The Daily Record - Murdo Macleod

Stunned by stars in stripes

2012-05-28T06:20:13Z

IF Scotland get their World Cup qualifying campaign off to a flying start then the weekend mauling in Florida will hardly be mentioned again.

If we fail to hit the ground running in our bid to reach Brazil in 2014 it will be dragged up at every opportunity.

On the face if it, losing 5-1 against the USA was a desperate result and only time will tell if it has any effect on the team spirit Scotland manager Craig Levein has fostered since
taking charge.

But before everyone gets carried away and starts having a go, it's pertinent to point out a number of mitigating factors that contributed to the lop-sided scoreline.

The biggest one is that America used the match as preparation for the World Cup qualifiers they will be playing over the next couple of weeks.

Jurgen Klinsmann's men arrived in Jacksonville with their game heads on and were fully wound up for a contest which attracted in excess of 44,000.

In contrast, most of the Scotland players have been inactive for the best part of a month and had spent the previous week doing some light training and enjoying a few rounds of golf.

Unless you are involved in a major tournament or playing in a meaningful match, it's extremely difficult to switch back on mentally.

Fitness-wise, the game against the USA wouldn't have been a problem for the Scottish players but having finished the domestic season so long ago their focus would have been elsewhere.

There was also the scorching temperatures in Florida and while the 90 degree heat is not what our boys are used to, it was great for the US - who sit considerably higher than Scotland in the FIFA rankings.

Of course, it's not ideal as regards building momentum ahead of our opening World Cup qualifier with Serbia next September.

But this trip was always more about being a team-building exercise. It was about having a few games of golf and a bit of sunshine on the players' backs after a long, hard season.

Craig has placed emphasis on camaraderie and when you don't have the best squad in Europe it's understandable why he'd want everybody pulling in the same direction.

Levein must be doing something right because the number of call-offs has been dramatically reduced since he took over from George Burley.

End-of-season friendly matches are notorious for players pulling out, citing some sort of injury.

Scotland have suffered a lot in the past but the current squad all appear keen to go the extra yard for their manager.

All the top players made their way to America and that speaks volumes for the environment the manager has created.

The fact the trip was to Florida also contributed to the high turnout as there might not have been the same clamour to play in less glamorous surroundings.

A decent result and performance would have been a bonus, yet I still believe the positives outweigh the negatives despite the 5-1 result.

It would be easy to over-analyse when picking through the bones of the defeat. To ship five in one match is a bitter pill to swallow but it's better to have this blip in a friendly.

Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Belgium and Wales stand between us and a place in our first World Cup since France 98.

It's been too long since we dined at the top table but this will have no real bearing on whether we end our 14-year absence from a major finals.

Shocker from my old team

2012-05-21T06:20:20Z

I'VE played in a winning Hibs side in a cup final at Hampden and known the satisfaction of sending the fans home happy.

And that entitles me to comment on the way the present side betrayed the thousands of people who went to the National Stadium and saw their team trounced by Hearts in the Scottish Cup Final.

It was a shocking display of ineptitude from Hibs against their greatest rivals.

It's one thing for a team to turn up and not play well on the big day - but you must at least compensate for shortcomings through sheer hard work.

Pat Fenlon's players failed to do even that much.

An albatross has been round the necks of the Hibs supporters for the last 110 years with their team's inability to win the Cup.

But the side they follow didn't even make a game of it when they had the chance to rewrite history.

And I, for one, would love to know why because Hibs is a club I still hold in my affections 20 years after I played for them.

I was saddened to watch Hibs fans leaving the ground when Hearts went two up in the first half on Saturday but I understood why.

Football players are well paid and they should know they have a job to do that isn't always easy. The only way to compensate for the rough days is to dig in and work even harder

One Hibs player, James McPake, understood that and got stuck in. The rest of the side failed to carry out their professional responsibilities.

Hearts supporters were sitting near me when I was working at the Cup Final and I saw their celebrations become more and more excited as the goals went past Mark Brown.

Good luck to them and their team because Hearts deserved everything they got out of the match.

Ian Black dominated the play and Rudi Skacel was as lethal as he usually is against Hibs. Every one of Paulo Sergio's team deserved pass marks. Hibs' display simply wasn't good enough.

If you're reduced to 10 men, as Hibs were when Pa Kujabi was sent off for two bookable offences, you roll your sleeves up even higher.

But Hearts turned up like a proper team for a cup final and Hibs didn't.

The team in maroon won every race for the ball, every 50-50 challenge and every second ball.

They got a break with a penalty that never was at the start of the second half, a big mistake on referee Craig Thomson's part.

But the red card shown to Kujabi at that point was spot on and didn't materially influence the outcome of the game. Hibs were an embarrassment from start to finish.

Something magical needs to happen on cup final days at Hampden. I looked around the Hibs dressing room in 1991 when Hibs played Dunfermline in the League Cup Final and knew we'd real men on our side.

Michael Weir, Gordon Hunter, Pat McGinlay, Graham Mitchell and Keith Wright - stout defenders, resolute midfielders, tricky wingers and reliable scorers. We had the lot and proved it by lifting the trophy.

