Leigh Griffiths Celtic flak ‘justified’ but Ally McCoist is convinced a storybook ending is coming
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Rangers legend Ally McCoist believes much of the criticism directed at Leigh Griffiths is “justified”.
But he reckons the Celtic striker could be Scotland’s secret weapon against Serbia as they bid to reach Euro 2020.
Griffiths took his Hoops tally to 118 last week and climbed to 20th in his club’s all-time goalscorer list when he came off the bench to notch what turned out to be a consolation against Sparta Prague.
He has been under-fire for alleged fitness issues, with starts few and far between since being left out of a pre-season trip to France by Parkhead manager Neil Lennon.
McCoist believes the flak is justified this season but insists that has to be ignored for Thursday night’s battle in Belgrade, with a first tournament in 23 years at stake.
Asked on talkSPORT if Griffiths presents Scotland’s best chance of scoring, he said: “Yeah, I would think so. I think he’s our man. Natural finisher.
“He’s received a bit of criticism as you know, I think a lot of it justified.
“That said, I have gone on record as saying if we do need a goal with 15 or 20 minutes to go, he’s possibly our best shot of a goal because I still think he’s probably the best finisher in the squad.
“So, I would not rule that out and it would certainly be a happy ending for Leigh Griffiths and all of us.”