Riordan: I would never tell Fletcher to say no to Celtic

ON THE face of it, seeking career advice from Derek Riordan may be akin to asking Gordon Brown how to boost your public popularity. Yet that probably won't matter to Steven Fletcher. Riordan's troublesome two years at Celtic Park can be summed up in two ways, depending on one's outlook. Either a promising young talent has wasted time by chasing money and unattainable dreams, or Riordan was entirely correct to try and prove himself among the best players in the country.

Either way, the 25-year-old has learned to look only at the future and a probable Hibernian strike partnership with Fletcher since making his long-awaited return to Leith last week. The equation is simple; Riordan needs Fletcher to kick-start his career, Fletcher needs Riordan to reinvigorate his and Hibs need the pair of them as they look to recover from a miserable run of form.

The club has won only once since mid-March and Fletcher, one of Scotland's brightest young talents, has found the net only six times for his club in 2008. If he can regain the form which attracted Real Madrid to his progress, Fletcher will unquestionably face a Riordanesque career decision. And Celtic are unlikely to be far from the front of the queue.

So, given his own trials and tribulations, would Riordan advise his new team-mate against a move to bigger and supposedly better things? "I wouldn't do that because you never know what's going to happen," Riordan insisted. "You could end up playing for the best team in the world if you start playing well at another club, it just didn't work out for me. If you knew you weren't going to play then you wouldn't go anywhere. But you never know that.

"It is down to yourself, what choices you make in your life, and it either happens for you or it doesn't. If Fletcher thinks he is good enough to play elsewhere then all the best to him."

The pair first made a first-team acquaintance in 2004, Fletcher afforded fleeting end-of-season appearances as Riordan and Garry O'Connor formed one of the SPL's more potent partnerships. An instant impression was made.

"Fletch is a brilliant player," said Riordan, who scored 17 times for Hibs in the 2003/4 season and 23 in the subsequent 12 months. "He has great technique so I'm looking forward to playing with him. He is an unselfish player, he is not one to be greedy inside the box. "He has gone through a dry spell recently but he is a great finisher. I've gone through spells myself where it has been eight games without a goal. Eventually it starts coming back for you."

Fletcher had better hope his scoring touch returns, for the sake of his own wallet if nothing else. An imminent bet between the pair will hinge on who scores the more goals before the end of this campaign, with Riordan's target perfectly clear. "Twenty goals is my main aim," he added. "But as long as I can be top goalscorer, I'll be happy. I always want to finish there, even if I'm playing in midfield."

It was a rare crumb of comfort for Riordan, then, that he topped Celtic's reserve scoring charts last season. "People who say I shouldn't have gone to Celtic are probably Hibs fans," he said. "I just wanted to play at the highest level. I thought I was making the right choice, it just didn't work out."

The shrug of the shoulders which follow says a lot. Riordan retains a grievance that Gordon Strachan never afforded him the chance he feels he merited, with off-field drama subsequently more noteworthy than anything the player did in hoops. Riordan is clear that Mixu Paatelainen's worries need only relate to football, and not what nightclub his new forward may grab attention in next.

"Obviously I would say that side of things (off the field] has been exaggerated," Riordan insisted. "But I just have to get on with these things. It wasn't an issue when I came back here, the gaffer knows me well and he has been brilliant with me. As long as I am brilliant for him, everything will be fine."

The attainment of a similarly productive relationship between Riordan and Fletcher will be vital to the future of all three.