Goalless at the interval, we knew we had to dig deeper into our reserves of character and commitment in the second half.

Keith and Tommy McIntyre scored a goal each and we showed the fans we understood what Hibs meant to them, what they were entitled to expect from us.

On Saturday there were 50 ex-players at Hampden, men of the calibre of Pat Stanton, Jimmy O'Rourke, John Brownlie and the legendary Lawrie Reilly.

I felt gutted for those Easter Road greats as they watched the club humbled.

This Hibs team has been poor all season. Now fans will become less willing to part with their money until they see something better and braver than they saw at Hampden.

They won't be back until they have something more trustworthy to believe in.

Champions are a picture of health

2012-05-14T06:15:01Z

CELTIC ended the season in style to send their fans away happy.

Rangers finally got a bit of news to give their supporters something to cheer ahead of the summer.

And we are set for a humdinger of a Scottish Cup Final on Saturday where we will see someone crowned Kings of Edinburgh.

Given the turbulent campaign which has passed it's shaping up for a decent end.

For Celtic that thumping win over Hearts at Parkhead was the grandstand finish to a great season.

Gary Hooper got all five goals which was fantastic as he collected the SPL top scorer honour.

I've been to a lot of those end of season parties when the trophy is presented and the team does not win which takes the shine from it.

But Celtic's attitude was first class and so was the atmosphere inside Celtic Park. It was a perfect day for the supporters and the squad.

Hooper's performance just reminded everyone what a top striker he is. Perhaps it was also a wee message for managers down south, especially to score them against a side such as Hearts.

But Neil Lennon will be wanting to hang on to him and, although he might say he needs to sell to balance some of his intended buys, I'd be looking to hang on to all of the
first-pick players.

There are a few inside Lennoxtown who don't get a shout on matchday who could go and their wages alone would save a right few quid.

The midfield looks solid and, in attack, Hooper and Anthony Stokes score goals.

And even though Georgios Samaras doesn't score as many, he is adaptable and can operate in other areas.

Centre-back has been mentioned as a problem position, especially with the deal for Jaroslaw Fojut collapsing due to the boy's injury.

However, I think Neil would also be okay there, mainly because of the adaptability of Victor Wanyama.

Charlie Mulgrew and Thomas Rogne would complement quite well and those three would be solid at the back.

If he's going to keep Kelvin Wilson, he'd be the back-up. To be honest, in terms of adding players, I'd be looking at mentality instead of ability.

In the past week there have been players who have moaned at not getting a chance but you only get a chance when you show the manager what you have.

That doesn't just go for a Saturday or a Sunday, that goes for the full week in training.

When you do well there, you get a reward at the weekend.

If players are going to sign who are not as good as the current top team, they need to have a good attitude to wait for their chance without whining.

It's tough to look at the players to improve the squad without spending big but if I was pushed about where he should splash some cash I'd look at a genuine No.10.

Neil likes this three at the back system which means a player operates in the hole behind the frontmen.

You need a genuine playmaker in there who will play in front of Joe Ledley and Scott Brown.

Kris Commons has done okay in that area in recent weeks but I'd be looking for a natural in there.

However, regardless of what happens in the next two months, Neil and Celtic should enjoy it because their objective of winning the title this season was achieved.

Across the city, good times could also be coming at last as I think the news of Charles Green was great for Rangers.

This was not just the announcement of a preferred bidder, this was the confirmation of someone who is actually tied into the club now.

His background looks similar to Craig Whyte but something had to be done because the Ibrox club were coming to the end of the road.

At no point since February 14 have Rangers had any good news but this was a welcome announcement.

The fans moaned about Bill Miller but he didn't commit and this guy has.

That promises better times at Ibrox and, with all the talk of Glasgow, I'd have to say I can't wait for Edinburgh to get involved at Hampden on Saturday.

The Hibs v Hearts clash is one of the biggest games we will ever watch.

Whether it is the best or the most exciting we don't know yet but it is certainly one of the most important Scottish Cup finals in living memory.

It's going to be some day and could, ultimately, put the seal on a satisfactory end to a troubled campaign.

It's biggest decision in history of our game

2012-05-07T06:15:41Z

SCOTTISH football is today facing its biggest decision. Events and outcomes at Hampden could change the face of the footballing world in this country.

Forget reconstruction, this is the biggest decision the clubs have ever and will ever have to make.

It's absolutely massive as fans across the country wait to see the punishments and ramifications for a newco Rangers.

What do I think should happen? Well, I was at Tannadice yesterday and Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson could not have summed the situation up better by suggesting the clubs are facing a lose-lose scenario.

These's not going to be a winner here. Don't kid yourself into thinking that if Rangers are kept in the SPL they win.

And don't kid yourself into thinking if they get booted out, the other clubs will win.

But the first priority has to be the well-being of Scottish football.

I can understand every fan outside of Ibrox being irked at the talk of Rangers retaining their status.

Season after season, provincial clubs have watched Rangers winning trophies, beating their team and not really caring much for anyone else.

