Riordan rages at manager's 'rubbish'

CELTIC striker Derek Riordan has accused manager Gordon Strachan of "talking rubbish" by claiming that he is still in his plans.

Riordan was signed in June 2006 after scoring 64 goals in 146 appearances for Hibernian but has failed to make an impact at Parkhead.

The 25-year-old could not even find a place on the bench for Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Motherwell, which all but ended Celtic's Clydesdale Bank Premier League title hopes.

"I only get chucked on when we need a goal so he must think I can get him one," Riordan told The Scotsman's sister paper, Scotland on Sunday. "But he obviously doesn't want to do it unless he really has to because he doesn't want me to prove him wrong.

"He knows I would score quite a lot if he played me as much as he has played the other strikers, but I don't think he wants to be proved wrong.

"When I speak to him, he's nice to me and says all the things that players want to hear about me being part of his plans, but you know by his actions that he is talking rubbish."

Riordan's quality with either foot and from set-pieces shone through at Hibs, where he picked up the Players' Young Player of the Year award in 2005 after scoring 23 goals and helping the club to a Scottish Cup semi-final, where they lost to Dundee United.

He turned down a 1million move to Cardiff City that summer, but having failed to agree a new contact at Easter Road, Strachan swooped to pick him up for only 200,000 in June 2006.

However, since moving to the Glasgow club, Riordan has seen his career stall, starting just 13 games – yet scoring eight goals – and seeing his chances of adding to a solitary Scotland cap all but disappear. Now the player admits he has "virtually chucked it" at Celtic.

"It is frustrating. I was left out of the squad (for the defeat against Motherwell] and was training with the reserves on Friday," Riordan said.

"I've virtually chucked it at Celtic, what's the point when I'm not getting a chance?

"I feel let down by the manager. I remember him sitting in my mum's house trying to sign me and he said I could play anywhere in his midfield or up front.

"It was the same in the press conferences, but now I can only play left-midfield for some reason and that's not even my best position."