Top Line Summary

  • Delighted about his new contract
  • His growth as a player
  • The centre-back situation at the club 
  • Hearts preview and VAR revelations

Everything Liam Scales said to the media, ahead of Celtic's match against Hearts on Saturday afternoon...

Congratulations on the new contract. Can you tell us how you feel?

I'm just delighted to get it done. I've wanted it and it has happened now. I am happy that it is done and it is now on the back burner and I want to just focus on the games coming up.

Has this been something that has been worked on in the background and how much have you been aware of this ongoing process?

It's been ongoing but obviously, it has to be right for everyone and that's when it can get a bit sticky and take time. I'd rather it take time than be rushed. It goes on in the background and my agent deals with it. You try and keep it out of your mind but it is always there in the back of your head and it is good to get it done.

Reflecting on your season. How would you say it has gone so far as you look towards the culmination?

I think it has gone well for me. At the start of the season, I did not picture myself in this position. It has gone well. It could have been better in terms of certain performances and certain things. I feel I could have done better over the year but as a whole, it's been successful for me.

Do you feel as if you've grown as a player and as a person within the year and how much growth is in you? How many gears have you got to go up? How much potential is still there in the next four years you'll be wearing the Celtic colours?

There is definite room for improvement. It's been massive for me. It is the first season I have played at this intensity and played regularly. In my first season here I played a few games here and there. Playing regularly at this intensity and level, I feel that it has improved me hugely as a player. Hopefully, if I continue to play at this level, I can keep improving. It's hard to know where the ceiling is.

What is the biggest thing you've learned about yourself and playing at this level?

I think it is that I am capable. You don't really know until you are thrown into situations which are either make or break. Just knowing that I am capable of doing it is a good thing.

It is a long-term deal. How satisfying is it that you will be playing football for this club for another four years and what does it mean to you? How far away was that from your mind? You have spoken about possibly leaving the club in the summer. Could you have imagined nine months later that you will have had all these experiences under your belt and have signed a four-year deal?

It's sort of different to how I thought it would have panned out. At that time at the start of the season, I was just looking to play regular football. I wanted to see if I could get that here. That's where my head was at but I thought I might have to look elsewhere. I wasn't really thinking that I would be in this position. It's brilliant, it's really good.

You talk about the mentality that you had and you wanted to play football. Now with this contract going forward is your aim to cement that position at left-sided centre-half and for it to be yours long-term as it has been yours for the majority of the season? Is that the aim for years to come?

Yes. One hundred per cent. I've done well this season but I don't want to just sit on that. I want to be the long-term centre-half in the team and I think everyone here would want that for themselves. That's the sort of competition you face. Everyone is in the same boat and they want that position. I know I need to continue to improve and perform at a high standard to hopefully, keep that shirt.

Stephen Welsh and Cameron Carter-Vickers signed long-term deals in the summer. How competitive is it at the back? Is it a help? Is it a hindrance? What's it like in that changing room with all the competition?

It's competitive. We don't hold grudges against each other. At the end of the day, we are teammates but there is strong competition which is a a good thing as it keeps everybody on their toes. You know if you go through a bad spell there is going to be someone knocking at the door and coming to take your place. They are all top players and more than capable of doing it.

You said the deal had to be right for everyone. Talk us through the discussions you had with the manager. Was part of that making sure you were in his plans for next season and making sure it wasn't a one-season one-off run of games?

Yes. I spoke to the manager earlier on in the year about it and he made it clear to me that he wanted me here. That is a big deal for every player here when they are signing new contracts. That is important. I know there is going to be competition here at all times. No one is secure in their position in the team at all and it is all about performing to the highest standards that you possibly can and hopefully being successful as well.

Is a part of it also about being sensible when you decide this? Of course, you want to play for Celtic as it is a huge club and where you want to play football. You don't want to just sign a contract and pick up your money as you want to be involved. Do you need to make sure there is a pathway for you to do that?

Yes. I've always been like that. I just want to play football. Here is the ideal place for me to do that. I love it here. I am really happy. It is a dream come true. It's where I want to be but that's the thing you always want to be playing. It's hard when you are not when your job is a footballer and you're not really seeing the pitch. I've been there and I did not really like it but that's football.

The last game against Hearts had a lot of talking around it. This week it emerged that two of the decisions in that game were wrong. What is it like being a player hearing that after the event?

That's the first I have heard. I knew they were wrong at the time but that's the first I have officially heard of it.

The two penalties I am talking about the ones for each side have been deemed incorrect what are your thoughts?

Fair enough. The game went the way it did and we can't change that. We can only focus on tomorrow and our game. They've been tricky this year for us. We haven't done especially well but we know if we get to our levels and play well we can win the game.

Is that game at Tynecastle a good reminder ahead of these final four fixtures that a decision or a moment in a match could impact the result of a game so you need to be wary of those bumps that could crop up even though it looks like you are in control of things at the moment?

100 per cent, yeah because you know, certain things out of your control can happen. It's about reacting to those things and we've learnt that a couple of times this year. It's definitely a good learning curve for us and we're prepared for anything for tomorrow.

Liam can I take you back to when you were first joining Celtic and making the decision to come over from Ireland - did you make out a pathway or timeline of what you wanted to achieve and when? Is that something you think about?

I think at the time I had a few options to leave Shamrock Rovers. They were all good options but this just stood out because it's such a massive club and it's just a chance to play at a club like this, you're probably not going to get many times in your career, and you might never get a chance like that again so my mind was made up fairly quick once the Celtic interest was there. I don't think I came over here with a plan because I was sort of coming into the unknown. I just wanted to come and make the best impression of myself possible. It was a good first few months and then it sort of went a bit slow for me, I wasn't playing much and the loan at Aberdeen did me really well. I think that was a great chance for me to learn and prove that I can play in this league because I think you need that. I'd come from, I suppose, a lesser standard so I had to prove myself and I did that. I never had a pathway planned out I think I just once the opportunity was here to come here - that was it for me, like 'I have to go and take this and make the most of it as I can'. 

You've established yourself, and you've got the faith from the manager with the new contract but being part of a championship-winning team is that the next step to show you can be in and amongst that as well?
 

I want to win as much as I can and that's obviously our goal every year to win league and win cups. That's a massive part of it but we have to focus on one game at a time from now and hopefully, that will take us to where we want to be.