To be honest, those fans can't see anything that Rangers do for their club and you can see their point that this is the opportunity to get them back.

But my biggest fear is if anything happens to punish Rangers that puts them out of the SPL, it is going to rebound badly on the others in any case.

If Rangers get punished badly, I feel the rest may do so too.

If they do stay in the SPL they will be significantly weakened because the standard and quality of player will be down.

That will help the others because they would have more of a chance to beat them.

But I just can't see how any outcome can have a benefit to Scottish football.

Aberdeen keeper Jason Brown said at the weekend clubs should be happy if Rangers go out as they could get an opportunity to qualify for Europe more and get more money.

Tell me this, how much money do clubs actually make from Europe? Over the past few years, outwith the Old Firm, very few of them have made any decent money because they have been knocked out by a minnow in the first round.

I'm sorry Jason, but don't tell me a European game is going to balance up the loss of Rangers to any club.

Our country has two top teams and the rest are just decent teams. In Spain, take away Barcelona and Real Madrid and you are still left with four or five good sides.

It the same in Italy, same in Germany, same in England.

There is a massive gap between Celtic and Rangers and the rest, so a Europa League qualifier won't compensate for the loss of Rangers.

I watched the Dundee United fans celebrate beating Celtic yesterday and that's what you want during a season - the chance to beat them.

Rangers have been mismanaged and if they get back in it looks as though they are not getting punished at all.

Too right the fans at other clubs are angered but boycotting is not a good idea because that just damages your own club and not Rangers.

But if the punishments are too severe, I fear it is going to affect the other clubs.

We have to look at a sensible punishment because Rangers do need punished. A 10-point deduction for a couple of years would be sensible.

You have to make it the same as other clubs would be punished and if anyone else lost 10 points, they could stay afloat.

But it would see Rangers' chances of finishing above Celtic in the SPL destroyed. Ask any Rangers fan. That is a huge punishment for them to suffer.

Rangers trio were shining lights - the rest let Ally down

2012-04-30T06:10:23Z

Three Rangers players got pass marks for their display against Celtic yesterday and the rest let Ally McCoist, and the fans, down.

If you're a professional you should want to play in front of 60,000 people creating the kind of unbelievable atmosphere the fans put on yesterday.

Carlos Bocanegra, Lee Wallace and Allan McGregor rose to the occasion. The rest are due to have a look at themselves.

The Rangers players can't use any excuses about the pressure of the situation the club's having to deal with where administration is concerned.

They were in administration when they beat Celtic at Ibrox less than a month ago so I'd love to know why many of them didn't perform yesterday.

But none of that should take anything away from what was an excellent performance from Neil Lennon's side.

My worry before the game was that the Celtic players would fail to rise to the occasion in the same way that had cost them dearly against Kilmarnock in the League Cup Final and Hearts in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

I knew if they had done that they might have lost to Rangers.

But the team played the way they should have and if they'd had the same attitude at Hampden they would have won those games too.

Now the fans will forgive them for the treble opportunity that was squandered and revel in the superb display given against Rangers.

The season's over for Celtic now and all that remains is to pick up the league trophy on the final day of the season. But what a way to go.

Rangers couldn't handle the shape of the Celtic side that Neil Lennon devised and Celtic were truly dominant from start to finish.

Joe Ledley and Scott Brown were too strong for their Rangers counterparts in midfield and Kris Commons was back to his best as well with a great goal.

Rangers couldn't cope with Celtic anywhere on the pitch and it could be down to a lot of the young players between now and the end of the season. Tony Watt got on to the park for the closing minutes of the game against Rangers and I'm not sure if he touched the ball.

But he'll have enjoyed the experience and his appearance as an 18-year-old will have acted as a source of encouragement to other starlets at Celtic Park.

The older ones who might now get a rest will take their satisfaction from having turned Rangers over while levelling the derby tally at 2-2 for the season.

But what now for the pair of them?

A lot of experienced players are going to go from Rangers in the coming weeks because of the club's financial situation.

And the question of whether Rangers remain as an SPL club is still unanswered.

I would have to say these Old Firm games are the matches players want to be part of.

And I thought the fans were incredible at Celtic Park as they said cheerio to each other for this season.

It was a joy to be at the game and that went for the Rangers supporters as well.

Their team might have lost, and gone down comprehensively, but they never stopped backing them.

It's just a pity some Rangers players didn't return that level of commitment to the side.

Some of them might not get the chance to make up for their shortcomings in this game in future derbies and I'm sure they'll regret that.

Watt great start for Hoops kid

2012-04-23T05:50:32Z

WHO says crime doesn't pay?

Tony Watt was only in the Celtic squad at Fir Park yesterday because he was banned for tonight's Youth Cup Final.

He certainly made the most of his unexpected opportunity, scoring a sensational double just six minutes after being introduced as a second-half substitute.

There's no doubt the 18-year-old changed the game and his cameo role at Fir Park was a joy to watch.

Watt's two finishes were right out of the top drawer but talk of him playing his way into the side for the Old Firm clash is a little far-fetched.

