Snodgrass’ comments about Griffiths show why Boyd was wrong to criticise him
Oliver Birch 
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Sport
West Ham’s Robert Snodgrass has commented on Kris Boyd’s criticism of Leigh Griffiths earlier this season, and his point emphasises exactly why the Sky Sports pundit was wrong to cast such doubt over the Celtic striker’s future.
Boyd suggested before the January transfer window that Griffiths had four weeks to save his Celtic career (Glasgow Times, via Sky Sports).
And according to the Daily Record, Snodgrass revealed Boyd made the comments because he didn’t understand what Griffiths was dealing with off the pitch.
No disrespect but the reason Kris Boyd and others were having a go was because they know Leigh is better than what he was showing at that time. But what no one knows is what Leigh was having to go through, whether it was injuries or problems in his private life.
It did seem as if a lot of people were coming out and criticising him without taking any of that into account. It was like, ‘He should just deal with it because he’s a professional football player. It’s part and parcel of the job’. He’s only human at the end of the day. He’s going to feel it when people are criticising him, just like anyone else would.
READ CELTIC VERDICT
Snodgrass’ comments emphasise exactly why Boyd was wrong to make such a bold statement about Griffiths’ career.
The 29-year-old struggled off the pitch last season, and continued that battle during the first half of the campaign, during which he also struggled with injury.
And Boyd’s comments seemed to lack any context or consideration for what the 29-year-old was going through, as Snodgrass eludes too.
Therefore if anything, the winter break and the January transfer window probably came at the right time for the Celtic striker.
He would have been able to get away to the club’s warm weather training camp in Dubai and focus solely on improving his game and working his way back to his best, rather than worrying about what the likes of Boyd had to say.
And whatever he did during that winter break certainly appears to have done the trick, with Griffiths returning to form with eight goals in his 13 appearances in all competitions this year (Transfermarkt).
