A Tribute To Stuart Armstrong

There are certain rules a Celtic fan should never break but a lot of us are guilty of doing it every so often. One of these golden rules is never slagging off those who turn out in the green and white hoops and most fans stick to this unwritten rule without question. Unfortunately when players are underperforming  it is necessary to discuss what can be done in that situation. Yes we know they are trying their best but insisting players are bulletproof to critiscism is the Sevco way and doesn't help anybody in the long run. Recently I wrote a piece on Craig Gordon and questioned whether he was the best we could do in Goalkeeping terms and the article didn't sit too well with some people. Fair enough but there is no doubting that a massive question mark remains over our goalkeeper and to pretend otherwise is to bury our heads in the sand. If you would like to read the article then click HERE. There was however, also a second article of my own which details a certain player who in my view wasn't fit to wear the hoops. Thankfully I have called this completely wrong and I am 100% glad that I did. Who was the man I didn't rate highly enough? Step forward Mr Stuart Armstrong!

When Stuart first signed in the January 2015 transfer window there was big things expected of him and his scoring debut against Partick Thistle did nothing to hamper the expectancy. Stuart and his teammate Gary Mackay-Steven both arrived from Dundee Utd and had been an integral part of the Tannadice outfit's run to the League Cup Final that same season. There was much tears in Dundee when they departed for Celtic and so devastating was the loss of the duo that their departure signalled a shocking downturn in form which ended up in relegation for the former Uefa Cup finalists. Quite simply the two new Celtic acquisitions had been carrying the team and with Gary on the wings and Stuart operating in an advanced central midfield role Dundee United simply could not afford to lose such vital cogs in their well oiled machine. Incredibly Gary would disappear completely from the Celtic setup fairly quickly while Stuart began toiling badly on the park, their downward spiral bearing a strikingly similar resemblance to their old club's demise.

So what happened? Gary's loss of form was hidden behind the starting 11 and could never be satisfactorily explained but Stuart's seemed to be played out painfully in front of thousands of supporters every week. Celtic gaffer Ronny Deila had decided that seeing Stuart play so well in centre midfield for Dundee United meant he was inexplicably a shoe in for a left midfield starting role at Celtic. Ronny's decision and Stuart's relative inexperience at dealing with the pressures of a big club meant the young player's confidence dipped as he began to be become one of the most ineffective players on the park. Not only was his form bad but the lad had also began hiding, something the Celtic fans already at their wits end with Ronny and his reign of terror would not tolerate. Before long Stuart was looking like an average Scottish Premiership midfielder in a team of internationals and the writing was surely on the wall for the man with the best hair in British football. Then came Brendan Rodgers.,...

It's no secret that good managers make players better and perhaps most saw something in Stuart that meant him upsetting the odds seems normal. However this author has to confess that at no point did I see that Stuart could handle the mentality of a club the size of Celtic. How wrong was I? Suddenly Stuart is looking one hell of a player and after a shaky start, the fine haired one has steadied himself and put in some dazzling displays as a goalscoring substitute against Sevco and as a starting regular in most games since. Quite frankly this team looks like it NEEDS Stuart Armstrong and it was clearly a case that the boy's confidence had hit rock bottom. Brendan has instilled belief in this lad and that's what Ronny didn't do! Good managers make players better but bad managers make them poorer and unfortunately Ronny was not up to the job.

So hands up and admit that I made a complete pigs ear of calling this guys ability and for that I will forever be getting stick off my Celtic supporting family and mates. Obviously I deserve it but thank goodness I was wrong because we have an absolute gem in Stuart. Hopefully he goes from strength to strength and continues to run the midfield in big games. As for Gary Mackay-Steven, well the jury is well and truly out but obviously our manager has seen something in him too because he has featured recently against Man City and in the league. Who would bet on Brendan restoring this guy to his former Dundee Utd day glory? Not me anyway......

If you want to read the article where I make an a*** of myself regarding Stuart you can do it HERE

Hail Hail

Do you want to pay tribute to Stuart? Also do you agree that he has come on leaps and bounds? Let us know in the comments below.

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