“Results will pick up again and I also expect Celtic to win the title,” Joe Ledley
Joe Ledley was one of the Celtic heroes last night, helping the Hoops win the Tennent’s Sixes with a 5-4 win over the Rangers in the final…
That was a surprise result left the Rangers players fuming in their changing area with a video on social media showing the extent of their anger. The latest Ibrox club appear to have taken the tournament for former players of the 12 Scottish Premiership clubs more seriously than everyone else.
Apparently they had their players staying in a hotel over the weekend, had the team bus, massages were taken between matches and their players were each on a £2k bonus to win the tournament for the first time in the new club’s history.
And after thumping Celtic 7-1 on Saturday night they must have been confident when they faced up to an older Celtic side, who went to the pub after the defeat the night before, in last night’s final.
Gary Hooper scored the winner in the Tennent’s Sixes final
Remarkably the Rangers team were never behind in the entire tournament until Gary Hooper put Celtic 5-4 ahead in the closing moments of the final.
To say that the Rangers players were angry with themselves and each other would be an understatement and their supporters were just as bad, having turned up in numbers believing that the trophy would be theirs and looking forward to the final against Celtic when both sides qualified.
You can read more about the Tennent’s Sixes final day HERE.
While back in Glasgow for the Sixes tournament, Joe Ledley spoke to the media about the current situation at his old club as attentions gradually shifts away from international football and back to club matches with Celtic resuming this coming Sunday with a Scottish Premiership fixture away to Motherwell before heading to Lisbon to take on Benfica in match-day two of the Europa League campaign.
New signings will now know what it means to play for Celtic
Ledley reckons that the summer signings will now have a better idea what it means to play for a huge club like Celtic where the expectations to win every match is huge.
And that certainly didn’t happen in the three games ahead of an international break that probably for once was a welcome event for everyone at Celtic after the three back-to-back defeats to the Rangers twice and Ferencvaros sandwiched in between.
For the new arrivals those defeats and the subsequent reaction will have been a huge eye-opener with the Celtic manager Martin O’Neill openly discussing his own position as a result of what happened on the pitch over those three matches.
“It’s always tough when you first arrive at Celtic,” Joe Ledley
“It’s always tough when you first arrive at Celtic,” Joe Ledley stated, as reported by Daily Record. “It is a shock to the system – 100 percent. The winning mentality you need to have is unlike what you will experienced at most other clubs. When I first arrived, it took me a few months to deal with that and understand what was expected of me.
“It can be difficult to hit the ground running at a club of that size. But what a feeling it is to play for Celtic under that pressure. You need to embrace and buy in to what is expected of you.
“The reason you become a professional is to play at the highest level in games that mean so much to so many people. Celtic is the type of club you strive to play for and I am sure the new boys will embrace it – and learn to enjoy it as well,” Ledley said.
He added: “You sometimes need a period to understand the club, what it means to so many people and the pressure and expectation. On top of that, many of them will probably be getting used to a different style of play. They all have to be given a lot more time to really settle.
I also expect Celtic to win the title
“There has to be an element of patience with all new players. Camilo Duran started really well and hopefully he continues that after the break, because he looks like a top player. I am sure that other new signings will also begin to improve too.
“I am convinced results will pick up again and I also expect Celtic to win the title.”
Looking back on the three losses ahead of the international, Ledley admits that those type of things can happen in football and this early in the season certainly do not need to define the season for the group of players currently enjoying the privilege of wearing the Hoops.
“That’s football,” the former Celtic midfielder said. “There are lots of ups and downs in a single season.
“I remember being 15 points behind Rangers one season and we fought back to overtake them within a few months. I scored a header against them when we went top and we never looked back.”
Senior players at Celtic have huge role to play
Joe Ledley also highlighted the key role of three senior players at the club, who have been over the course and distance many times and have the winners medals to do the talking for them. Now is the time for them to make sure everyone in the Celtic dressing room is well aware of exactly what is required.
“I look at Celtic being top of the league and that is a basis to go and kick on after the break,” the former Wales international said. “Martin also has really good senior pros in his squad, in the likes of Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney and James Forrest. Those guys are key to everything that happens.
“Hopefully the boys can bounce back with a win against Motherwell,” Joe Ledley
“They are the cornerstone of the club and they will be having a chat to everyone and ensure they know what is expected at a club like Celtic. I have been watching the games and we all know that the week before the international break was disappointing. But there is still such a long way to go and let’s remember, Celtic are top of the league,” Joe Ledley said.
He continued: “Hopefully the boys can bounce back with a win against Motherwell after the break and they can pick up the form they showed in the first few weeks of the season. That’s what we are used to seeing from Celtic and I am sure they can get that back.”
On his appearance at the Tennent’s Sixes over the weekend Joe Ledley admitted it was an honour to once again pull on a Celtic jersey.
“It’s always magical to pull the Celtic strip back on,” Joe Ledley
“It’s always magical to pull the Celtic strip back on. It was great to be back and team up with the older players. Celtic is still a club that means so much to me, and it’s always an honour to represent them. I still follow the results and I was happy to come up and play the game,” he said.
Plenty of wise words in there from Joe Ledley, whose goal against Rangers back in December 2011 knocked them off the top of the table and that club would never again be league leaders. True story folks.