It would take an enormous leap of faith from Neil Lennon to pitch the teenager into the madness and mayhem at Parkhead on Sunday.

On the evidence of his first-team debut at Motherwell he certainly looks up to the task. Celtic were struggling to break Stuart McCall's team down until Watt got the call.

His movement and finishing were first class although facing Rangers would be a whole different ball game.

It would be too much for him at this stage of his development, particularly as the manager can welcome back Anthony Stokes and Georgios Samaras.

As for Pawel Brozek, the man Watt replaced, there is more chance of me starting against Rangers!

The Polish hitman has been given few chances this season after joining in January but this was an ideal opportunity for him to show what he had to offer.

Unfortunately it wasn't much. It is pretty obvious the coaching staff don't really fancy him. I'm sure he will be moved on in the summer along with Mo Bangura, another attacker who has failed to make any sort of an impact.

Lennon looked thrilled as he watched the victory from the stand where he was forced to sit following his two-match touchline ban imposed by the SFA last week.

Interestingly Paul Lambert reckons the strain of dealing with constant off-field hassles and the lack of competition on the park could force Neil's departure from Parkhead.

Paul reckons his old team-mate will eventually head south and I can fully understand where he is coming from.

Of course he would need to get an offer before he could contemplate leaving his boyhood heroes.

Next season Neil will also get the opportunity to lead Celtic back into the Champions League.

That is a massive test for any coach and while I do think he will eventually opt to try his luck south of the border I don't think it will be any time soon.

Get ready for biggest ever capital derby showdown

2012-04-16T11:59:00Z

I'VE played in a few Edinburgh derbies in my time but none will come close to what we'll witness at Hampden on May 19.

This Scottish Cup Final will be the biggest ever game between Hibs and Hearts and I can't think of a better showpiece to bring the curtain down on a turbulent season.

Too often this year I've felt more like a business analyst than a football observer as the Rangers chaos brought a whole new language to our game.

So what a relief to be able to focus on a true sporting occasion that will bring together one of Scotland's oldest rivalries.

No one alive has seen the capital's two great clubs go head to head in a Scottish Cup Final - 1896 was the last one when Hearts won 3-1 at Logie Green Park in Edinburgh.

That was the only time the final has been moved away from Glasgow but let's quickly rule out talk of doing the same again.

Hampden is our National Stadium and if you asked the players I'm sure every one would insist that's where this final should be played.

For Hibs, how better to end a 110-year hoodoo by beating their arch-rivals and lifting the Cup in front of their noses?

But can you imagine anything more heartbreaking for them than to see those same rivals deny them their big moment? Safe to say whoever wins, they won't let the other set of fans forget in a hurry.

It's the final neutrals would have wanted when the draw kept them apart. But Hearts can count themselves lucky to have booked their place.

Every cup run has lucky breaks and Hearts got one with the late penalty that sealed the win over Celtic. Rule makers will cite the letter of the law but from a footballer's point of view it was never a spot-kick.

How is Joe Ledley supposed to get his arm away from a ball being booted at him from just two yards? That ball must have been travelling at about 90 miles an hour and he could never have known much about it, much less intentionally put his hand in the way.

Ledley's body shape was natural, exactly what any player going in to make a block would do.

Celtic have every right to feel aggrieved - and the fact seconds later Hearts survived a similar incident involving Andy Webster.

Referee Euan Norris will take stick for this but I have to back the whistler because he was only going by the laws of the game.

It is the people who make those laws I've a problem with and they must clear up doubt surrounding hand-ball offences.

It cost Celtic the game and will hurt even more considering the League Cup final penalty snub against Kilmarnock. But that's no excuse for the behaviour of Neil Lennon after the final whistle, storming on to the pitch to confront the referee.

Controversial decisions aside, Celtic must look at themselves for another failure on the big occasion.

They were sloppy and gifted cheap possession too often - and Ki blew two golden chances.

All credit to Hearts who were transformed by Craig Beattie's introduction as he laid on Skacel's opener and scored the penalty.

I can't wait to see how it pans out in the biggest game in the history of these two great clubs.

If you think Neil's title is tainted you know nothing about football

2012-04-09T05:58:24Z

PEOPLE who truly know the game will understand the scale of Neil Lennon's achievment at Kilmarnock on Saturday.

Those who are suffering from an open-and-shut case of sour grapes will try to detract from Celtic's title win by calling it devalued, or tainted, by Rangers going into administration.

I have been part of a Celtic management team who strained every muscle to win the championship and I can tell you from first-hand experience that Celtic are deserved winners.

The history books won't carry a footnote to say there were circumstances which caused Celtic's superiority to be called into question. And anyone who tries to insist there should be a clause inserted is one hundred miles off the mark.

There will be no historical references to the fact that Celtic's manager had to overcome extraordinary circumstances off the park on the way to joining the legends of the club's past on their roll of honour.

Neil didn't just get a bit of stick off the park. There were bomb threats, court cases and custodial sentences. It has been a very poor time in the history of Scottish football. Neil is a football person but he's had to become versed in the law and there must have been times when, privately, he felt it was too much to deal with.

