Hmm... it's been a bad fornight for wee Gordy Strachan, eh? 1 point from 2 matches with the Edinburgh duo, a pointless victory over Villareal, and now a "bust-up" with Aiden McGeady has re-opened the perrenial debate about his future with the club.
This is Strachan's future we're talking about, by the way, not McGeady's. The winger's agent may be desperately trying to repair his client's relationship with the club (Aiden is 110% Celtic, apparently, if less than 50% Scottish), but the chatter seems to be that either he goes or Strachan goes in January. Of course, there are plenty of Celtic fans hoping it will be the latter, and that the manager will walk, Paul Le Guen-style, soon after the New Year.
However, the Celtic board seemingly remain committed to Strachan, and why not? He's brought the club consistent success and profits, which to the owners counts for more than the team's often turgid and uninspiring play.
There are seemingly a number of English Premiership sides tracking McGeady, so if Celtic can agree a fee (it seems impossible anyone will pay more than £5m in these financially troubled times) then he will be on his way.
Of course, with Sunderland rumoured to be interested in Strachan, this row could have come at very convenient time for the Celtic gaffer. Rather than leave in the manner of Paul Le Guen, Strachan could instead emulate John Collins, and announce his resignation with the words that he has taken the club "as far as it can go". After all, Celtic are out of Europe, and with 3 titles in a row in the bag, history will record Strachan's tenure at Parkhead as a massive success, no matter what happens now.
The fans who've never taken to Strachan want him out - especially if the alternative is watching McGeady, one of their favourites, head for the exit instead. But they should be careful what they wish for... the wee ginger man who has brought them so much silverware over the past few seasons may just throw in the towel.
ADDED: Celtic-watchers are seeing the announcement today of the signing of winger Niall McGinn from Derry City as anything but coincidental. He apparently can play on either flank and likes to "get at" defenders... which reads like Aiden McGeady's job description. McGinn is highly rated in Northern Ireland and reputedly cost Celtic £200k.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Celtic's less than champion week
Celtic host Villareal in the Champions League tonight... but this is not destined to be one of those "legendary European nights" that the club are so fond of - as they are already out of the competition, it's more likely to be a damp squib. While the visitors hope to finish top of the group above Manchester Utd, Gordon Strachan was left talking about keeping Celtic's good home record going. In other words, they are playing for nothing more than pride.
After Sunday's 2-0 loss to Hibs, this has not been a great week for the champions. Most of the fall-out from that game has focused on the terrible blunder by Artur Boric which allowed Hibs to take the lead. While Strachan has backed his keeper in public, he'd have to be an exceptionally stubborn man in private not to accept that Boruc's stock has fallen like HBOS over the past year.
It would be churlish, though, not to give Hibs some credit for an excellent result. In the same way that Argentinians express bemusement that English people still go on about Maradona's "Hand of God", because his 2nd goal was the one that really decided the game, Hibs' 2nd was the result of a quality counter-attack that deserved to win the match. Celtic did have more possession, as Strachan somewhat desperately pointed out after the match, but they lacked the killer touch.
There's no need for them to panic, though. Still 4 points above a Rangers team who look desperately out of sorts themselves, Celtic are still in a strong position to claim their 4th title in a row. As they proved last season, Celtic have more than enough resourcefulness to come back from a trailing position, if required.
Still, their exit from Europe does add to the feeling that, after a couple of seasons where Scottish football's stock has risen, its reputation may well be on the slide again. We may now be reliant on the national team to do something special to rescue us - after all, they will be providing the only European action we'll see for the rest of this season.
After Sunday's 2-0 loss to Hibs, this has not been a great week for the champions. Most of the fall-out from that game has focused on the terrible blunder by Artur Boric which allowed Hibs to take the lead. While Strachan has backed his keeper in public, he'd have to be an exceptionally stubborn man in private not to accept that Boruc's stock has fallen like HBOS over the past year.
It would be churlish, though, not to give Hibs some credit for an excellent result. In the same way that Argentinians express bemusement that English people still go on about Maradona's "Hand of God", because his 2nd goal was the one that really decided the game, Hibs' 2nd was the result of a quality counter-attack that deserved to win the match. Celtic did have more possession, as Strachan somewhat desperately pointed out after the match, but they lacked the killer touch.
There's no need for them to panic, though. Still 4 points above a Rangers team who look desperately out of sorts themselves, Celtic are still in a strong position to claim their 4th title in a row. As they proved last season, Celtic have more than enough resourcefulness to come back from a trailing position, if required.
Still, their exit from Europe does add to the feeling that, after a couple of seasons where Scottish football's stock has risen, its reputation may well be on the slide again. We may now be reliant on the national team to do something special to rescue us - after all, they will be providing the only European action we'll see for the rest of this season.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Hearts get a reminder of what might have been
Result of the weekend, without a doubt, was Hearts' 2-1 win over Rangers. It wasn't a pretty game of football, with Hearts scoring 2 from goal mouth scrambles and then conceding an own goal all before holding on for over an hour, but the home team will hardly care about that - this was their fifth win in a row, cementing Heart's grip on 3rd place. Given they spent most of last season bumping around nearer the bottom of the table, this is some turnaround.
Can they push on from here? More optimistic Jambos will be remembering the first season under Vladimir Romanov, when Hearts elbowed Rangers into 3rd place and earnt a chance at qualifying for the Champions League.
But things are very different now, compared to those heady days. Hearts are up to their eye-balls in debt, with MD Campbell Ogilvie admitting that the priority is to cut the wage bill, rather than invest further in the squad. Further problems with paying the wages hint at cash flow difficulties at Hearts, making it more likely that players will be going rather than arriving in January.
All this means that, rather than a spring board to greater success, the weekend's win over Rangers may well be the highlight of the season for Hearts. If players are sold in January, it seems inconceivable that they can continue as they have done. Impressive though recent results have been, Hearts have not been steam-rollering opponents into submission, but winning by one goal margins. Take any key players out of the equation, and - regardless of the fine job that manager Csaba Laszlo is doing - it may be difficult to keep things going.
As for Rangers, they are now 7 points behind Celtic, and if they slip any further the title race could be over by New Year. It's not looking good for them at all.
Can they push on from here? More optimistic Jambos will be remembering the first season under Vladimir Romanov, when Hearts elbowed Rangers into 3rd place and earnt a chance at qualifying for the Champions League.
But things are very different now, compared to those heady days. Hearts are up to their eye-balls in debt, with MD Campbell Ogilvie admitting that the priority is to cut the wage bill, rather than invest further in the squad. Further problems with paying the wages hint at cash flow difficulties at Hearts, making it more likely that players will be going rather than arriving in January.
All this means that, rather than a spring board to greater success, the weekend's win over Rangers may well be the highlight of the season for Hearts. If players are sold in January, it seems inconceivable that they can continue as they have done. Impressive though recent results have been, Hearts have not been steam-rollering opponents into submission, but winning by one goal margins. Take any key players out of the equation, and - regardless of the fine job that manager Csaba Laszlo is doing - it may be difficult to keep things going.
As for Rangers, they are now 7 points behind Celtic, and if they slip any further the title race could be over by New Year. It's not looking good for them at all.
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