The Euro 2024 competition in Germany has been a peculiar experience for Celtic fans this summer. With the thrill of watching their heroes compete against some of the world’s best players comes the inevitable criticism if Scotland suffers a loss, particularly if Celtic players are involved.

We have already witnessed how this unfolds. Scotland’s 5-1 defeat to Germany in the opening group game saw Callum McGregor singled out for criticism despite the entire team underperforming.

The subsequent 1-1 draw with Switzerland brought further condemnation for another Celtic player, Anthony Ralston, who was blamed for the Swiss equaliser. This, despite it being evident that Grant Hanley’s poor passing ultimately led to Ralston’s mistake, allowing Shaqiri to fire home a sensational equaliser.

A theme is emerging here whenever negativity surrounds the Scotland team, and as this continues to rumble on, Sam Allardyce has shared why Ally McCoist was fuming at Ralston’s mistake, and it’s not what Celtic fans might think.

McCoist wanted ‘help’ for Anthony Ralston:

While some Scotland fans pointed the finger at Ralston, McCoist was ‘going mad’ because he saw that the Celtic defender needed help on the right flank. Former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce elaborated on this during his discussion on the “No Tippy Tappy Football” podcast.

Allardyce said, “To see Scotland bounce back with a bit of fight was encouraging. The one that hit the post and then the lad who missed the header [Grant Hanley] at the other end. So it really could have gone either way, but a draw’s a fair result in the end.

“I mean, what was his name, the fullback who passed that ball to him [Anthony Ralston]? He must still be having nightmares over that. Ally McCoist was going mad about it. ‘Get him some help. He needs some help. Get him some help.’

“Because instead of doubling up for him, he was getting isolated too much, and he was struggling to cope with him.”

It appears widely recognised that Ralston was let down by his teammates in the lead-up to the goal, even according to McCoist. Despite this setback, the Celtic defender did manage to pick himself up and was praised by Scotland skipper Andy Robertson for recovering well to put in a solid second-half performance.

Ralston’s resilience will be crucial again tonight as Scotland face Hungary. With a spot in the last 16 of the competition at stake, Steve Clarke’s team will need all hands on deck.

Celtic fans will be hoping Ralston can once again rise to the occasion and help secure a vital victory for Scotland. As the tournament progresses, the scrutiny on Celtic’s contingent in the Scotland squad will undoubtedly continue, but so too will the support from their devoted fans.