But it's now on his CV that he put up with this stuff and still coached a team to come back from being a good distance behind their rivals to take the championship.

I examine the man and my admiration for Neil grows.

Celtic should have won the title last season but they threw it away in Inverness. That was a mistake and, if you're smart, you learn from your mistakes.

Neil has made reference to his "probation ending" and really feeling like the Celtic manager now he's won the title.

This shows an understanding of the job he's taken on. The title is, in the Old Firm's unique world, what you're judged on.

To be second in the league is to be the first loser. That's how it has always worked.

People like Wim Jansen, the man I worked with at Celtic, Dick Advocaat and Martin O'Neill won the title in their first season.

Lennon, a rookie by comparison with those men, has now put the icing on his cake after a mid-season dip when he and his team were accused of not being good enough.

The fans idolise him now but he had to win a lot of them over to begin with and he's done that in a spectacular fashion.

O'Neill was idolised and so were men like Billy McNeill and Davie Hay, but it looks like Neil's edged in front of them. What I see is a strong character with a winner's mentality. Neil's strength is the ability to get the most out of his players and that's been shown in the way he awoke a team from its slumber this term.

The air had gone out of the team's balloon but the manager made them airborne once again and people don't know how hard that is at a club of Celtic's size.

But I do after working in the environment of the hardest two- horse race there is in football.

There's no manager in the world who doesn't have weaknesses. The best in the business can try to change things tactically and fall on their faces sometimes.

But you generally find that your strengths overcome everything else and that's been the case with Neil.

Let's take the case of Charlie Mulgrew as the perfect illustration of the manager's capabilities. The Celtic fans didn't take to him when he re-joined the club from Aberdeen as a free agent.

Then he came into the team for the derby with Rangers at Ibrox in January of last year and Celtic won 2-0.

Charlie hasn't looked back since then and is rightfully a contender for Player of the Year this season.

There's been no one more consistent than Mulgrew and nobody able to match him for efficiency in a greater number of positions.

What Celtic have to do now is avoid the failure to come down from the high they experienced at the weekend.

The rest of the league programme will look after itself but the main focus now has to be Hearts at Hampden in next Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final.

My guess is that Paulo Sergio will be thinking his side have an outstanding chance of winning the Cup if they dispose of Celtic and then have to face either Hibs or Aberdeen.

Hearts will be wound up and Celtic will need to match them adrenalin rush for adrenalin rush.

They need to turn up in the frame of mind they displayed at Rugby Park, highly motivated and in the mood to enjoy their football.

This is where the manager comes in once again. Neil has to keep his players on the level they reached at the weekend.

I fully understood what Neil meant when he spoke about going from probation to a more secure place in his mind so far as the manager's job is concerned.

But I have to tell you, Neil, the probation officer is always sitting by your side because you never get off the learning curve when you're part of Celtic's management team.

As told to Hugh Keevins

Rugby Park title party is just the place for Kris Commons to shine

2012-04-02T06:25:55Z

Kris Commons is poised to bury the spell from hell by finishing the season with a double bang.

Dogged by injury and surrounded by murmurings of a bust-up with Celtic boss Neil Lennon - which he denies - the winger who hit 14 goals in 21 appearances after signing from Derby in January 2011 has yet to find the net this term.

But now Commons has been handed the chance to convert frustration to silverware and
his performance in the 2-0 win against St Johnstone yesterday is proof he has grasped the
opportunity with both hands.

The Double is on and Commons could have earned himself a starting place at Kilmarnock on Saturday when Celtic bid to bag the point that will finally secure the SPL title and spark the mother of all parties.

A Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts at Hampden lies beyond that and Commons will also be determined to take that trophy quest all the way.

Against Saints he looked sharp, much more like the player of the last campaign, and he could have given Lennon plenty of food for thought with regard to team selection.

The manager must be praying many of his players will
rediscover their edge when the title is finally won because the pressure of trying to get over the line has told on them over the past couple of weeks.

Celtic cannot pick and choose where they will be crowned champions. The fans wanted it to happen at Ibrox but it was
not to be.

And the season rolled on to last Saturday, when Rangers beat Motherwell.

Even though the atmosphere inside Celtic Park yesterday was understandably a little flat, they did what they had to do by taking maximum points.

St Johnstone made life difficult for them and showed exactly why they are in the top half of the table - but Georgios Samaras inspired Lennon's men.

The Greek striker has brought consistency to his game. He scored a goal that eased the
fans' frustration and his ball across the face that Chris Millar turned into his own net was
one of those that are impossible to defend.

Samaras is staking his claim to play in every match between now and the end of the season.

As a player you want to impress the manager and there is no time like the present to catch Lennon's eye.

There are massive games coming up for Celtic and every player wants to be on the park and not sitting in the stands.

These are the games players look back on when their careers are over - the matches that mattered when trophies were handed out and fresh chapters of Scottish football history were written in the process.

