Livingston boss David Martindale has just come out in the press yesterday to tell us how “gutted” he is for former Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths that the player still hasn’t managed to find a new club yet.
Griffiths is currently training with Livington just now and Martindale has showered him with praise from what he has seen from him on the training field.
From his attitude and application to his skill and technique, labelling the player “brilliant” and a “positive influence around the club.”
He then goes on to say he hopes another club snaps him up because “Livingston can’t afford a Leigh Griffiths”.
Griffiths has also spoken out himself recently, talking about the abuse he gets, even at Livingston’s training ground from spectators watching on the hill shouting insults at him.
He also says that he can’t believe that as a free agent that he still hasn’t managed to find a new club and says Martindale will allow him to remain training with Livingston but there is “no deal on the table” for him, despite Griffiths making it clear that “everything is still negotiable” in terms of what sort of wages he’d be looking for.
I think it’s clear that Martindale isn’t being honest with Leigh one way or the other, judging by what they have both said in the meida.
Griffiths way playing in League One for Falkirk last season and then went on trial to an Australian third division side.
Even if you take the Aussie trial out of the equation, I don’t believe for one second that Livi couldn’t even match the salary that he was getting at league one Falkirk.
Like Griffiths said, he’s not earning any money just now, so everything us up for negotiation, if he’s still as good as Martindale is making him out to be then he would sign him. So don’t lie to the boy that you can’t afford him because he would take £300 a week over nothing at all and he’s been earning nothing at all for the last 5 months.
So either he’s finished, which he looked to be at Dundee and Martindale is getting his hopes up and telling him he still has it while not offering a deal himself, or he is just too much bad news and it’s bad enough training with Livi and getting abuse, never mind if he was also playing for them and dealing with the abuse at stadiums and dealing with his next on or off field incident which will no doubt happen as he can’t keep himself in line.
And if that is the reason, Martindale must also make that clear to him, because if that’s the reason clubs aren’t signing him, then he needs to be told this instead of wasting his time and getting his hopes up.
If you really want to help Leigh David, then for Christ sakes be honest with him, that’s the best help you can give him.
