the cash..

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More than deserves the next 90mins preferwbly with edouard getting a start too

 

Fighting with Rogic today

 

contract till 2024 would be what age, 33.
Get it * done!
* make it 2025 aged 34 and he can retire a happy man.
So long as he is bagging us 25 goals a season for the next 3 years he will deserve to stay the ten years and get a testimonial.

And seemingly he has a similar mindset to Broony when it comes to going south - they both know their level and what sort of game they play. They know this is the high life, sure you can * off south for the money, but you aint good enough to be in title competing sides, so why bother when you earn millions here and are happy?


as for "Legend" @Bertie Cauld that may be a stretch even come 10 seasons. Icon he certainly is already, but Legend is a word that even Broony is fighting to get and he is our * captain.
Griffiths bags us a last 16 winning goal, we can talk

 

Aye get him signed asap, I have a felling he wants a new contract as he doesn't think Rodgers rates him and he wants to stay, don't know how correct that is its just a theory I have

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