Another of those opportunities looms at Rugby Park. The mission is to clinch the
championship - it is certainly not about wreaking revenge for Celtic's defeat by Kilmarnock in the League Cup Final. That robbed Lennon and his men of a treble chance and we all know losing on the big occasion is one of the worst feelings possible in football.

However, Saturday is a day for cool heads, when players must not be distracted from the job at hand. I am convinced they will set about the task in that manner.

Without doubt the Hoops deserve to be champions.

Rangers may have been deducted 10 points for going into administration but they did lead by 15 back in November and Celtic put together a remarkable run to get to where they are now.

There is nothing tainted about the title. In fact, if you handed Rangers back the 10 points, Lennon's side would still lead by eight.

Rangers' four-in-a-row ambitions are dead and the Celtic players will be desperate to create a monopoly on the title for years to come.

Hero worship awaits them if they take the point they need to be crowned champions.

What a massive boost the players will get from finally winning the title race.

Trust me, there is no greater feeling in football than crossing the championship line and proving you are the best team in the country.

And with that target reached, Celtic focus their energies on defending the Scottish Cup
- with Commons desperate to be part of it all.

Celtic must sort big-game jitters or they'll face Double agony

2012-03-26T06:25:26Z

CELTIC passed up the chance to rewrite the record books and their fans must now pray they haven't given up their hopes of landing a double.

Neil Lennon's side will triumph in the SPL within the next two weeks and will be crowned worthy winners.

But yesterday they failed to show up for the second significant game in a row and now doubts are resurfacing about the big-game mentality of the Parkhead squad.

A certain May night in 1979 will live with me forever after the Celtic team I played in came from a goal and a man down against our greatest rivals to win the championship.

Memories of that 4-2 win came back when Cha Du-Ri was harshly sent packing for a foul on Lee Wallace.

Back in 1979 we lost Johnny Doyle early in the second half after a skirmish with Alex MacDonald, who had opened the scoring for Rangers early on.

But we showed the character to bounce back and my goal in injury time was the icing on the cake as Billy McNeill landed his first title as Celtic boss.

I felt we could be on for a repeat yesterday but - apart from a spell after Sone Aluko's smashing opener and the last seven minutes of the match - the Hoops didn't perform.

Victor Wanyama let his team down with that tackle early in the second half. It was a stonewall red card and the nine men never had any chance of securing the victory Celtic needed.

But that's only part of the story. The better team won and it must be a cause for concern for Neil and his coaching staff that his players failed to deliver for the second week running.

Questions concerning the bottle of this Celtic side seemed to have disappeared for good

But here we are at the business end of the season and they have already given up silverware and been short of answers when asked serious questions by the opposition.

Celtic's run of 20 domestic victories ended at Pittodrie earlier this month and you can't help but feel an edge has come off their game. It will come back, for sure, but when?

They have a Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts on April 15 and must get their act together before that.

The last thing any professional wants to do is look back and reflect: "If only."

That will nag at the Celtic players for the next few days because although they will still win the title, it would have been nice for their fans and the club to have done it at Ibrox.

They were up against a side with horrendous problems off the park and plenty of worries on it. Yet still Celtic could not outfight, outwork or outplay them. It's all very strange.

Rangers seemed to want the victory more yesterday.

Rhys McCabe was the best player on the pitch, absolutely outstanding in the middle of the park, but the man who set the tempo for Ally McCoist's side was undoubtedly Lee McCulloch.

He fought so hard, battled for everything and didn't give Celtic's defence a moment's peace as Aluko prospered from the scraps his work in the air and on the deck helped create.

Scott Brown and Anthony Stokes - before he was substituted - looked sharp for the Hoops but their midfield was otherwise overrun.

Rangers must be applauded for the defiance they showed in refusing to allow their rivals the chance to party on their patch.

Ultimately, yesterday's defeat will not take the shine off the celebrations when Celtic do cross the line.

But Hoops fans will be going to their workplaces a little flatter this week, as they did last.

Ten days ago the Celtic fans were waking up with thoughts of the Treble but a few may now fear it will be the SPL alone.

When success on the pitch means nothing

2012-03-19T07:08:01Z

THE beautiful game amounts to absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things.

In an instant the mood at the League Cup Final at Hampden yesterday changed from euphoria to concern for Liam Kelly's father.

The Kilmarnock youngster had gone across to celebrate with his old man after the game only to witness his dad collapse in the stands.

As part of the commentary team for BBC Scotland, I sat alongside Mixu Paatelainen and we watched the medical team working on him.

They were pumping his chest as he was taken up the tunnel and all of a sudden the Cup Final became little more than an irrelevance.

The news that he passed away last night is a tragedy which is difficult to put into words.

Once again we have an example of just how insignificant the game of
football is in life.

On Saturday evening we watched in horror as 23-year-old Bolton player Fabrice Muamba suffered a heart attack on the pitch during his side's FA Cup quarter-final against Spurs at White Hart Lane.

Now we have another shocking example of how precious life is just 24 hours later at the League Cup Final.

