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Be Glad For What We’ve Got. It’s Time Some Got Off Dembele’s Back.

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Another day, another rash of posts and threads and social media commentary on who the better player is between Leigh Griffiths and Moussa Dembele.

Apart from being a pointless discussion, because the only person who’s opinion on it matters will continue to select Moussa for the big games whenever he’s fit, it’s an unwinnable argument.

And I don’t know why so many people seem to insist on having it rather than enjoying the fact that we have such gifted players fighting for a place in the team.

Except that for some of them that’s not the situation. To them we have one very talented striker at Celtic and two who aren’t. For them Griffiths towers above Dembele and Edouard. For them he should be the first name on the team-sheet … because the other two aren’t that great.

Some go even further and pour the most ridiculous bile on our own player.

It’s time those folks got a grip.

Is it possible that these people are totally ignorant or that they’ve just forgotten Dembele’s exploits of last season? Is gratitude really in such short supply amongst our supporters?

When was the last time we had such a range of choices up front? Martin O’Neill’s time, when we were picking from a line-up of Sutton, Larsson and Hartson, that’s when.

Celtic has an embarrassment of riches in the final third. Some of our fans just see an embarrassment. I do not know why they think that way. Moussa appears to be the target of special opprobrium, even when his presence in the team does not keep Leigh out.

Dembele played his way into that starting slot last season with a series of dazzling, and devastating, displays including some in the Champions League.

I see nothing to suggest that last season was a fluke. He came to Parkhead with a burgeoning reputation and it was enough to get interest from Europe’s big guns. He is struggling this season, but I for one am glad about that in a way because it strengthens our chances of keeping him around.

Right now he will not get the kind of move that could turn his head.

That alone helps us. If he realises that he has to spend at least another season here he will certainly focus for it and work hard to make sure that it is a successful one.

Dembele and Griffiths are both excellent players; we do each no favours with this constant war online comparing one with the other and giving the media headlines about how unhappy being dropped will make whoever is left out of the team. When Sevco leaves a player out it’s “for the good of the squad” but when Celtic does it then it’s somehow controversial; we surely have enough of it without our fans getting in on the act and calling one out.

Dembele is struggling, we all know that.

And Leigh was putting the ball in the net before he got injured.

When Ronny Deila was in charge I thought lack of firepower was our biggest concern.

Looking at a Celtic squad with three top finishers – and yes, I believe Edouard is one too – well it makes me as proud as I’ve been for many a year.

I’m not saying we should stop arguing about who the best player is. Debate like that is excellent and it reminds clubs that we have more than one top finisher. I think the discussion is academic when Brendan has clearly made up his mind, and I’ve got a view on it myself which I’ve stated many times – Dembele is a better player – but I would never get upset about one being selected over the other.

Some folk need to stop personalising it and turning on our own players.

Just be glad we have them and that the manager has those options.

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