Aodhán Ó Conchobhair 
DINGWALL, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 15: Celtic's Anthony Ralston celebrates making it 2-1 during a cinch Premiership match between Ross County and Celtic at the Global Energy Stadium, on December 15, 2021, in Dingwall, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
There are few things guaranteed to divide the Celtic support quite like a Scottish player.
One week, Anthony Ralston is reportedly close to signing a new contract, and the reaction is mixed.
Next, people are asking whether he’s good enough to play another minute for the club.
Sound familiar?
Because we watched exactly the same thing happen with Greg Taylor.
For months his contract became one of the biggest talking points surrounding Celtic. Some wanted him kept at all costs. Others couldn’t wait to move him on.
It raises an interesting question.
Why do we judge Scottish players so differently?
The “He’s One Of Us” Effect
Scottish players rarely get judged solely on football.
They’re judged on emotion.
Supporters see themselves in them.
Anthony Ralston isn’t just a right-back.
He’s a boy who came through the academy.
He’s lived the dream every supporter imagined as a kid.
That creates patience.
Loyalty.
Sometimes even protection.
Foreign players don’t often get that luxury.
If a £3 million signing struggles for six months, supporters quickly ask questions.
If an academy graduate struggles, the conversation becomes far more emotional.
Or Maybe We Judge Them Even Harder
Then again, perhaps it’s actually the opposite.
Because supporters know Scottish football so well, expectations become unrealistic.
Greg Taylor was never going to replace Kieran Tierney.
Anthony Ralston was never going to surpass Danny McGrain’s legacy.
Yet at times they’re judged against impossible standards.
Taylor won multiple league titles, adapted brilliantly to Ange Postecoglou’s inverted full-back role and became a Scotland international.
Yet every transfer window seemed to involve replacing him.
Ralston has spent years accepting his role as backup, stepping in whenever asked and never creating problems.
Yet every new contract debate with a Scottish player quickly becomes, “Is he Celtic quality?”
Would we ask those same questions if they were Scandinavian?
Or Japanese?
I’m not convinced we would.
I remember the same with David Turnbull a few years ago. A great midfielder who scored goals, but we felt we could “get better”.
The Passport Test
Sometimes it feels like Scottish players need to do more to earn the same appreciation.
If a foreign signing works hard, supporters praise the mentality.
If a Scottish player does exactly the same, it’s often dismissed as simply “giving effort”.
Local players often become defined by mistakes.
Anthony Ralston’s winner at Ross County under Ange Postecoglou helped change the course of a title race.
Yet mention his name and many supporters still immediately think about mistakes rather than moments like that.
The same happened with Greg Taylor.
Years of consistency.
He gets megged by Olise in the Champions League, and there are debates about whether he should be “doing better”.
Maybe We Need More Balance
This isn’t about saying every Scottish player should stay.
Nor is it about handing out contracts because someone came through the academy.
Celtic should always demand the highest standards.
But perhaps we should judge everyone by those same standards.
Because if Anthony Ralston signs a new deal, it should represent a success for the academy and for the player himself, not stagnation in the momentum of the playing squad.
Key Takeaways
- Celtic fans often have mixed feelings about Scottish players like Anthony Ralston and Greg Taylor, reflecting emotional connections.
- Scottish players face higher scrutiny, judged not just on performance but on expectations tied to their backgrounds.
- Supporters may apply unrealistic standards to local talent compared to foreign recruits, raising questions of fairness.
- The appreciation of Scottish players can diminish despite significant contributions, like Ralston’s key moments.
- A more balanced approach to judgement could benefit both players and the club’s academy.
Eric Knott 
Bhoycie 
Ralston is a terrible football player. Lack of ability is the issue here, not his nationality. It takes him an eternity to take a ball in to feet, turn and play it on. Basics. Ridiculously one footed. Liability. Failings easily exposed. Only Celtic team he belongs in is NTV’s “they embarrassed the Hoops.”
The one footed comment is interesting but not because I disagree with it. Celtic have at least 5 solely left footers in Tierney, Scales, Trusty, McCowan and MacGregor. I see no point in debating whether or not either of these guys is good enough for Celtic. That’s another debate. The point is that they consistently find themselves limited in options in how to positionally receive the ball, how to control the ball, and how to move the ball forward. It is even more worrying in how it limits their ability to defend when needed. This also makes them very easy to mark as opposing players know what they are going to do because of these limitations. It, without a doubt in my opinion, contributes to our consistently predictable ‘style’ of play. They can only pass the ball forward when they are moving to their left, hence the passing backwards and sideways on a monotonous scale. If you want an example of how it limits us defensively, check out on youtube our game against Falkirk in January this year and watch a moment when Falkirk nearly scored in the 80th minute. You’ll witness all the above in its scary entirety. Getting back to the point of the original post, I’d say we, as a nation, expect foreigners to be better footballers otherwise we’d just be buying our own (l’d much sooner we were developing our own but again, that’s another debate). I’m of an age to remember an Orcs team who had a player called Stuart Munro at lb. He wasn’t Roberto Carlos, but he was far from hopeless. He was the guy they’d shoot down when things were occasionally going wrong for them and they constantly wanted him replaced despite him being pretty consistent. Here’s hoping MON changes our style to something that’s enjoyable to watch and hopefully anything but the predictable fare that we’ve been served of late and getting back to winning the Celtic way.