I know that better than anyone. I was rushed to hospital and then underwent a heart operation which saved my life just over two years ago. It put things into perspective.

It's a sense of overwhelming sorrow that Liam has had to endure such a tragedy on what should have been the best day of his career to date.

He gave everything for his team and had earned the right to walk away from Hampden as a Cup Final winner and enjoy the experience.

When the Kilmarnock players realised what had happened they brought the celebrations to a halt and every one of them headed towards the dressing room.

Their only thoughts were for Liam and his father and the glory of pulling off an amazing cup final shock was gone in an instant.

As for the game itself - one team turned up and the other didn't.

Kilmarnock managed to win the trophy without losing a goal right through the competition.

In a team full of heroes their keeper Cammy Bell was a stand-out and he was rightly named man of the match after a stunning display.

He pulled off a number of amazing stops but this was no recreation of the Alamo - it should be remembered that the game was an even one with both sides having several great chances.

In the second half when Neil Lennon brought on Ki Sung-Yueng it looked like swinging the final in their favour.

But just as it appeared as though Celtic were going to score and the Killie lads' legs had gone and they were hanging on, the moment which I feel changed it all arrived.

When referee Willie Collum halted play as Killie were on the attack so Adam Matthews could get treatment for a head knock, Celtic skipper Scott Brown was allowed to win the bounced ball but he proceeded to kick it out of play for a throw in.

It appeared to give Killie a lift. They got a second wind and for the next five minutes they had a go and then scored a great goal.

At times the Celtic defence was all over the place. And this was another example.

It was a fantastic goal, Lee Johnson stood up a terrific cross to allow birthday boy Dieter van Tornhout to hit the winner.

No football team has the right just to turn up at a cup final and wait to be handed the trophy because they are the bigger club.

In order to win a cup you need to perform on the day. It's all about hard work and playing well.

The team that won put in a shift for 90 minutes and I don't believe Celtic had it all together.

Killie knew it was going to be a backs against the wall kind of game for them from the first whistle to the last. But they fought, they weathered the storm and then kicked on to create some good chances for themselves.

In contrast, too many Celtic players just didn't turn up.

They had their chances, didn't take them and lost.

That's what happens in finals and they may point to the injury time penalty claim when Anthony Stokes went down under a challenge from Michael Nelson and there was contact.

But the history books will show it wasn't a penalty and that's all that counts in the end.

It was the chance for Lennon and his players to embark on a journey towards what they hoped would be a treble trophy haul.

The SPL title is already in the bag and if they could lift the Scottish Cup and make it a double it would still be a wonderful achievement.

They know the treble was sitting there staring at them and they were expected to go and win it.

Kilmarnock had been on a terrible run so for them to leave Hampden with the cup is quite unbelievable.

For Celtic, the week leading up to the final should have been all about focusing on working hard as Killie were never going to just hand it to them.

If the opposition works harder than you then you have a problem and that's exactly how it turned out.

Killie boss Kenny Shiels played a blinder by bigging up Lennon and his side and going on about how they deserved the treble - it only served to motivate his own players.

I would like to end by stating that my thoughts are with the Kelly family.

The jinx in Celt's armour

2012-03-17T06:58:49Z

IF you are a Celtic fan, avert your eyes now.

1971: Partick Thistle.

1972: Hibs.

1973: Dundee.

1976: Aberdeen.

1994: Raith Rovers.

Those are teams who have shocked the Hoops in League Cup Finals - and Kilmarnock could be added to the list if Neil Lennon's men view tomorrow's clash as a foregone conclusion.

The Parkhead side have contested 28 League Cup Finals and won only 14 of them.

That's an incredible statistic for such a big club. They should be winning far more than just half of their showdowns in domestic finals.

And Lennon should have one message to his players before they run out at Hampden: "Don't become another sad statistic."

Killie's record in this competition is even worse as they have lost all five of their finals. But if Lennon's side aren't switched on tomorrow then the Rugby Park men could make history.

After I scored the winner against Rangers in the 1982 final, Celtic didn't capture the trophy again for 15 years.

Wim Jansen ended the drought with a 3-0 win over Dundee United and I was part of things again as assistant boss.

It's hard to believe Celtic could go so long without lifting one of the game's major prizes.

The Hoops have always fared better in the Scottish Cup but their record in the League Cup should be far better.

The tournament is littered with stories of underdogs rising to the occasion.

So nobody should write off Kilmarnock's chances of lifting the silverware.

Raith produced arguably the biggest shock of all when they humbled the Hoops at Ibrox 18 years ago.

That game still sends shivers down the spines of Celtic supporters - it's one they would like to airbrush from the history books.

It was inconceivable that their side could lose to a First Division outfit in a major final but that's exactly what happened as Rovers edged it in a thrilling shootout.

I can also recall Livingston winning the trophy against supposed racing certainties Hibs back in 2004.

The Hibees were the overwhelming favourites but forgot to turn up on the big day.

Bobby Williamson's side thought they had done the hard part by knocking out both Rangers and Celtic but they fell flat on their faces as Livi eased to a deserved 2-0 win.

