The news yesterday that Leigh Griffiths has been recalled to the Scotland squad might have resulted in some sneering in some quarters, but it is a tribute to our striker that he is the best in his position and that hasn’t changed in spite of all the trials and tribulations he’s been through, and no matter how many – this writer included – have seemed to write him off.
To be fair, some of us didn’t. I personally thought his Celtic career was over though after his apparent lockdown breach … but that wasn’t what it looked like and neither was talk that he had completely shot his fitness during the period when football was suspended and we were all waiting to see what would happen next.
Griffiths is a miracle man. He never gives up, and to imagine him finished in any setting is foolishness at best. His goal at Pittodrie was quite magnificent, and although we already knew that he was back, if that goal had been a winner we’d have been talking about it for months.
Leigh suffered a little from that goal not securing us the points.
Not that it matters to him now, because getting a recall to the Scotland squad is the culmination of his dreams in some ways.
Inside Celtic they know his worth, and the fans certainly do …
Leigh needed a little acknowledgement outside of Parkhead as well and that’s what this gives him.
After months of reading nonsense from our enemies about how he had let down the club and the manager – whilst Morelos returned to his club in worse state and got away with it – he’s getting credit from these same people, who have yet to acknowledge (and won’t) how wrong they got it.
I’m happy to acknowledge that I was dead wrong on him. I saw no way back for him at Celtic before this campaign kicked off, but he has made me eat those words with a large helping of humble pie and I’m happy to do it as it means he’s back in the goals.
His Scotland call up has shocked some folk who really were delighted to think he might be all washed up.
They might well suggest that it shows the weaknesses of the national team … in fact, Griffiths would have been a contender in any era because he is a natural born finisher who could have easily played for any Scotland side of the past 30 years.
There is no doubt that getting this sort of lift will give him another shot in the arm; we may be on the brink of seeing Leigh at his readiest and most capable in a long while, and if that’s true he’s going to be a massive asset in the coming weeks and months.
Lazarus just keeps on amazing us.
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