Scottish Premier League Update

Ali Hannah on the latest from the Scottish Premier League, February 2009

Celtic | Rangers | Scotland

Celtic Roundup

Football is notoriously unforgiving. For all that they have both had recent success, either Walter Smith and Gordon Strachan is likely to be out of a job this summer.

Should either of these two managers vacate office in the summer, it will seem harsh, yet that is the nature of life at Ibrox and Celtic Park. Strachan, in particular, may even decide to walk away from Celtic after four years at the club, and his exit may be hastened should he fail to deliver a fourth successive title.

While the Old Firm have both gone backwards – that is undeniable – Celtic's current toils are obvious. Since winning at Ibrox on December 27 the Scottish champions have frittered away league points like confetti – they lost 11 from 18 before thumping St Mirren 7-0 – but the Hoops manager has become the subject of baiting and bad feeling among the Celtic support.

However, former Celt Davie Hay - who once lost a nine-point lead in the title race and watched Rangers crowned Scottish champions - firmly believes that lightning will not strike twice. Hay is backing Gordon Strachan to turn the tide in a way that he never could at Celtic.

Two decades ago, Hay was helpless as his Celtic side lost their momentum and allowed Graeme Souness to deliver a first success in his Rangers revolution. Yet he is convinced that Strachan can avoid such a fate.

The Celtic manager is having to come to terms with his side squandering a seven-point lead that they held over their Old Firm rivals after winning a Glasgow derby at Ibrox.

Strachan's side have won only two of their past seven league games since that Ibrox triumph, and dropped 11 points with draws at Fir Park, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and at home to Dundee United and Rangers, as well as a defeat at Aberdeen.

In 1986-87, Hay's side had a nine-point lead over Rangers going into the new year Old Firm derby at Ibrox. They lost 2-0 and that lead was wiped out by February 28 when his side, containing a front three of Maurice Johnston, Brian McClair and Alan McInally, lost 4-1 to Dundee at Dens Park.

That trio all departed in high-profile moves that summer - McClair to Manchester United, Johnston to Nantes and McInally to Aston Villa - and the doubts about their future at Celtic provided Hay with an additional problem. "I would not use it as an excuse, but it played a part. It not so much that we lost our momentum as Rangers suddenly gained it. That was the turning point because it boosted them.

"However, that is the difference between now and then. Celtic are going through a blip just now but there is still time to rectify the situation and I have no doubt that Gordon will do that. They just have to remember last season, when they lost at home to Motherwell at the start of April and bounced back to win the last seven games and take the title."

art of the reason that Hay feels the Premier League duel still has many more twists to take is that it contains one important factor that was not around in his day: the split. With the Premier League moving into two mini-leagues of the top and bottom six sides for the final five matches of the 38-game campaign, Hay sees greater scope for huge swings in fortune.

"In my time, we had a simple 44-game calendar," he recalls. "Now the split enforces a very unpredictable series of games for the run-in, with other teams in the top six maybe vying with each other to win a European place.

"That was important last season, when Hibernian and Motherwell, who were trying to qualify for the Uefa Cup, took points off Rangers. Back in 2005, Celtic won at Ibrox with four games left to go five points clear, yet still lost the title.

"When a team loses momentum, it is not easy to get it back. I am not convinced that Gordon Strachan's team have lost momentum. They just need to get a couple of games without conceding a goal. They had the bulk of the pressure at Fir Park and lost to a late goal that was Motherwell's first real chance.

"I still think there is a bit to go yet. Walter Smith probably never thought he would get the lead back this quickly. I think after he lost the Old Firm game at Ibrox after Christmas, and he said his side would need to win every game, he never thought they would not even have to do that. Rangers have recovered the gap despite draws of their own.

"I think when Scott McDonald scored that goal to get a win for Celtic at Ibrox, everyone said the title was done and dusted. There was almost an acceptance that it was by many Rangers fans, but not by Walter Smith. However, you can be sure Gordon Strachan will be telling his players the same thing.

"They still have to play each other in the run-in and that game could be crucial if they stay locked together. The fact that the match is at Ibrox does not matter.

"Home advantage has not counted for anything this season in Old Firm games, with Rangers winning 4-2 at Celtic Park and Celtic winning at Ibrox."

Rangers

It has been three months since Rangers last savoured the view from the top of the Scottish Premier League and have recovered the position they are unable to let it slip again.

From what looked like an unassailable seven point chasm at the end of December, the Ibrox side have seized upon Celtic's desperate lack of consistency to make up lost ground. The duo are now neck-in-neck but Walter Smith's side are four goals better off in the goal difference stakes than the Hoops.

Celtic, for all their desperation in front of goal recently - Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink has scored just two league goals all season – have actually scored more goals over the course of the season than Rangers, but have toiled at the back.

By contrast, Rangers have restored their title aspirations by constructing a platform of consistency, inspired from the back by their goalkeeper, Allan McGregor, according to their veteran central defender, David Weir.

