It is quite clear that Leigh Griffiths is no longer the player that he once was. At his peak, he was easily the best striker in Scotland and managed to score 40 goals in a 2015/16 season that saw him take home all individual honours. But injuries and personal issues have left him a mere shell of the player he was back then and these days he struggles to even get a start under Neil Lennon.
As a result, rumours have been floating around that the striker could be on the move after Celtic completed the €4-million signing of Polish striker, Patryk Klimala. Griffiths provided fuel to the fire himself by liking a tweet that linked him with a move away from the club. And then he deleted his account, after Celtic fans started to send him messages some of which might not have been the most pleasant.
Former Hibernian star and current BBC pundit, Tam McManus, has slammed the Hoops fans for their recent treatment of the 29-year-old. As reported by The Scottish Sun, McManus said:
“I think probably his days are numbered at Celtic. He put another one up with a silence sort of thing. I don’t think there was a lot in it.
“Celtic fans need to remember Leigh Griffiths is a top player and has been a great servant for Celtic. I think they signed him for £1million and he has scored over 100 goals in an elite category of Celtic strikers.
“He’s a treble treble winner and I think he scored 40 goals one season as well for Celtic so I think he deserves more respect from some of the supporters, especially on social media.”
Leigh Griffiths was indeed a top player at his peak. And although those days seem far behind him, we must give him the respect that he deserves whether he leaves tomorrow or goes on to retire at the club. Obviously the majority of the Hoops fans only have good things to say about the Scot but a small portion of the supporters have been known to get on the nerves of the players. Earlier this season, Ryan Christie had been forced to delete his Twitter account as well after receiving abuse from the fans for getting a red card against Livingston.
