Real name	Steven Pressley
Height	6.00
Nickname	"Elvis"
Weight	11.01
Date of birth	11-10-1973
Place of birth	Elgin
Position	Defender
Nationality	Scotland
International Caps	27
International Goals	0

Trivia

• First player to win the Scotish Cup with three different clubs (Rangers, Hearts & Celtic)

Career
Veteran defender Steven Pressley signed for Celtic on December 29th 2006 after the former Hearts skipper was released by the Tynecastle club following a fall out with owner Vladimir Romanov.



Scotland international Pressley had fallen foul of the Romanov regime after he led a very public player revolt – along with Paul Hartley and Craig Gordon - against the way the Lithuanian was running the Edinburgh club. Pressley had started his career at Rangers but had really made his name as a Tynecastle stalwart. However it would be the Rangers link that the media focused on in their coverage of the signing.

Celtic saw off interest from Charlton and several other English clubs to sign Pressley on an 18-month deal but it is fair to say that his capture was not greeted with universal delight from the Hoops support. The fact Pressley once played for Rangers was not an issue, however his age – 33 – and that the perception he was well past his sell by date was.

Critics among the support argued that even at his peak Pressley was no more than ordinary, but he was clearly valued by Bhoys’ boss Gordon Strachan for his experience and leadership qualities. So much so that little more than a month after signing for Celtic Pressley was made skipper, in the absence of the injured Neil Lennon, on his return to Tynecastle – the Bhoys winning 2-1.

In his remaining appearances that season for the Hoops the Elgin-born player proved to be a mostly reliable performer at SPL level, although there were moments where his limitations were exposed.

His commitment however was always total as Celtic took the title and Pressley went on to create history by becoming the first player to win the Scottish Cup with three different sides as Celtic defeated Dunfermline in the 2007 final at Hampden.

A back injury curtailed his involvement in season 2007/08 - although he was a stand out in a 1-0 defeat against Milan (away) in the Champions League - and with less than a year to run of his contract Pressley’s playing career began to wind down. Although still on the Parkhead books he took up a coaching post with the Scotland set-up and was linked to several managerial jobs.

On 17 June 2008, Stephen Pressley announced he was to leave Celtic, adding “I thoroughly enjoyed my spell as a Celtic player, I can’t speak highly enough about the club and I was treated extremely well by everybody."



KDS Honours

• 04-Dec-07 MOTM 07-08 AC Milan 1 v 0 Celtic CL

KStreet

• Pressley Signing thread
• Pressley Leaving Thread

Club________	From________	To__________	Fee__________	League		FA Cup		League cup		Other
Celtic	29/12/2006	17/06/2008	Free	19 (0)	1	4 (0)	1	0 (0)	0	1 (1)	0
Hearts	01/07/1998	29/12/2006	Free	270 (1)	19	23 (0)	2	17 (0)	2	22 (0)	1
Dundee Utd	25/07/1995	01/07/1998	£ 750,000	100 (0)	6	11 (0)	0	12 (0)	0	5 (0)	0
Coventry_____	19/10/1994	25/07/1995	£ 600,000	No appearance data available
Rangers	02/08/1990	19/10/1994	Signed	34 (0)	1	0 (0)	0	0 (0)	0	0 (0)	0
Inverkeithing BC	01/08/1989	02/08/1990		No appearance data available
Totals			£1,350,000	423 (1)	27	38 (0)	3	29 (0)	2	28 (1)	1
			goals / game	0.06		0.07		0.06		0.03
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elvis: thanks for the memories
David Friel
ELVIS has officially left the building but Steven Pressley didn’t want to finish off his Celtic career without saying thanks to the Hoops supporters for their backing over the last 18 months.

The experienced defender, signed by Gordon Strachan in January 2007, walks away from Paradise this summer with medals and a host of memories. Regardless of where football takes him in the future, he will always look back on his time at Celtic with great affection.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my spell as a Celtic player,” said Pressley, as he spoke exclusively to www.celticfc.net. “I can’t speak highly enough about the club and I was treated extremely well by everybody.

“I got on very well with the boys in the dressing room and the management team. It was a great 18 months for me and the only disappointment was not being able to play as much football as I would have liked in the last six months.

“At this stage in my career, I want to be playing on a regular basis. I need to find a club that will give me that chance, but I’ll always remember my time at Celtic.”

Pressley was with Celtic for a relatively short period, yet highlights are plentiful. Winning the SPL title at Rugby Park in April 2007, in the most of dramatic of circumstances, ranks as one of the best moments of his career.

Lifting the Scottish Cup just weeks later proved to be the perfect finale to a turbulent season for the player, which also saw him leave Hearts after eight years at Tynecastle.

Over the past 12 months, first-team chances haven’t been as frequent, but Pressley has still played his part, domestically and in Europe.

During the UEFA Champions League home match with Shakhtar Donetsk, he helped guide Celtic to a crucial win that paved the way for progression to the last 16. In the SPL, he made five appearances and admits he has never felt prouder than when Celtic won the title at Tannadice last month.

“Winning the double in my first season was brilliant,” he said. “But to be honest, even though I’d only played five league games, I took a lot of satisfaction from being involved with the squad that won the league under difficult circumstances this season.

“I didn’t play in the run-in, but I was there. I was out on the training field, I was in the dressing room and I was so pleased for all the players.

“They had been through so much over the season and the title meant a lot to everyone, especially with the tragic passing of Tommy Burns. We’d all been through a great deal and I took a lot of satisfaction from that triumph.

“The Champions League games against Shakhtar and AC Milan were great as well. I thoroughly enjoyed those experiences and this is a fantastic club to play for.”

So what does the immediate future hold for Pressley? He has never hidden his desire to move into management and his part-time role within George Burley’s Scotland coaching team will give him invaluable experience on that front.

Yet, the 34-year-old has no plans to hang his boots up. At present, he is mulling over a number of offers and will make a decision on his future in due course.

He added: “I really don’t know what will happen. I wouldn’t rule anything out, because I’ve come to learn that in football there are no certainties.

“You never know what is round the corner. I’ll wait and see what is presented to me over the next few weeks and then I’ll make my decision. Ideally, I’d like to try something different, maybe abroad.

“But if I don’t get the right opportunity to do that, then I’ll need to weigh up other options. Nothing is clear at this moment.

“Coaching remains a big ambition. At 34, the Scotland job is a great chance for me. I’ve started my UEFA Pro License and that will enable me to coach at the top level.

“That’s very important for me, but if I can continue playing then I want to. I’d be the first to hang the boots up if I didn’t genuinely feel I could contribute something, but I believe I have a lot to offer as a player and hopefully I’ll continue to do that.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elvis Fury At Lion Hughes
Apr 6 2008

CELTIC star Steven Pressley walked out of a dinner last night after Lisbon Lion John Hughes launched an attack on Hoops boss Gordon Strachan.

The veteran defender was a guest at the bash to celebrate Hughes' 65th birthday.

But he left in disgust after the former Celtic striker laid into Strachan for the club's poor run of results during a speech.

Pressley didn't take kindly to his gaffer being publicly slated and told Hughes it was neither the time nor the place for him to have a go.

Strachan's sister was also at the dinner held in an Edinburgh city centre hotel.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------