The father of Celtic star Ryan Christie has revealed as to what was wrong for the midfielder during the tutelage of former boss Ronny Deila.
The midfielder, who has been in impressive form so far this season, wasn’t a regular starter under the former Norwegian boss Deila. The current Valerenga manager was at Parkhead for a period of two years and helped the club win two Premiership titles from 2014 to 2016.
In a recent interview, Christie’s father, Charlie, was talking to BBC Sport and he spoke about how his son was often left frustrated under the tutelage of Deila.
He said: “He’s a good example of giving it your utmost when you’re not in the team. I’ve seen the days when Ryan was hugely frustrated sitting in the stand at Parkhead.
“He played and scored in a 7-0 win on the final day of the season against Motherwell. Ronny Deila said afterwards he maybe should have played him more often that season. That just increased the frustration for Ryan.”
Should Ronny Deila have played Ryan Christie more often?
Yes, definitely
No, Christie wasn't good enough at the time
Star of the season so far?
Under Deila in the 2015-16 campaign, Christie had featured only for 23 games in all competitions. He could make only 17 starts during this time. He found the back of the net four times and racked up a tally of six times.
In the 2014-15 campaign, the midfielder had played 42 times in all competitions. He found the back of the net four times, racking up three assists as well.
But this season, Christie seems to have come of age at Parkhead. He has appeared 27 times in all competitions. He has scored as many as 15 goals – the highest in the side and also has an impressive tally of ten assists.
This is already an improvement from last season. Under Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon combined last term, Christie had contributed to a total of 20 goals, while playing 38 games in total.
TIF Tactics
Christie’s example shows that with the right amount of playing and the right playing style, any young player can succeed. Under Deila, Christie was in his late teens and early twenties. Despite being that young, he did get a lot of senior football under the Norwegian.
But over time, his growth has been very good. This season’s numbers show exactly that. It is a reflection of how the Deila era sparked Christie’s rise to prominence and gave him the foundation to be a top-class player for the Hoops.