RYAN CHRISTIE will be first to grab the ball the next time Celtic are given a penalty.
His father Charlie has no doubts about that because over an astonishing two-year period of his son’s career there has been character in abundance.
Sunday’s defeat to Rangers came after Christie Jr had missed a spot-kick at 0-0.
It hit him hard, like it did every player in Neil Lennon’s side.
But the 24-year-old, who has scored 18 goals this season, has already come through so much worse to re-establish himself as a top man for club and country.
Christie was knocked out cold by the red-carded Dominic Ball in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen last April, which saw him suffer four facial fractures and require five plates for the repairs.
And his red card at Livingston in October condemned Celts to a humiliating 2-0 defeat.
Either side of those lows, though, have been remarkable highs.
Trophies and European glory with Celtic, a bumper new contract plus a Scotland breakthrough and first goal for his country.
Never mind anything else, dad Charlie is proud of his boy’s resilience
He told SunSport: “Sunday’s result and penalty miss was a deep disappointment for Ryan and the rest of the team.
“It was a decent save by Allan McGregor. It was at a good height. Ryan’s gutted, of course, but more for the defeat.
“He’s the designated penalty-taker and it will be up to the manager and the coaching staff if he takes the next one.
“But I know this for sure, Ryan won’t shy away from the responsibility if it’s still his. He’ll happily take the ball and will be determined to make up for the miss against Rangers.
“Ryan’s proved his character in recent years. He’s had a number of big disappointments and each time he has bounced back. I’m very proud of him for that.
“There’s massive pressure every time you play for Celtic, but he relishes that and sets himself extremely high standards. Ryan was the same for Inverness and Aberdeen.
“I watched the Rangers game on TV and I could see his frustration at not playing to the level he wanted and the fact the team wasn’t quite at it.
“Being sent off at Livingston was a tough situation for Ryan, but he responded so well, finding his best form again for Celtic and for Scotland and scoring goals.
“He’s experienced a lot in his career, especially in recent years. There have been a lot of ups and downs. The good thing is there’s been more ups.
“Neil Lennon, John Kennedy, Damien Duff, everyone on the coaching staff, have been very good for Ryan and that drives him on, to repay them.
“Whenever he’s selected he feels he owes them and it’s why there’s added disappointment for Sunday’s defeat.
“Ryan’s made of the right stuff. He’s had a few kicks in the teeth and responded the right way.
“I greatly admire his character. He’s hit such high heights. The expectations on him have grown ten-fold.
“Ryan’s set his bar very high, but it’s extremely hard to maintain it.
“However, I know he’ll be desperate to right the wrongs of Sunday when the season resumes after the winter break.”
Caley Thistle academy director and club legend Christie has great respect for Celts boss Lennon and has faith he’ll find the necessary answers for the eight in a row champions to pick up the title gauntlet thrown down by Rangers.
He said: “A lot of people are jumping a bit after Sunday because it had been a long time since Rangers had won at Celtic Park.
“But Celtic are more than capable of going on another 11 or 12-game winning run and if they do that I’d fancy them to win the title again.
“They weren’t able to hit the heights on Sunday. That was the most disappointing thing.
“Credit to Rangers, they played very well. They stopped Celtic from playing.
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“Winning was a massive boost for them and there’s no escaping the fact that they’re now a serious threat for Celtic.
“Steven Gerrard’s clearly got something about him and you have to respect the job he’s doing, but there’s a long way to go yet and the difference is Celtic players have seen and done it. They know what’s required.
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“This time a year ago Rangers also won the derby and there was big talk about them. What happened? Celtic won the league comfortably.
“They’ve now got a break to recharge their batteries and I’m sure it will do Ryan and the Celtic squad the world of good.”
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