Paul Hartley on hilarious Celtic bust-up between Steven Pressley and Thomas Gravesen

By David Walton

February 11, 2019

Steven Pressley vs Thomas Gravesen isn’t something we thought we would be discussing today, but Paul Hartley has made it happen.

The former Celtic midfielder was the latest subject of Simon Ferry’s Open Goal interview series. Hartley was a big part of Celtic’s three-in-a-row success under Gordon Strachan.

Yet he was also joined by other big personalities such as Pressley and Gravesen. All three had fairly successful times at the club, helping the Hoops dominate Scotland.

Thomas Gravesen was a huge name when he signed in 2007 (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

But, speaking to Open Goal today (1:00:21), Hartley told of a hilarious prank Gravesen played on Pressley during a recovery session.

“It was a recovery session, and he had big Elvis (Pressley) in a headlock.

“Elvis comes in with the shorts on. Then the next minute big Tam has him and – dunk! (pulls Pressley into the pool).

“Big Elvis is the strongest man in the world and he couldn’t get out. You should’ve seen his face – he was going to kill him.”

Gravesen not one for keeping quiet

Danish icon Gravesen certainly wasn’t one for keeping his cool and staying quiet in the dressing room.. He’s wide-acknowledged as being a vocal member.

It’s clear to see by watching Hartley talk about him, however, that Gravesen was a popular player. His personality seemed infectious, and that’s the kind of personality that can create a strong spirit in the dressing room; or divide it.

Steven Pressley was a no-nonsense style of player at Parkhead (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Since leaving the Hoops, Gravesen had been spending his life as a businessman in Las Vegas. He was most recently seen as part of a Danish TV show based on a football club. It would hardly be surprising if permanent acting was next up on Gravesen’s wish-list.

Like him or not, Gravesen still did Celtic a decent turn. He may have arrived to much fanfare and expectation, but he still ensured Celtic remained dominant in Scotland, even if performances in Europe left plenty to be desired.

He may not have been too popular with big Elvis, right enough.