Stephen O’Donnell hits out over what he is hearing about Celtic’s Anthony Ralston

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It has been an interesting week for Celtic defender Anthony Ralston.

On the domestic stage, Ralston has been watching from the bench, as Alistair Johnston takes main duties as Celtic’s number one right-back.

In truth, Ralston hasn’t done much wrong, it’s just a case of Johnston performing so consistently well and it being difficult for the man behind him to earn those much-needed regular minutes.

But, on the international stage, those starts have been coming for Ralston, including for Scotland’s two crucial UEFA League matches this past week.

Steve Clarke’s side, who were in UEFA Nations League A, were aiming to maintain their status with the big boys, but they had to see off Greece in a two-legged affair.

Scotland were relegated to Nations League B, and Ralston was on the end of some criticism that didn’t sit well with Stephen O’Donnell.

• READ MORE: Stephen O’Donnell defends Celtic transfer target Lennon Miller after he causes a stir on Scotland duty

Stephen O’Donnell hits back at Anthony Ralston’s critics on Scotland duty

It all started well for Scotland because they had beaten Greece 1-0 away from home, and Ralston was getting deserved praise.

But, then in the return fixture at Hampden, every player to a man was woeful and Scotland were deservedly beaten 3-0.

That’s when the critics rose up to hammer Ralston and call for his axe, but Motherwell defender O’Donnell was having none of it.

“One, I think you are being a bit harsh on Steve Clarke,” said O’Donnell. “Who are you wanting to play instead of him?

“I have always had this argument: who would you put into the squad ahead of Tony? Who, by the way, had been doing very well in the back four in the previous good run in Group A, which is against the top teams in Europe. Who would you have replaced him with?

“You are giving me names. There is nobody standing out. You talk about your Nathan Patersons and Aaron Hickeys. They aren’t available now and they aren’t fit enough. Yes, they are top players, but they aren’t available.”

Celtic defender Ralston’s stats for Scotland

Given that Ralston has only played around 900 minutes for Celtic this season, then he is doing pretty well to go on the international stage and perform.

It’s a completely different animal from Scotland to Celtic. One is trying to punch well above its weight, the other is the dominant force in its own bubble.

But, when looking at Ralston’s performances, going back to Euro 2024 and through to now, then he has earned himself some healthy ratings by WhoScored.