Alistair Johnston gave an insight into his experience of coming into a club like Celtic and how the passion and intensity from the Celtic support is all consuming and unlike anything else he’s experienced in football…
Alistair Johnston in action during the Premier Sports Cup Final victory over theRangers at Hampden on 15 December 2024. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star
“It’s not normal,” the Canadian defender said yesterday while speaking to the written press, including Daily Record, at Lennoxtown. “Yeah and that’s one of the beauties of it up here as well. It’s something that’s bigger than just football, it really is. It takes over people’s entire lives, for good and bad in some ways. But, as a player, you’ve got to respect the passion and the intensity that people support their clubs with.”
“It’s not something that is normal around the world”
Alistair Johnston continued: “It’s not something that is normal around the world and you can really only understand when you’ve played in a different league or if Scottish fans go abroad and see how other people do it. This isn’t normal – people are so invested – and you’ve got to respect that. You’ve got to understand it and learn to live with it.”
Alistair Johnston and Scott Bain of Celtic arrive at the stadium prior to the SPL Premier League match between Rangers FC and Celtic FC at Ibrox Stadium on January 02, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Results of course play a part in this and we can all appreciate the difference in our mood swings depending on results, more than performances. “It’s great when you’re winning, I’ll tell you that,” Alistair Johnston said. “And that’s another massive reason why you want to play for a club like this. It’s such a massive draw to know that when you go out there every single match is meaningful.
‘It doesn’t matter what the match is. There’s going to be 60,000 people at Celtic Park’
“It doesn’t matter what the match is. There’s going to be 60,000 people at Celtic Park and millions watching around the world, cheering you on and pulling for you. If it’s the opening round of a cup and you’re playing against a Championship team or if you’re playing in the Champions League, you can feel the passion in the support.
“That means the world to a player because it feels like what you are doing matters. You always want your work to feel like it matters, no matter what industry you are in or what you do. You want to feel like you’re doing something that’s meaningful and lasting.
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Alistair Johnston during the Premier Sports Cup Final between Celtic and theRangers at Hampden on Sunday 15 December 2024. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
‘Every single time you are out there, you know it matters’
“When you play for a football club like Celtic, every single time you are out there, you know it matters. And it’s not only when you are on the pitch. You could be doing anything like walking around Glasgow or wherever you are, you feel like you’re representing the club and doing something meaningful.
“You can change a little kid’s day at the bottom of the hill if you sign an autograph or have a photo taken with them. That’s something we probably take for granted a little bit but I know I won’t be here forever – whether I make it here until the end of my career or not. But even after that, I won’t live here.
“It’s about understanding that this fish bowl is not forever”
“So it’s about understanding that this fish bowl is not forever. Just enjoy the pros and the cons of it because it’s amazing,” the Celtic star said.
Alistair Johnston before the Premier Sports Cup Final between Celtic and theRangers at Hampden on Sunday 15 December 2024. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
And he also noted that making it work at Celtic for players coming in is not just about having the football ability that Celtic had already identified. There’s much more to it than that.
“At a club like this you need to have the personality to embrace it because otherwise it can overwhelm you”
“As much as football talent, that gives you staying power at a club like Celtic. At a club like this you need to have the personality to embrace it because otherwise it can overwhelm you,” he explained. “It can wear you down and exhaust you, even when you are at home. So you really need to fully embrace it. You need to understand, ‘What are my escapes and how am I going to embrace it when I’m out there in the public eye?’.
“You need to realise it’s not going to last forever but at the same time, it’s pretty cool. You’re walking out there and some 80-year-old nan is coming up to you and giving it to you about how you played at the weekend – it’s weird!
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Adam Idah celebrates with teammate Alistair Johnston after Loris Benito of BSC Young Boys concedes an own goal, resulting in the first goal for Celtic, during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and BSC Young Boys at Celtic Park on January 22, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
‘They are cheering for a team that represents them’
“But at the same time it’s like, ‘Wow! She is actually really invested in how I do at the weekend!’. It’s kind of cool in that aspect. As long as you fully grasp that and you know what the fans want.
“I always felt the fans want to feel like they can cheer for someone. They are cheering for a team that represents them. And what our fanbase is all about – it’s blue collar, it’s hard working people who work unbelievably hard to be able to afford the tickets to support their club week in week out. And they want to see that on the pitch.
“So when you leave it all out there, which is something I always pride myself in doing, I feel they can always respect that. I feel that’s one of the reasons why the Celtic fans have taken to me so well and I try to reciprocate that whenever I can.”
“You want to make this last month and a half as enjoyable as possible”
Alistair Johnston knows we’re now at the business end of the season – in his first year after he was signed by Ange Postecoglou in January, he won a treble by the end of the campaign – and there’s another treble in his sights this time around after last season’s double delight under Brendan Rodgers.
Alistair Johnston. Dens Park, Dundee v Celtic. 14th January 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou
St Johnstone stand in the way at Hampden on Sunday in the Scottish Cup semi-final before the five post split matches come around in the Scottish Premiership with Celtic needing just one point from 15 to secure the title and even then the goal difference advantage is plus 42. Tannadice is first up and that’s where Celtic will want to win it before heading to Ibrox to spray the champagne.
“That’s why you do the hard work all season”
“That’s why you do the hard work all season. You want to make this last month and a half as enjoyable as possible. The only way you can do that is by having won that first trophy in December and then being in contention for the other two,” Alistair Johnston said.
Nicolas Kühn and Alistair Johnston during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St. Mirren at Celtic Park on January 05, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
“When that weather starts to turn, you realise you are in the home stretch for trophies”
“If you do the hard work early, it gets to this point and you can potentially enjoy the riches from it. So it is an exciting time. The sun even came out for a while, although it’s gone again! But when that weather starts to turn, you realise you are in the home stretch for trophies.
“That’s part of the Celtic DNA. You come here to win trophies and we’re now at that stage where you get to earn your money.”
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