Frank McAvennie calls Celtic star ‘lazy’ despite great form

Celtic’s start to the campaign might have been mixed but things are definitely looking up for Ange Postecoglou’s side right now. The 2-0 win against St Johnstone means that the Hoops have now won four straight in all competitions and three in the Premiership.

That also means that they are up to fourth position in the league table, on 19 points from the first 10 games and if the Rangers end up losing tomorrow, then the gap between the top spot and Celtic would be just one point.

That is just incredible when you think about where this side was just a few weeks back and questions were being raised about the future of Postecoglou at Parkhead. A number of players deserve credit for their recent upturn in form. One of them is Anthony Ralston.

Ralston has been very impressive this season to the point that he has become a regular in Postecoglou’s starting XI. Even against St Johnstone, he provided an assist. But it looks like Frank McAvennie has not been impressed with the defensive side of his game. As reported by Football Insider, the former Celtic star said:

"“When you are a defender, you have to defend. I know it sounds simple but it’s true.“Ralston gets forward a bit and he got a few goals at the start of the season but I want my defenders to defend.“I have gone on about how Ralston goes missing before. Other players end up doing his work for him.“Bolingoli actually defends. He was brilliant at the weekend. He sits back and does his job. That’s not too much to ask for me.“Ralston wants to watch Bolingoli and how he plays, he needs to learn. He’s too lazy at the moment.“There is a good player in there, just do your job.”"

Former Celtic star Frank McAvennie calls Ralston ‘lazy’

There is no doubt that Boli Bolingoli put in a solid performance against Motherwell and many believe that he is the best left-back at the club right now but, the Belgian is not known for the defensive side of his game either, which makes McAvennie using him as an example very interesting.

Coming back to Ralston, yes, it is true that there are areas that he could work on and get better in but it is safe to say that he has arguably been Celtic’s most improved player this season. And at 22 years of age, he would be expected to improve further with experience.

Coming into the campaign, not many fans would have expected him to become a regular fixture in the starting XI but that is exactly what he has become under the management of Postecoglou.