If Saturday afternoon marked Ryan Christie’s final outing in a Celtic shirt then he bowed out of one the country’s most famous clubs in typical fashion.
The Hoops forward has been anything but convincing this season and as the Bhoys laboured to a 0-0 draw, it summed up not only his timid campaign but the entire team’s.
Christie was devoid of creativity, not clinical in front of goal and lacked a presence when shoved into a wide area he’s been so abject in for the last few months.
Instead of ending the term in style, Celtic brought their campaign to a close in a game that summed up the last nine months of their existence.
The team selection, one that was missing Karamoko Dembele and Adam Montgomery, was strange considering this was the last game of the season. There were no experiments from John Kennedy who placed his faith in a number of players who have only been too willing to let the coaching staff down.
The Glaswegian side travelled to the capital but failed to score at Easter Road, enduring a goalless draw with Hibernian in Scott Brown’s final Celtic game.
If supporters are lucky, this will also have been Christie’s final outing in the green and white. Linked with a move away in the winter, the Scot’s contract runs out in January 2022.
Therefore, this summer represents the final opportunity they can receive a fee for his services.
The £12k-per-week earner will be lucky to earn a Premier League move, though. After all, he’s played out a distinctly average campaign at Parkhead.
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He finished the 2020/21 season with just seven goals for his troubles, 13 fewer than he managed in 2019/20. If anything summed up his lack of productivity, it was the game with Hibs on Saturday.
Christie was ineffective again, losing the ball every five touches he took; a statistic that sums up a season where he’s been surrendering possession all too easily.
The Scotland international has had a nasty habit of shooting from range, rather than looking to be creative and find a pass when someone else is in a more promising position.
His ability to find a teammate was lacking again this week, failing to provide a single key pass for anyone in the Celtic side.
The Bhoys were crying out for a moment of magic, but typically, they didn’t receive that from Christie. The winger didn’t provide an accurate cross during the contest, firing two shots off target as well.
His performances have been poor but you have to question the manager’s decision to consistently play him out of position.
As demonstrated in Celtic’s 4-0 win over St Johnstone last midweek, the 26-year-old is more effective when playing centrally, just behind the striker.
That being said, after such a dismal season, it would be a surprise if we saw him in competitive action for the club again. Like many of the playing staff, it’s time to cut ties.