My kids were upset that I wasn’t playing. They like to see me on the pitch, scoring goals. But I’ve worked hard and they are happier now

THE mid-season summit with Ronny Deila and John Collins set the tone for Leigh Griffiths organising what was required to be a success for Celtic in his head. Probably just as effective was what he heard from his heart.

Griffiths discovered a ‘get-a-grip’ message at home, too, where his four children, upset at his infrequent participation in the first half of the season, jolted him into taking the action necessary to turn round a Parkhead career threatening to fall apart under new management.

The young Griffiths clan, clad in their ‘Dad 28’ tops, were accustomed to seeing and celebrating goals from Easter Road to Molineux to Celtic Park.

In the early months of Deila’s reign at Celtic, however, their father figure wasn’t doing much growing and learning with the group and new regime. The family outings for football were flat affairs.

The 24-year-old, named SPFL Young Player of the Month for April, has scored 15 goals in his 19 appearances in 2015. His first 19 outings for Deila produced only four, a sorry drop in production for one so proven to be prolific on the domestic beat. More was required from Griffiths if he was to lift his spirits and those closest to him.

Griffiths said: ‘I was going home and I was disappointed and hurt, angry that I wasn’t playing. My kids were getting upset that I wasn’t playing. They like to see me on the pitch, scoring goals. They were asking why I wasn’t playing and it was hard to give them an answer.

‘The only way you can change that is to work even harder. Since the turn of the year, they have enjoyed coming back to games and seeing me scoring goals. I’ve hit double figures since January and if I get a good run in the team next season, I hope to hit that 25-plus mark which would be nice for everyone.

‘I am always spending time with my kids and, if not, I am preparing for games or sitting watching the TV, so it is not as if I am out on the town causing mayhem! I have knuckled down. I’m getting talked about for the right reasons.’

By becoming established as Celtic’s No 1 striker, Griffiths has put distance between himself and comparisons with another former Hibernian favourite with a colourful personal life who wasted an opportunity at Parkhead.

Derek Riordan, complete with charge sheet for off-field incidents, signed for Celtic at 23. Being rated the best natural finisher at the club by Gordon Strachan was no use if that talent wasn’t married with the requested work-rate and, two disappointing seasons later, he was back at Hibernian and on a slippery slope.

Griffiths said: ‘There aren’t many chances of getting to play for Celtic. I don’t want to lose it. That is why I spoke to the gaffer, Scott Brown and a few of the lads and they said that once you leave here, it is a downward spiral.

‘Obviously you need to go and ask (Riordan) wha t happened here . Things don’t obviously always work out the way you want them to. That could have been me. In October/November time, he wasn’t playing here and I wasn’t playing here either. ‘Maybe you are thinking: ‘‘the manager is not for me and I need to move on’’. But thankfully after the chat I worked harder, really hit the ground running, started to score goals and it is hard for him to leave me out now. This is the most settled I’ve felt in my career. ‘There was a time I thought this would never come. It went through my mind when I wasn’t playing, obviously you’ve got to look at other options. But I’m glad I went to see the manager to find out what I had to do to get back playing. And thankfully I am now — for one of the best clubs in the world. I want to be here a long time — I’ve said that since I signed — and the only way to do that is to play well and score goals.’

The one-in-two ratio was achieved by Griffiths last season at Celtic, too, with seven goals in 14 games after signing from Wolves. He added dynamism to the team’s displays in the final months of Neil Lennon’s tenure. Unfortunately, so pleased was he with his efforts and earning a Premiership medal that he thought spending the summer celebrating would be a good idea without considering the knock-on effect.

‘When I came back in, I maybe wasn’t as fit as I should’ve been,’ he admitted. ‘That’s maybe why the manager didn’t play me. I’d worked hard at Wolves and worked ever harder at Celtic, so I wanted to enjoy the summer because it was the first league I’d won.

‘I probably let myself go a bit. I didn’t do a lot of stuff and left it too late — until the last week when I went for a few runs. I realise after speaking to the manager and JC (Collins) that I had to do more. I worked on the park, off the park.

‘I had to work on my touch because this manager plays with one up top, so it’s very difficult and you need to run around a lot. Be stronger and fitter. I’ve gone to the gym a lot. Off the park, it wasn’t just about fitness, it was the way I was living — eating right at home, being prepared for games and working as hard as I can when I come in here.

‘I’ve put myself forward for the Scotland camp, if the chance comes along I will be delighted. Then I’ll go away and enjoy my summer — but not the way I did last season. I’ll come back raring to go for pre-season and the Champions League qualifiers.’

A 28-goal season for Hibs culminated in Griffiths leading the line for Scotland in Croatia two years ago. He believes he should be competing for a place in the squad for the friendly with Qatar, then the Euro 2016 showdown against the Republic of Ireland.

In the meantime, Deila will be seeking to scout a striker to strengthen the Celtic squad for next season. However, he is content to give Griffiths the platform to prove himself capable of taking his scoring exploits into Europe.

‘We know that we can’t get ‘‘that’’ player if he’s already shown he’s a top scorer in Europe, so we have to find who is going to be the next one and develop it,’ said Deila. ‘Griffiths can maybe be that one.

‘I trust my players. And I really believe he can do it. But to do it, he just has to keep on working, scoring goals and developing in training and showing himself there.’

The players said once you leave this club it’s a downward spiral STAYING PUT: Griffiths wants to be at Celtic for years to come