| Celtic Slang | About Celtic |
Details
Reference to: Hard working players who get stuck right in
Derivations: Get stuck in!, The Dig Ethic
Definition
This is a Glasgow colloquialism that applies very well to football. The root of the term lies in that hard work and elbow grease generates success and rewards, where a man who works hard and toils away (‘digs in‘) then he’ll reap the rewards from his efforts.
Not a footballing term alone, this ethic applies generally to those players whose main attribute is to get stuck into a game and ‘dig‘ away, pressing the opposition players when the opposition have the ball or just pressing forward with the ball when we have. You will also hear often of supporters calling for a player to have a ‘dig‘, which can best be referred to as an attempt to just take a shot at goal (usually a hard powerful shot from long range).
There are numerous players for whom dig can be applied. Barry Robson in the 2000’s could never be mentioned without the term popping up, and can be said to have been synonymous with the word amongst the Celtic support. He had an exemplary work rate that drove the team to victory through his hard work in the matches he played. He is for many the ‘dig‘ ethic personified.
Strangely it could also be used by some as some kind of derision, insinuating that a said player had little talent and so over compensated for it by over working on the pitch by chasing any loose balls and challenging for anything going. Peter Grant could be deemed to be one of those types, but in fairness he and similar others were good footballers as well. You need hard workers on the pitch to do the unattractive stuff, without them we’d never regain the ball.
In truth, poorer players do rely on applying themselves harder in matches to make them worthwhile to the team, and in ability terms and attitude they are the closest many on the terraces will ever get to on the field. So then these players can be very much loved.
Possibly the greatest player who could have the ‘dig‘ analogy applied to him is the great Bobby Collins. His exceptional work rate was so valued that a similar hard working epithet/nickname was bestowed on him: ‘The Wee Barra‘ (a barra is a stall or barrow (‘wheelbarrow‘)). However he was no carthorse alone but was an exceptional player who broke the mould in both England and Scotland landing well deserved awards for his contribution to the game.
Although ‘dig‘ is generally about players, it can also be a quality that a team needs sometimes as well. Back in season 2007-08, Celtic were floundering in the league way behind Rangers with no time left. The title race seemed over. Yet the team rolled their sleeves up and dug in hard to win their last seven matches in a row culminating in an incredible league title victory.
‘Dig‘ is an important attribute. Scottish players have always been known for being ones for their hard work rate, and was a reason for their popularity with English clubs till the birth of the EPL. At Celtic, we need them and love the players, and when the heads of the rest are down, you know that those with the most ‘dig’ will be the ones to get the others out of the trough.