\u201cThey obviously respect him so much as a player, they maybe wanted try to get him banned.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYou can only assume that\u2019s why they took the course of action they took but I have not given it too much thought.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI always think that to be a winner and to be the best, you need to be on the limit and Leigh plays on the limit.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what you want as a coach and a manager and, if he had a more Latino name, he would be talked about as being worth 15 million quid, for sure.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLuis Suarez played on edge and he was all right!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou prefer players to have an edge to their game but what Leigh has shown very quickly in the short time I\u2019ve been here is that he\u2019s another player who has impressed me.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI saw the goals he\u2019d scored before, the quality of the finishes, and the technique is top class.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBut what has impressed me more than anything is his tactical capacity.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThat shows me that Leigh is improving and, if he continues that, it\u2019ll bring his game up another level.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Something not so well known about Griffiths are his leadership qualities. Here, he explains to Efe Ambrose that they are on the same team, and he should be marking someone in a different coloured shirt;<\/p>\n There was a hint , actually, a little more than a hint, that Kolo toure would play some part in tonights game;<\/p>\n \u201cKolo\u2019s experience will be vital, whether it is from the start or in another part of the game.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt will depend on what I feel the game needs.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Another significant change in policy. The manager has shown he will adapt the way the team plays when he feels he has to. all a bit radical for us supporters, but it seems to work.<\/p>\n \n Kolo could start the game and last it, but it\u2019s one of those one when, as a coach, you are thinking it might be that second or final part of the game where you need that experience to close it out.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHe could, for example, play 60 minutes and have to come off.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThen you have to put someone less experienced on.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea could be to keep him on the sidelines and then, when you need more height in the team to close out the game because they [Astana] are playing direct, you can put him on.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIf I feel he can start, I will have no problem playing him.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The manager also backed his captain, Scot Brown, and by doing this publicly, he’ll have done no harm to how the midfielder feels about himself either;<\/p>\n \u201cI can only talk about experiences before and what happens is that when someone loves a team or a club so much and puts everything into that club, he is normally the one who bears the brunt of it.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cScott is such a driving force for the team, but sometimes when things don\u2019t go so well for the team that player gets it.<\/em><\/p>\n “I saw that with Steven Gerrard. Even with everything Steven did at Liverpool, there were still times when he bore the brunt of it<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThankfully Scott has a strong character. Mentally he is very good and knows he has a big responsibility here as one of the main pillars of the club.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cScott and Steven are very similar. They want what is best for the club.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Scott\u2019s ambition is for the club, not for himself. That\u2019s what you find in these types of players \u2013 they are not selfish.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cEverything they do is based around what\u2019s best for the team and they put themselves secondary to that.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSteven, like Scott, was a wonderful ambassador for his club, and in the changing room these types are very strong, they are able to lead.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI always say that is key for the manager. It\u2019s not what they players do when they are with you \u2013 it\u2019s what they do when they are not with you.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018You need your lieutenants in there who can control that and certainly he is one of them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0“Scott Brown has really impressed me tactically in the work I\u2019ve been looking the team to do. He has shown me over the course of pre-season that he can play as a controller.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n He has shown elements of his game that I probably didn\u2019t think he had, to be honest. But he has also shown he can step up one and be that runner in the corridor.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMy perception of him was obviously from afar. The kid has been a runner all his life, ever since he broke into the Hibs team at 17.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThen I came up against him in a friendly or two and could see he had a real aggressive streak, which I love.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNow I\u2019m working with him, I can see he is in great shape. Physically he looks really good. He is healthy in terms of his diet and mentality.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cTactically, the concepts in the game I have asked him to do – and I\u2019ve looked at him in a couple of positions – he has surprised me how quickly he has picked it up.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSometimes players get labelled quickly, such as being athletic and then people just focus on his running.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBut can you develop on the tactical side of the game? From what we have given them so far, which has been a lot, he is tactically very astute. He probes into spaces, fills gaps both with and without the ball.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHis passing is good and he can open it up at times. Of course, like any player it could be better. But he can play it long, short or split the game.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHe is great in the element I love, which is the pressing game. He can really drive the team, hunt and press. Then he has the calmness to make the first pass when he wins it. So he has really impressed me.”<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Then he mentioned the Davie Moyes story from yesterday, thrown out by desperate hacks to distract him from tonights match, and maybe even make him feel like he was second best;<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure the club spoke to a number of people, but when they asked to speak to me, I obviously knew the size of the club and the positives and negatives to the job.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cFor me, the positives of being up here far outweighed everything else at this stage in my career.<\/em><\/p>\n \n \u201cI\u2019m probably a bit younger than most, but there was no hesitation for me to come.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cTo come to Scottish football, in general, was going to be exciting for me.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know so much about it, but I know it\u2019s competitive and I know it can be tough.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI can see where David is coming from, if he spoke to the club, but still felt he wanted to be in the Premier League.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m different. I\u2019ve got another 15 to 20 years as a coach and I didn\u2019t want it all to be in the Premier League.<\/em><\/p>\n \n \u201cI\u2019m from Northern Ireland and moved to Reading when I was 16.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI lived in Wales in Swansea, in the north west of England. I hadn\u2019t been to Scotland and was happy to come.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThey tell me the weather can be good and for me it\u2019s a special experience.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cEveryone\u2019s individual needs are different, but, for me, I was open-minded when I spoke to the club, probably like David was, and I was honoured to be asked to take it on.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n and crucially, he added, or so we are led to believe…<\/p>\n “Plus, I’m a Celtic fan. Have been since I was a kid, and I felt it was important not to let that dopey ginger fucker anywhere near the club, as he would have set us back years. Never won a thing, you know…\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Speaking of things we’ve been led to believe, we heard a brilliant story from Auchenhowie, which we think will put a smile on your lips. Through an alcoholic haze, we got this from our mole at that place….<\/p>\n Lee Connolly, a Sunderland under 18 player…<\/p>\n Mad Celtic fan. Invited by Rangers* to sign around Feb this year, gets tour of auchenhowie then car to Ibrokes. Walks down the tunnel with the great David Weir, “wait til you hear this” -4 bars of Simply the Best: right Da, we’re going. I’m no huvvin it. Exit stage left. \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Which is not quite how the Record reported it back then…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i1.dailyrecord.co.uk\/incoming\/article8505930.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/JS95775546.jpg\")
<\/p>\n