KASPER HOGH will lean on guidance from above as he attempts to settle into life at Celtic.
The Danish striker, the club’s record signing at £11million-plus, fired blanks on his Hoops debut in the Premiership opener against Dundee at Parkhead on August 3 when Benjamin Nygren netted the only goal of the game.
However, Hurricane Hogh made an appearance in spectacular fashion six days later when the 25-year-old hitman ran amok against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and thumped in a first-half hat-trick as the champions romped to a runaway 5-1 triumph.
Since that illuminating afternoon in Ayrshire, the 6ft-plus attack-leader hasn’t claimed a solitary strike.
Hogh missed three outings through injury, but has failed to hit the net in seven other appearances.
THANK HEAVENS…Kasper Hogh celebrates his hat-trick in Celtic’s 5-1 Premiership triumph over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
The big-money summer recruit from Bodo/Glimt insists he will get over the interruption and hopes to prove his qualities after the international break with the champions scheduled to play Motherwell at Fir Park a week on Sunday.
Reflecting on the move from Norway to Scotland, Hogh said: “It’s been a huge experience. Celtic is a huge club.
“Everything is just bigger. There are more fans and there are more people watching you.
“Of course, it’s always difficult to move to a new country, but this is really good for my development as a person.
“When I had to make the leap from Denmark to Norway, I had problems because of the anxiety that was deep inside me.
“But now I’m in a completely different situation. I’ve found peace in God, I have a wonderful girlfriend who has moved in with me and I still have great support from my family and friends.
“I was also ready to experience something new. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone.
“And that’s why this change is perfect for me right now.”
Hogh, who thanks God in every aftermatch interview, began reading the Bible as part of his daily routine during his two years at Bodo/Glimt.
A BIG HAND…Kasper Hogh makes his Celtic debut in the 1-0 win over Dundee on August 3.
Asked if there was a passage that particularly inspired him, the forward, speaking to the media in his homeland, answered: “Yes, it’s from Paul’s letter to the Romans in the New Testament. Chapter 8, verse 18.
“It goes like this: ‘The pain that you are feeling is nothing compared to the joy that is coming’.
“For me, that sentence is the very perspective on life. It has told me that even if you have a huge setback, you can learn from it and there will always be something good coming out of it on the other side.
“I’m actually so happy about that one sentence from Paul’s letter that I got it tattooed on my right shoulder.”
Hogh, who is desperate to play – and score – in his country’s Nations League encounter against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in Copenhagen tomorrow night, is adamant he is a transformed character from his early days.
He added: “It was 100 per cent my own fault that a particular image was painted of me at the time.
“I was probably a little too loud and cocky at times. When you stick your nose out, you hear about it in the media.
“I can’t change the past. I don’t try to. But I have changed as a person and am in a completely different place today.”
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