BOSS MADE ME WEAK TEA THEN PUT UP AN EXTRA STRONG CASE FOR ME JOINING CELTS SAYS STEVEN PRESSLEY

HIS tea's a bit wishy-washy but when Gordon Strachan invited Steven Pressley to his house for a cuppa he closed a deal that may lead Elvis to far tastier cups in May.

No contract was signed and no terms were discussed as the pair sat in Strachan's Bothwell home shooting the breeze.

But the significance of that afternoon in the Celtic manager's front room was a huge factor in Pressley's decision to snub another crack at the Premiership to sign up at Parkhead.

Every player needs to feel wanted by his manager and Strachan went out of his way to prove his commitment to Elvis.

The ousted Hearts skipper probably needed that more than ever after the hellish month he'd had falling victim to Vladimir Romanov's merciless regime.

So it when it came to a straight decision between more money in the English Premiership at Charlton or staying in Scotland at Celtic, Strachan won hands down.

Sure the prospect of adding to his career haul of two SPL medals and two Scottish Cup winners' gongs was a massive factor.

But the 33-year-old admitted his new gaffer had already taken a big step towards securing his signature with that invite to his home.

Pressley said: "Gordon makes a decent cuppa, maybe a bit watery! But it meant a lot that he made the effort to invite me to his house.

"When you join any club you have to feel they want you. And you must have a bond with the manager so that personal touch was important.

"It was just me and him sitting over a cup of tea chatting about football. There were no terms offered and we spoke solely about football. He wanted to hear my thoughts and I wanted to hear his.

"It was important that I got an 18-month contract rather than a year and Celtic and Charlton's offers were identical in that respect. But I accepted significantly less money to come to Parkhead."

It should be little surprise to Jambos fans who loved and respected Pressley's commitment to his old club that he was willing to put prestige before pounds. And after all he has endured in a turbulent time at Tynecastle it should also be expected that he is desperately seeking a sanctuary where he can enjoy some trust.

And Strachan appears to have had a head start on that score even before the crucial house visit earlier this month.

The pair's relationship goes back to Pressley's ill-fated spell at Coventry City in the early 1990s when Elvis was a raw youngster and Strachan was playing out the last days of his career.

Almost 12 years on Pressley still remembers watching in awe as the Aberdeen and Manchester United legend strutted his stuff at 41.

In one of the most difficult times of his career and personal life, the youngster looked up to Strachan as a shining example of the standards he aspired to. Now he's the elder statesman and hoping those same standards can keep him at the top for years to come.

Pressley said: "They were difficult times for me at Coventry and I was homesick by the time Gordon arrived.

"I went down there on my own and on the back of my dad's death.

"Gary Gillespie was also at Coventry then and was a huge help but when I had the chance to go back to Scotland I grabbed it.

"With Gordon arriving in the last two or three months of my time in England I didn't get an opportunity to play under his guidance for a long period of time.

"But in training you could see his enthusiasm for the game and the way he conducted himself as a player showed in his character.

"He was an inspiration because of his professionalism and the way he looked after himself. If you want to prolong your career those are two key areas."

With his recent turbulent past behind him Pressley is now desperate to get back playing and is in line to make his Hoops debut against Kilmarnock on Tuesday.

His addition to the back four beside young Stephen McManus brings valuable experience to central defence after the loss of Bobo Balde with a broken leg.

However, he's relieved that his leadership skills will not extend to the burden of another captaincy after the strife the armband earned him at Hearts.

Elvis is happy to see Neil Lennon lead the side and admits he's an admirer - even if they've had their share of run-ins.

He grinned: "I've had a few interesting chats with Neil on the

pitch over the years!

"There's a big respect between myself and Neil. He has been an excellent captain and has been instrumental in Celtic's success over his time at the club.

"So I'll thoroughly enjoy playing alongside him.

"In terms of settling in I don't think it will be a problem because Celtic have a lot of good characters in the dressing-room, many of whom I know from Scotland.

"That in itself makes settling in a lot easier.

"Being a leader is a natural part of my make-up but not having the other external stuff that came with being Hearts captain will give me the chance to enjoy my football again. I want to concentrate solely on that."

Taken from the Sunday Mail