Barry Robson must have thought that life as a Celtic player was going to be all about the adulation. The man who scored his first goal for the club with his very first touch, and who also marked his Champions League baptism by finding the net against Barcelona, seemed to be on the fast track to fame.

Robson is now discovering the other side of the coin. Celtic are under intense pressure as they struggle to retain their title and everyone in Gordon Strachan’s squad is under far more scrutiny as the season boils down to the key issues.

The midfield player has spent most of his time on the bench since a £1.5 million move from Dundee United just before the transfer window closed in January. Yet Robson believes that he can contribute the goals that could relaunch Celtic’s challenge for the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title and he warned Rangers yesterday that there are still twists to come.

Robson’s form at Tannadice before his transfer was largely what helped the 29-year-old to achieve his SPFA nomination. At Celtic, he has played a peripheral role because Strachan has Shunsuke Nakamura, last season’s SPFA Player of the Year, Scott Brown and Aiden McGeady - another SPFA nominee - to choose from in midfield.

Robson announced his arrival from Dundee United by scoring on his debut in a 5-1 rout of Aberdeen at Pittodrie with a curling free kick just ten seconds after replacing Nakamura. He played from the start when Barcelona went to Celtic Park in the first leg of the Champions League last16 tie and scored with a header that put Celtic 2-1 up before they lost 3-2.

“It’s been pretty hard for me at Celtic so far,” Robson acknowledged. “Since I came to the club, it’s taken me time to settle in and force my way into the manager’s plans. It’s still early days but I’ve only had seven or eight games. It’s a massive club, though, and I have been enjoying it all.

“I think I have done well when I have played. With great players like Aiden McGeady, Shunsuke Nakamura and Paul Hartley around, it’s going to be pretty hard to get in. To be honest, I always expected it to be like this. I’ve had a game here and a game there and I understand that. I got a game against Barcelona when Scott Brown was suspended. It has been hard but the boys in my position have been doing well. The manager brought me here as a wide player.

“Aiden has been outstanding this season and Shunsuke has done well, too. These are the two guys I’m fighting to get a place. It’s a great challenge for me. The manager has said that I can play in the middle but I haven’t got massive experience of that. Maybe when I get older I’ll play more in there.

“Over the last year under Craig Levein at Tannadice, I was playing wide and I’d imagine that’s where Gordon Strachan wants to play me. I have to learn from the manager. I’ve been really impressed by him and it’s a totally different way of playing at Celtic from what I was used to at Dundee United.

“In training, there is a lot more tactical work on positioning and the manager wants me to play in a different way. It takes time to get used to, especially when you’ve only been involved in seven games. It’s hard to get to know everything.”

Robson has been thrown on as a substitute by Strachan over the past two weeks in a bid to rescue games against Rangers at Ibrox and Motherwell, whose 1-0 victory at Celtic Park last weekend prompted fierce criticism of Strachan by some supporters. Yet the midfield player insists that the mood in the champions’ camp is not downbeat.

“The manager has been excellent and the mood has been great,” Robson said. “We’ve had great sessions this week and the tackles have been flying in, which is the way it should be. We were disappointed on Saturday. No disrespect to Motherwell, but they had one attack and we lost a goal. They played well, defended well and worked hard.

“We missed a few chances but I wouldn’t blame that on the strikers. The midfielders also have to take responsibility for scoring and even the defenders do, too, when they come up for set-pieces. We can’t just rely on Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink all the time. Everyone needs too do their part and chip in with goals. I’m sure the goals will come.”

Robson feels that the fixture schedule handed out on Monday night by the SPL for the postsplit itinerary can give Celtic a second wind as they pursue Rangers. The leaders have to go to Celtic Park twice inside 11 days this month, while Rangers have only two out their remaining eight games at home.

“There are a lot of hard games to come,” Robson said. “The title contenders will have to go to places like Tannadice, Easter Road and Fir Park. Rangers have a lot of games coming up with their European escapades. They know it will be hard.”