Armstrong on his struggles at Celtic
STUARTARMSTRONG is the first to admit it. If playing for Celtic doesn’t come with a health warning, it does bring its own problems.
The money is nice. He will never have to flip burgers for a living. He drives a nice car and people know his name.
But there is a price to pay. Sacrifices to be made via greater pressure, public recognition and the physical and mental demands. Not to mention the constant, unforgiving scrutiny, the criticism and the incessant expectation for trophies.
At Dundee United, he could play the odd bad game and nobody died. A Scottish Cup every five years was considered a decent return. Now it’s three games a week and a trophy every five months. Or hell mend him.
‘Celtic is a huge club and there is loads of pressure,’ Armstrong admitted. ‘If the performances are not up to scratch, everyone knows about it. There is no denying that there is a huge mental aspect to being at Celtic and the combination of both can be challenging.
‘There are times when I haven’t coped as well, physically or mentally.
‘But it’s about learning and this is my first proper full season with the club. I’m learning more every day about how to accept being a Celtic footballer and everything that comes with that.’
It’s an illuminating answer. One which answers the key question where Armstrong and Celtic are concerned.
Twelve months ago, the former Scotland Under-21 international was one of Scottish football’s coming men.
Celtic acted on what had been a long-term interest and took his close friend Gary Mackay-Steven to Glasgow, too.
The pair made a strong impact upon their arrival. Ronny Deila’s team went on a 12-match unbeaten run. The former Dundee United duo added a new impetus to the team, freshening things up and adding a spark of life.
Against Inter Milan in the last 32 of the Europa League, Armstrong dragged his new team back from the dead in the home leg by scoring the first and having a major hand in the second of Celtic’s three goals on the night.
Supporters accepted him readily. But this season has been a different story. And people want to know why.
‘I’ve always had high expectations of myself and, if I haven’t performed as I would have liked to, I think about i t quite negatively,’ he admitted.
‘ But you can’t be that way, because football isn’t perfect and every game isn’t perfect.
‘So you need to take the positive aspects from each game and forget the other parts.
‘That’s the difference between here at Celtic and Dundee United.
‘If you had a bad performance at Tannadice, the amount of people who would see it or talk about it would be minuscule in comparison to Celtic.
‘But that’s life and something you have to get used to. Self-belief and confidence is a big thing in football.’
His own insecurities have been tested by a number of factors. Some he talks about openly. Others he discusses with a pained expression, running a hand through his hair in search of an answer.
Injuries are a part of the job. The incessant demands of three games a week when European football is on the go took some time for him to adjust and adapt.
And then there is the other issue. His position.
At United, Armstrong was a dynamic central midfielder. It’s the reason why Celtic bought him.
Yet under Ronny Deila, he plays almost as a left winger. An attacking left midfielder.
Choosing his words carefully, he admitted: ‘That’s been challenging now and again. Naturally, I am a central midfielder, but we have a lot of competition in there.’ Understatement barely covers it. Celtic have acquired a small battalion of central midfielders and have another five out on loan. They can’t all play. Deila can literally stick a pin on a squad list and be almost certain of landing on an international midfielder.
Armstrong could play the holding midfield role. He has the energy, pace and work-rate. For reasons best known to themselves, Celtic’s management prefer to stick him out on the left. That he can play there does not necessarily mean that he should.
‘I’m just happy to be part of the team and, if that is on the left, then it is on the left,’ he shrugged.
‘ In an i deal world, of course I would love to play centre midfield. But it’s up to the manager — and I’m not the manager.
‘If he sees the team playing its best and my role is on the left, it’s a team game and I want to win matches with Celtic.’
A law graduate, Armstrong is intelligent enough to avoid any rash statements. Rabble rousing is not in his nature. But his body language is a giveaway. A sign of discomfort with the subject matter.
‘I’ve been trying to play badly on the left,’ he joked. ‘Seriously, I need to accept l i fe on the l eft and everything that comes with it.
‘There are good positive aspects to playing there, lots of attacking moves which I enjoy, shots at goal and runs i n behind to cause