When results unravel this quickly at Celtic, silence is never really an option. Not from supporters. Not from inside the dressing room.
Four defeats from four under new boss Wilfried Nancy, capped by a bruising cup final loss, have ramped up the pressure. A failure to properly strengthen the squad across the last two transfer windows has collided with a dramatic shift in playing style under the new manager, and an already chaotic season has gone even more mental. Supporters are already bracing themselves for what could come next.
Now Anthony Ralston has offered a rare glimpse into how the players are coping behind closed doors.
“It’s tough to take,” Ralston told RecordSport. “When you’re used to so much success, when you’re used to winning everything there is to win, then going through a spell like this, there’s no hiding how difficult it is.”
The right back did not shy away from the emotional weight of the situation, pushing back against any suggestion that players are insulated from the noise.
“That’s just complete honesty,” he said. “We’re not robots. We’re human beings. I care deeply about it, and we all do.”
According to Ralston, the pain inside the squad is real. So is the belief that this group still has the character to respond.
“We’ve got players in there who’ve been hurt by what’s happened with the results,” he explained. “But we’ve also got experienced, serial winners in this building who understand exactly what it takes to be successful.”
For Ralston, the response has to be immediate and collective.
“When you go through a spell like this, it’s about taking the hit and then turning that into getting back to the success we need,” he said. “The first thing is sticking together as a unit.”
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy arrives at the stadium before the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
That unity, he stressed, has to transfer from Lennoxtown onto the pitch.
“It’s about using the limited time we have on the training ground to build that understanding,” Ralston said. “Then, when it comes to the game, you leave absolutely everything out there.”
Attention now turns to Sunday, with Aberdeen heading to Celtic Park. A fifth straight defeat would push the club uncomfortably close to full-blown panic.
“Sunday gives us another chance,” Ralston said. “Every single one of us has to leave it out there, offensively and defensively, and win a game of football. That’s where it starts.”
He also acknowledged the challenge of a mid-season managerial change.
“Normally you’d have a pre-season and more time to work on these things,” he explained. “The gaffer’s only had days with us, and we’re playing every three days.”
Still, excuses are not part of his thinking.
“You’ve got no choice as a footballer, especially at Celtic, but to adapt,” Ralston said. “The boys are giving everything and fully backing it.”
At a club built on winning, words only go so far. But Ralston’s honesty paints a clear picture of a dressing room that understands exactly how serious this moment is.
