Why there's no longer any doubts about Celtic's Leigh Griffiths

Leigh Griffiths celebrates his first free-kick against England. Picture: SNS/Bill Murray

8 different views of Leigh Griffiths' free kicks v England

There were 53 seconds of normal time remaining. Four minutes of added time were to follow. Only 293 seconds to hold on.

Hold on and Scotland would complete a famous victory, one for infinitude, one which would be celebrated and revered. Each passing year, 10 June would be marked as it if was a national holiday. Drinks would be opened, videos would be watched, social media would be awash with nostalgia.

Ten, 25, 50 years down the line. By then photo frames would be able to hold video-graphs. Scotland fans up and down the country, some not even born when the ball hit the back of the net for the second time, would have those free-kicks as pride of place on display alongside family members.

Those 293 seconds were all that stood between Griffiths and immortality. He could have played another 50 times for Scotland without scoring, but it wouldn’t have mattered, his standing ingrained within the Scottish game.

Those free-kicks, his first goals on his 13th Scotland appearance, would have been remembered in the same way Archie Gemmill’s weaving run against the Dutch in Argentina, nearly 40 years ago, is. They may still be.

Yet, below the heartbreak, underneath those bending, dipping shots, was a fantastic individual performance. The type which Scotland fans knew he was capable of producing, one which backed up their, at times, incessant view that he was good enough to lead the Scottish attack. It only increased in the face of reticence by Gordon Strachan who never seemed to trust or believe in Griffiths.

Scotland players go wild after Griffiths scores against England. Picture: SNS/Bill Murray

For Hibs fans his outing at the weekend may have brought back mixed emotions. All those Saturdays watching the team toil with Griffiths foraging alone up front. The sole inspiration. One of the criticisms of Griffiths - valid previously but now outdated - was that he was too individualistic. That was the case at Hibs, but that’s because he had to be. That’s what was required of him.

Without knowing the inner-workings at Easter Road at the time, it would be surprising if the team talk wasn’t ‘lads, get the ball to Griff and get out of his road’.

His head would go down, he’d endeavour to get the ball on to his left and he would then ping it. Hard and accurate.

Leigh Griffiths nets his first goal for Scotland. Picture: SNS/Roddy Scott

Yet, two spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers, two with Hibs, then to Celtic and with Scotland there has always been a suspicion. Even after 85 goals in 114 games for Celtic which followed, 38 in 78 for Hibs; 13 in 31 for Wolves; 33 in 62 for Dundee; and 26 in 52 for Livingston.

Even after all those goals the suspicion perhaps still remains in some circles. Something which Griffiths recognises: “People should know not to write me off now, but they still do.”

Surely no longer. Surely Griffiths has now done enough, improved sufficiently, performed in the requisite number of big games for the suspicions, the criticisms, the doubts to have been eradicated. Surely it is time to praise the striker without a caveat. ‘He’s a great striker’. No buts.

He can score goals. And do a whole lot more. The England game was the epitome of a rounded lone striker performance. It was mature and canny. He was at his pest-like best. From the moment he closed down Gary Cahill in the opening seconds to the way he spun in behind and attacked the space between centre-back and full-back, a facet of his game he performs so well.

What next for Leigh Griffiths at Celtic Park? Picture: SNS/Bill Murray

Neither Cahill or Chris Smalling are slouches. They can’t be if they are Premier League centre-halves. At times Griffiths made them look like they had just spent a season under David Moyes being told they weren’t good enough.

His back-to-goal play was sharp, as was his touch and link-up. His non-stop running was akin to Kenny Miller when he scrounged, harried and perspired manfully, covering all those miles, in a Scotland shirt for all those years.

It wasn’t a defining Griffiths performance. More the perfect example of his evolution. From a raw, immature, off and on the pitch, petulant striker, through Tunnocks tea-cake eating substitute appearances, to complete forward.

But what next? Both in terms of Celtic and Scotland.

Taking the latter first, it’s easy to answer. He is Scotland’s number 9. If Strachan wants to play Chris Martin he plays him alongside Griffiths. They showed in their time together on the pitch, albeit a small sample size, they could work if the manager wants two targets. After all Robert Snodgrass has cut an anonymous figure for a while.

If Scotland are to win their four remaining games, to give themselves a chance of reaching Russia 2018, Griffiths will be at the forefront.

At club level, the dynamic between player and manager has been a curious one throughout the past season. For much of the campaign Brendan Rodgers appeared reluctant to dole out praise to the individual, always bringing it back around to the collective, while mentioning how there is still room for progress.

Earlier in the season Rodgers voiced mild concerns about the player’s application in training and how he looked after himself away from the pitch. The player himself noted at the weekend that Rodgers was frustrated with his injury issues earlier in the season.

It seemed to come to a head when the duo clashed following Grifftihs’ removal at Partick Thistle. With Moussa Dembele injured Griffiths was back in the team, leading the line, but he had words for his manager at Firhill. While he stewed on the bench he must have been apprehensive as to what the consequences would be. But such has been Rodgers’ management, the issue was dealt with instantly and the manager has been much more effusive in his praise for the player.

After a short break, Griffiths will refocus and try to oust Dembele from the starting line-up. The striker has his sights set on Champions League involvement and his first goals in the competition proper. For the player it is his final frontier. The striker sees the Champions League as the level in which he can finally put any of those remaining doubts about him to bed.

He has done it at Hibs then Celtic and now the international level.

Once the Champions League anthem dies down, there should be little surprise when he proves himself on those midweek nights against the glitz and glamour of European football. As demonstrated on Saturday he simply requires the chance and the trust of the manager.

He will score goals and work for the team. That there is no doubt,