Ryan Christie’s move from Celtic to Bournemouth last summer raised more than a few eyebrows. While the likes of Kris Ajer and Odsonne Edouard may not have moved to bigger clubs than Celtic, their transfer destinations of Brentford and Crystal Palace respectively looked like an opportunity to play in stronger league – Christie’s south coast destination and the second tier of English football on the other hand was perceived as a strange choice.
Bournemouth had performed miracles initially under former boss Eddie Howe, yet a drop to the English Championship seemed to indicate a club on a downward trajectory. It left many fans to assume Bournemouth was perhaps a financial decision for Ryan Christie, and as such the player received a fair amount of stick from those in the media and the support alike.
Yet Christie, speaking to Football Scotland, refutes that narrative, stating he had more lucrative offers to consider than Bournemouth and the impact of the criticism fell on deaf ears, even if that wasn’t the case for those close to the player.
“To be honest I’m old enough now not to really turn my head about the media now, especially after playing for Celtic. It didn’t really faze me all that much but it maybe fazed the people around me more. The move felt right.
“I’d known in my head for a while that I was at a point in my career where I wanted to try something different. Being in Scotland for so long. In terms of money there were moves on the table which would have been more financially beneficial which I went against. That proves in my mind that it wasn’t like that.
“When I moved within a few weeks I felt I’d made the right move and I’ve loved it ever since. The people closest to me knew, I speak to them so often, that through that period there were a lot of decisions to be made. I’m always going to lean on the people closest to me for advice and I felt they always got the feeling from me that I wanted a change.”
There was a belief initially when Ange Postecoglou joined the club, that Ryan Christie, after a poor season under Neil Lennon during the previous campaign – something granted he was far from alone in – was a player reinvigorated.
There were flashes of old form and on-field influence in games and Christie’s style of play seemed to suit Postecoglou’s system, and Christie admits that start to the season, and the influence of Postecoglou, did have him second guessing his decision to seek new pastures, although ultimately the pull of a move away from Scotland trumped the possibility of participating in Postecoglou’s process.
“It was difficult at the time as well because at the start of the season I felt like I’d got a new lease of life again,” he added. It came at an annoying time because I felt my mind was made up and then it makes you question things.
“Ange came in and I loved working under him and then I whittled it down and at the age of 26, if my next contract was in at Celtic it would probably have been one that kept me in Scotland for the rest of my career.
“I thought, ‘Is now the time to jump?’ I needed to and I’m thankful I made that decision. I enjoyed his approach to it, you could tell the coach he was, he wasn’t taking any back-step, he was in from the go and ready to work. You kind of got the feeling that everybody had put the season before behind us.
“To be fair to Ange he was superb with me in terms of pulling me in and chatting to say that as long as I was part of his squad he was going to treat me equal no matter the contract situation, which I greatly appreciated. It was strange because of the timing, I thought I’d started the season well at Celtic and it felt like it was going in the right direction again it was almost I was questioning my initial thoughts.
“It was only when I sat down and put everything on the table I just felt now is the time to be part of a new set-up and league, it was right up my street.”
There is more than football to consider in any player’s career choices of course, and although it seems on the face of it to be a strange decision to leave 60,000 fans every week at Celtic Park for a 12,000 capacity at the Vitality Stadium, there is likely to be more to consider.
Yet despite Christie’s protestations as to the decision to move on not being down to money, in part it must have been, given the wages Bournemouth continue to pay put despite relegation from the top flight. Add to that a tranquil life and a warmer climate on the south coast, and perhaps far less intrusion into your private life, then those considerations may well have played a part in Christie’s decision.
After all the pressures of playing for an expectant support at a club the size of Celtic can have its drawbacks, and for some a quieter life and more sedate footballing environment may just suit them better.
Niall J
