Since his arrival at Celtic from Major League Soccer in January last year, Alistair Johnston has quickly become a significant figure within the team.
Stepping in to fill the void left by Josip Juranovic, who moved to Union Berlin in the same window, Johnston made an immediate impact in the right-back position and played a vital role in Celtic’s treble-winning campaign.
The transition to Celtic, however, brought with it a unique set of pressures unfamiliar to Johnston from his time in the MLS. There is a mountain of expectation placed on the Celtic players, but just to win, but to win fashionably.
This season has seen Celtic collect the three points without performing well on many occasions. This is something that hasn’t pleased many of the supporters.
In discussion with Canadian broadcaster OneSoccer, Johnston highlighted the intense rivalry and scrutiny that comes with playing for a club of Celtic’s stature, particularly in a city shared with a fierce rival.
He said: “It’s difficult because you can feel the pressure.
“It’s nothing like I experienced in the MLS, just because, first of all, the rivalry is obviously a lot deeper, just a little! And you share a city with your rival.
“So, you know when you walk out the door that you’re going to get recognised, but you’re not sure if you’re going to be loved or hated, and that’s kind of an interesting thing that you have to learn with and deal with quickly.
“But at the same time, yeah, you feel the pressure.
“You’re not only expected to win, but you’re expected to win in a certain way, which has been difficult.
“And there’s not nearly as big of a period of grace given when there is a lot of change.
“A new manager comes in at these kinds of clubs, there’s no time to have that period where, okay, there are things that are new, we’re going to have time to build that.
“It’s not like that at these massive clubs. It’s straight in, the pressure is there right from the get-go, the expectations are there.
“So, dealing with that, it takes a big personality, and that’s what I found as well, is that in order to make it at that level, you need to have a level of mental fortitude, perseverance, and resilience because not every day is going to be as great as it seems to the outside world.
“There’s a ton of pressure you’re dealing with.”
