Derek Riordan: The Boy Who Could Have Been King
I remember exactly how I felt when I heard that Derek Riordan was signing for Celtic; I was over the moon. I thought it was a perfect piece of business. He was one of the top scorers in the Scottish league and had been for many years. People tend to forget now just how clinical he actually was. He was averaging a goal every two games; a remarkable record for a kid who was at a club like Hibs. I had no doubt he would score goals in the Hoops.
He arrived in a strange deal, a pre-contract agreement that wasn’t meant to kick in during the summer but which would have seen him arrive in January instead.
In the end, Celtic and Hibs hashed it out and they agreed a modest fee – Rangers had offered four times as much in a straight transfer the previous year – and the deal was tied up in June. It was odd, but that summed up his time at Celtic Park almost perfectly.
I could foresee no circumstances in which Derek Riordan would be a flop at Celtic Park, which is why I was a little troubled when I asked my flatmate of that time – who was a huge Hibs fan – what he thought of the player. I found him less than impressed. In fact, he was pretty scathing. He said Derek Riordan had serious problems with his discipline and general behaviour off the field. He said he would never cope with the goldfish bowl of Glasgow.
Months later, with rumours running wild about Riordan’s behaviour in Edinburgh my mate told me he was one of those guys who would never rise in football because he carried too much baggage and was forever “back home with the lads” – a clear reference to the naughty boys amongst the Hibs support, with whom Riordan had many lasting friendships.
This, in itself, isn’t to be knocked. Riordan remembered where he came from and was proud of his roots. That’s no small thing. But I was worried about the perception that he was one of those guys who was out on the booze most nights.
A little over two years after he signed he was banned from every pub in Edinburgh, by court order, after a rash of neddish incidents which Gordon Strachan will have viewed with immense distaste. It was too late for his Celtic career to recover at any road; he’d played a little over 30 games and was clearly surplus to requirements.
He was let go, having scored just eight goals. It was no shock that he went back to Hibs, where he picked up right where he’d left off, scoring for fun. They were always the club closest to his heart and there he played for the jersey. I never grudged him that.
In this two spells there he scored more than a 100 goals in little over 250 games, which is a phenomenal ratio. When he left for the second time he was still only 28 … nowhere near his prime, and he should have gone on to more great things.
Bizarrely, and before the big money was there, he moved to China. The move lasted weeks and he came home to sign for St Johnstone. It didn’t work out there and he left at the end of the season. I don’t know whether it was homesickness or what, but he played only sporadically for Bristol Rovers – 12 games and no goals – then did a spell at Alloa where he only played twice, without scoring, followed by a trial at Brechin City and then a spell at East Fife.
He finally washed up (an appropriate phrase) at York where he played four times without getting a goal.
That was in 2015-16, and he hasn’t played professionally since.
After his departure from Hibs Derek Riordan played a little over forty matches in five years … a dreadful end to a hugely promising career.
So was it his time at Parkhead that ruined Derek Riordan?
Probably not.
Based on what I know, he was damaged goods before signing for us, on path that was only leading one way. That his career was effectively over at 28 should serve as a warning to every young guy out there who’s in the game just now but isn’t applying himself with the utmost professionalism.
Some of Riordan’s peers – like Scott Brown and Steven Fletcher – have done astonishingly well in the game.
I don’t think Fletcher possess an ounce of the talent Riordan had when both were at Easter Road, but he had that other thing, that work ethic, that determination and professionalism, which got him big money moves and assures he’s still playing at a good level today. At 29, he’s played for four English clubs, including a good spell at Sunderland in the EPL, and has been on loan at Marseille. He is forever linked with a move to Celtic.
Riordan never came close to the career Fletcher has had, and could still have.
By the time he was Fletcher’s age it was just above over, although the fans of the club he’s best remembered for still worship him to this day. In fact, his career provided a great inspiration for the last of the players I want to look at …..and should provide the clearest warning he has about its potential direction.
