If you think Leigh’s finished, you’ve not been paying attention

It was only a friendly and he took advantage of an error, but Patryk Klimala’s goal against Nice last night got rid of the onerous burden that comes when every striker joins a new club, he is no longer waiting on his first goal.

Patryk is still only 21, living abroad for the first time and has a whole lot of work ahead, but in these respects he is no different than several strikers who have successfully developed into top talents at Celtic in recent seasons.  We know how to transform prospects into champions, if you want to make it as a striker, this is the place to come.

I know that you and me both have a lot of time for Leigh Griffiths.  He has proven his worth repeatedly in the six years since he arrived at Celtic Park, most notably by scoring 40 goals in season 2015-16.  Since then, he has played more of a supporting role, first to Moussa Dembele and then Odsonne Edouard and he returned from off-field challenges before lockdown with an impressive scoring rate.

High standards, which would have been unrecognisable as recently as Martin O’Neill’s time, have been set at Celtic in recent years.  They have contributed to the club being the most prodigious collector of trophies in Scottish football history.  Neil Lennon is the curator of those standards and he knows more than anyone the cost if he lets them slip.

Leigh has a master’s degree in the science of ‘Prove them Wrong’.  He has been written off and returned to the top more than anyone I can remember, whatever weaknesses he has, this determination to recover is a strength many overlook.

If you think he’s finished, you’ve not been paying attention.