"It's obviously something we've worked on and there's been an improvement, but it can change quickly, so we don't get carried away," said Weir, who will be 39 in the summer. It's part of a general improvement in the team.

"Allan is at his best and he's been like that for weeks. He's a top goalkeeper and although he maybe had a sticky spell earlier in the season he's back to the standard he set himself last season." Meanwhile, Sasa Papac believes Rangers will win the title. With just 11 matches to go Papac believes that Rangers' consistency can land them the Championship.

The Bosnian full-back refused to confirm Gers are favourites for the crown - although he reckons Celtic were in a mini-crisis before enjoying a 7-0 romp over lowly St Mirren at the end of the month.

“We stay top and must continue to keep the pressure on Celtic with every game.

"We must play like that from now until the end of the season. If we do I think it's no problem to win the league.

"We are strong, we defend well and we create a lot of chances in every game.

"This would be the first title of my career in Scotland because Celtic have taken the last three.

"This is my third season and I've won only two domestic cups so I want the league.

"I'm not sure who the title favourites are but we're playing well and maybe before yesterday Celtic were in a bit of a crisis because they hadn't won for three SPL games.

"However, we must concentrate on ourselves and try to keep playing like we did against Hamilton.

"We've shown character but there's 11 games until the end so we must take one at a time."

Scotland

The weight of expectation surrounding Scotland's World Cup World Cup qualification campaign in Group 9 may be considerable, but George Burley, the national team manager, believes he has a midfield triumvirate that is capable of shouldering the burden.

Barry Ferguson, Darren Fletcher and Scott Brown have yet to feature together under Burley and the manager is expecting much when they finally get together to form the fulcrum of the Scotland side.

Realistically, it is a tall order for Scotland to overcome the Dutch later this month, and an equally significant leap of imagination is required to envisage the dark blue shirts of Scotland featuring at the 2010 World Cup finals.

However, in Manchester United's Fletcher and the Old Firm pair of Brown and Ferguson, Burley believes he has players whose talent befits such a stage. "For me, the three players we are talking about could get involved with any international side,” insisted Burley.

Even if the his assessment may be stretching things a little, there is some merit to what the manager says. After an insipid start to his Celtic career, Brown has come to life this season. The midfielder has yet to find genuine consistency but his form of late has given Burley hope.

"Scott Brown has numerous attributes that other players haven't got," said the Scotland manager. "There was talk about whether he would be good enough for the Premiership, but of course he is. Against Norway he was easily the best player on the pitch. He is not at his full potential but he is still learning."

Ferguson, too, has enjoyed something of a renaissance lately, with a goal and an encouraging display in last weekend's win over Hamilton Academical dispelling some of the doubts about his form following a return from long-term injury.

Add to the mix Fletcher and his influence within a Manchester United team that looks capable of performing a clean sweep of European and domestic trophies, and Burley believes that he is right to be optimistic.

"They are all top-class international players and that is something that you want to build around," he said. "Barry is still a top player and he has many years left. I will look to accommodate all three players. Fingers crossed they will all be fit for the Holland game this month."

Another Rangers player who could find himself heavily involved against the Dutch is goalkeeper Allan McGregor. With Craig Gordon struggling to figure at Sunderland, it could be that McGregor is selected for his competitive appearance with the national team when the Scots travel to the Amsterdam ArenA on March 28.

"Naturally you want your key players to be playing regularly," Burley admitted. "Allan has been involved already and showed against Argentina that he can come in and perform well in international football. Craig, though, is a top international keeper. I don't think he has put a foot wrong in the international team and I have no doubt that Craig will regain his place at Sunderland."

Burley will also keep tabs McGregor's former Ibrox team-mate Alan Hutton, with the Tottenham defender back in training at White Hart Lane after sustaining a fracture on his right foot.

Looking ahead to the game itself, Burley has no concerns about match referee Laurent Duhamel, despite the fact that the French official is banned from handling top-flight matches in his homeland after failing recently to send off two Paris Saint Germain players, who have since been punished retrospectively.

"The referee position will look after itself," he said. "FIFA will decide who will be the referee and we can't influence it. We are certainly not worrying about it. Personally, I don't know him. I'm sure he is a top-class referee and we are just looking forward to the game."

Speaking at the opening of Scotland's first regional football training centre, a £15.7m complex in Toryglen, Burley reiterated his belief that the future of the national side lies in a more productive youth development set-up and backed the SFA's decision to abandon its joint bid with Wales for the 2016 European Championships, hinting that the money would be better spent elsewhere.

He said: "The SFA were very keen to put a bid in for it but, when they looked at it very carefully, realistically, it wasn't a possibility at this stage. It might be more important for the money to be put into facilities for the kids like this one. I think that's the main thing for Scottish football.

"Can we start producing top-class players on a regular basis? I think that starts with the grass-roots from a young age. So it's great to see the facilities here at Toryglen."

Ali Hannah

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