Kris Commons is on the road out of Celtic and set to join up with his old boss Neil Lennon at Scottish Championship side Hibs. If rumours from the media are to be believed (I know I know) the man described as Celtic's talisman will be on his way in January and fans are wondering if they will get to say farewell to a man who has given some of his best years to the club.
Kris joined in January 2011 and instantly became a cult hero with the fans. Rags like the Daily Record had painted a picture of a transfer tug of war between Celtic and Rangers for the Derby County man but in reality the Ibrox side couldn't muster the paltry £300,000 fee the English side demanded to let the attacking midfielder go. Kris arrived on a three and a half year deal and promptly became a hero with the Celtic faithful. All action midfielders are hard to come by but paying £300,000 for one was downright theft and Kris probably repaid the fee in his first ever game when he scored in a 4-1 victory over Aberdeen in the League Cup Semi-Final, beautifully lobbing the goalkeeper from outside the box. Celtic knew they had landed a player of undoubted ability and the fans could rest easy in the knowledge they were lucky to have such a player in Scotland's top flight. Early in February Celtic travelled to Ibrox on Scottish Cup duty and Kris netted in a 2-2 draw. This would mark the first time he scored against the old Rangers, a feat he would repeat quite a few times as his Celtic career progressed. During his first half season with the hoops he banged in 15 goals and demonstrated a quite remarkable ability to shoot with both feet. Not quite at the level of Lubo Moravcik but impressive all the same. Kris picked up his first winners medal in May as Celtic beat Motherwell to win the Scottish Cup. Fans waited with baited breath for the new season but when it came something was missing and things went badly wrong for the midfielder.
Problems first arose in the early encounter with St.Johnstone when Kris slipped while taking a penalty. Due to the miss he was removed from penalty taking duty by manager Neil Lennon. Things went from bad to worse when he was sent off in a 2-0 defeat against Hearts, his dangerous tackle clearly a sign the player was frustrated at what was now very poor form. So bad was his fall from grace that he ended up out of the team completely and suffering from regular but niggling injuries which prevented him from building up a head of steam. Despite the heroics of the previous campaign, Kris scored only one goal in the 2011/12 season, predictably it came against Rangers.
Season 2012/13 saw Kris return to the magic form that fans were expecting and it came as a relief to the midfielder who was desperate to prove that the heroics in his first campaign were no fluke. Scoring 19 goals was a decent return for a man who had hit only a solitary one in his previous season and fans sensed that the player would use the success as a springboard. That he did and in the 2013/14 season he hit 32 goals, an incredible achievement for a man who wasn't playing a striker's role. Manager Neil Lennon, who had been a big influence on the player would depart after this season and unfortunately for Kris, and Celtic in general the next man wouldn't see a player in the man who finished top goalscorer in the Scottish Premier League.
Ronny Deila arrived in season 14/15 and made it clear that Kris was not the sort of player he wanted in his side, preferring dross like Jo Inge Berget and Mubarak Wakaso to the Celtic talisman. Strangely Ronny would relent and whether through a change of heart or managerial weakness, he would restore Kris to the team many times throughout the season. Despite Ronny, he still hit 16 goals and signed a two year contract extension. Celtic were drawn against Sevco Rangers in the League Cup Semi-Final and the player proved he could do the business against the spiritual successors of Rangers with a blistering strike into the top corner from outside the box. Sadly Kris would never again hit these heights, nor the goalscoring feats of the previous campaign.
Brendan Rodgers arrived at Celtic Park and intended to do things his way which meant there was no place for Kris in the new look Celtic setup. Unlike Ronny, Brendan was not weak and there would be no reprieve for the player this time. Kris has not started a single game under the watch of BR and looks unlikely to do so. Fans have called for one solitary appearance before the player leaves in order to give him a send off. Given Brendan's penchant for making decisions and sticking with them it would be wise for fans not to hold their breath. Yes it would be a shame for the player and the fans but at the end of the day no one is bigger than the club and it is unlikely Brendan will gamble on the current unbeaten run with a player who doesn't fit into his style of play. Perhaps a last five minute substitute appearance at a packed Celtic Park will need to suffice. Oddly enough if Kris were to be miraculously recalled for the Hogmany clash at Ibrox nobody would be in the least bit surprised if he bagged a goal.... after all it's what he does best.
From a personal point of view, Kris leaving will be a sad moment because for years he was undoubtedly my favourite player. This author's first European match at Celtic Park was the game Kris scored the penalty against Spartak Moscow which put us into the last sixteen in that memorable Barca busting campaign of 2012/13. Also who will forget his blistering strike against Shakhter Karagandy in the Champions League qualifier? Kris was a magnificent player for Celtic and despite rumours of causing unrest in the dressing room he will be remembered as a fantastic servant and it is widely known he and his wife do a lot of charity work. If Kris does leave he will go with the best wishes of the Celtic fans, hopefully 60,000 of them ringing in his ears for one last time.
Hail Hail
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