WE'RE NOT ROBOTIC

Ralston shares fans' pain but vows they will bounce back

- FRASER WILSON

AS part of a senior group inside the dressing-room at Celtic, Anthony Ralston has been programmed for success.

But for all the trophies he has gathered up alongside skipper Callum McGregor and James Forrest, the club's most decorated player of all time, the right-back insists they're not robots.

They are hurting right now. And badly.

Reeling from the pain of a spectacular turn of events that have seen the Hoops malfunction to a point it's not a question of Trebles this season ...

It's wondering if Celtic will win anything at all.

You have to go back almost 50 years for a run as bad as the one that has marked Wilfried Nancy's arrival in Glasgow as manager.

He's lost all four of his games in charge and fans, already seething at the board on a weekly basis, have added the new man in the dugout to their hitlist.

The sights and sounds at the Tannadice away end in midweek, as Celtic cheaply gave up a lead for a fourth straight defeat, confirmed a club teetering on a crisis.

This afternoon's visit of Aberdeen offers a chance to start reversing the slide.

And Ralston, who has lifted seven titles among his 14 trophies since making his debut 10 seasons ago, wants to use the pain to drive themselves out of the rut.

He said: "It's tough to take. When you're used to so much success, winning everything there is to win, to then go through a patch like this, there's no hiding it's difficult.

"That's just complete honesty. We're not robots. We're human beings. I care about it deeply. We all care.