Frank McAvennie has launched a surprising attack on Ryan Christie, saying that Celtic are better off without the playmaker. Christie sealed a move to Bournemouth on deadline day worth £2.5m as Celtic looked to cash in on the player that had just a matter of months remaining on his deal.
Celtic had held discussions with the playmaker’s representatives but a decision appears to have been made as Christie was free to leave for nothing as early as January. The player appears to have decided to go to join Scott Parker’s Cherries in order to seek promotion back to the top flight.
McAvennie told Football Insider that Celtic were better off without the 26-year-old.
“I think he was better off going. He has played but he was one of the ones who needed to move.
“I think he’s facing a challenge in the Championship, I really do. I think he’s going to struggle, I always said he wasn’t going to go to the Premier League.
“He was linked with Burnley and let me tell you, if he was wanted by Burnley, he would be at Burnley.
“He wouldn’t have taken a Championship move. In any case, I do honestly wish him the best but I’m glad he’s gone.
“We need players who are fully committed and he only used to turn up when he wanted to. He could be lazy.
“There were times we needed him and he wasn’t there or didn’t turn up.”
Christie was a mainstay in the Celtic sides that won the Treble Treble and Quadruple Treble and leaves to join the Championship club having scored 41 goals and 45 assists in 151 appearances for Celtic. It is probably a bit of a stretch to say that Christie was lazy, he was always a player that would continue to plug away. Last season, he appeared to fall by the wayside due to a lack of direction by coaches.
He will likely be hoping to get into the Premier League with Bournemouth or performing well and earning a move if they do not.
McAvenie is being disrespectful to both Christie and AFC Bournemouth. As a striker in a West Ham team he played attractive progressive football and never played (in my knowledge) for a team that that played the long ball agricultural football that some Northern teams still adopt (Burnley being one in the EPL). Christie’s choice to join The Cherries who played 5 seasons of very attractive attacking football before dropping down into The Championship. He (Christie) said one of the clinching factors joining AFC Bournemouth was that it is now “managed” by Scott Parker an all action International midfielder in his playing days and someone who he (Christie) could learn from SP’s coaching and a team packed with International and talented players.
Ryan Christie will have to be at his very best to compete in a midfield consisting (when all fit) of L Cook, Pearson, Lerma & Kilkenny with Marcondes, Billing & Christie (probably the strongest in the Championship and possibly some Premier league teams as well). Out wide/wingers The Cherries have Brooks, Stanislas, Anthony & Rodgers (again pretty impressive !!). Lowe & Christie apparently can play out wide but will probably play more centrally in forward positions. We have plenty of multi million pound players and our combined market value maybe is more than Celtic’s, but we are only “little O’l Bournemouth” as McAvennie alludes to. UTC.