Celts are the resounding favourites heading into this final but they will have to earn the right to take the silverware.

Just reaching the showpiece game is no guarantee the trophy is yours - no matter who you face on the park.

That is why the Hoops players will need to be at it straight away against Kilmarnock - they will have to earn the right to walk off with the trophy.

There will be no room for complacency and Celtic will know they are in a game against Killie. Kenny Shiels' men gave the Hoops plenty of problems at Rugby Park in October when they raced into a 3-0 lead.

Lennon and his side survived thanks to a storming fightback after the break and a similar spectacle to that 3-3 draw would be welcome tomorrow.

Kilmarnock have also defeated Rangers twice this season so the outcome of the final is not a formality.

With the SPL trophy more or less in the bag, Celtic can take the second step towards winning the Treble.

I thought their toughest test of the season would come at Tannadice last weekend in the Scottish Cup quarter-final but Robbie Neilson's red card took the pressure off and they eased past Dundee United.

Killie will make them work harder today but I believe Celtic will stay on track for the Treble.

Realistically only two clubs in Scotland are capable of pulling off a clean sweep and this Hoops side now have a great chance.

And what an achievement it would be for Lennon if he could become the first man in Scottish football history to claim the Treble as a player and a manager.

He should be celebrating tomorrow and that would leave just two Scottish Cup ties standing in the way of a season to remember.

However, if Celtic fans know their history, as they claim to do, then a quick glance at the League Cup Final horror list should serve as a timely reminder that things can go wrong.

Only when Scott Brown is lifting the silverware above his head on Sunday will it be time for Celtic, Lennon and their fans to celebrate another victory.

As told to Anthony Haggerty

3 reasons why Neil Lennon's a bit touchy

2012-03-12T07:20:00Z

CELTIC cleared their biggest stumbling block on the way to a possible treble by negotiating yesterday's tricky Scottish Cup tie away to in-form Dundee United.

Surely, then, manager Neil Lennon should have been lapping it up and celebrating a huge win but instead he was still being a bit touchy as he has been in recent weeks.

There was the recent exchange of words with Craig Burley and then yesterday the Parkhead manager threatened to stop cooperating with the media, along with his players.

But he'd be better not pointing the finger at other people, he should just go and enjoy this great spell with the fans because his team have been outstanding both at home and away. That would be my advice - just enjoy it when it comes.

They're so close to achieving great things this season but they've still got to actually cross the finishing line and he just wants it to happen. Some people are still highlighting negatives and Neil doesn't like that because he feels they should be looking at the positives.

Neil could end up winning two out of three trophies this season and some people would still say, "You should have won the Treble". But only eight managers have managed the clean sweep so that shows how rarely it happens.

You can understand why he's a wee bit touchy that Celtic aren't getting the praise for what they're on the verge of achieving. But what Neil has to do is just concentrate on doing what he's doing and as he picks up each trophy he can really enjoy it.

There's a good chance he could be collecting two trophies - the League Cup and the SPL - in the space of eight days this month and if they went on to clinch the Treble then there is no doubt whatsoever it would be as good an achievement as any other clean sweep in Scottish football history.

I am 100 per cent convinced of that. We're talking about a manager who could have been sacked this season. This is a manager who was 3-0 down away from home at half-time against Kilmarnock - and to turn the whole thing on its head from that day is incredible.

Forget about Rangers' scenario. They were already out of the League Cup before they went into administration and were slipping behind in the title race.

Their problems are irrelevant in Celtic's success.

Nobody can take anything away from Neil Lennon and Celtic if they go on to win the Treble this season. Maybe that's what Neil Lennon wants to hear more of - to highlight the fact Rangers' issues aren't a factor.

Also, you have to remember that as it stands right now, Celtic have won nothing. I can assure you now Neil Lennon and his players will get all the praise they deserve for a fantastic championship win as soon as it's in the bag. And the same goes for the other two cup competitions.

They've just got to go and do it first - there's no point in talking about winning trebles when they've won nothing yet. There's a long way to go, Kilmarnock won't just turn up and roll over at Hampden on Sunday.

To be honest, assuming Celtic beat Killie then reach the Scottish Cup Final, one of the biggest problems for Celtic could be so many of their SPL games will be meaningless in the run-up to big day on May 19.

Lennon would then have to decide whether to shuffle the pack, which can work for you or it can have a detrimental effect because the players want to play week-in, week-out.

But if you don't have any competition then it makes it difficult.

There could be about half-a-dozen games at the end of the season where the players have switched off and that's where Neil and has backroom staff will really have to work hard to make sure they stay focused.

Despite Dundee United's miserable record against Celtic - I read before the match they'd only won once in the last 48 games - I think most people felt the trip to Tannadice was the big stumbling block in Celtic's treble bid.

United were flying and few would have predicted such a big scoreline, albeit Robbie Neilson's first-half red card was a factor, and the three trophies are now in grasping distance for Lennon and his men.

Hoops must forget Ally's horror show

2012-03-05T06:27:57Z

On the day the axe falls on Rangers' dressing room, can I say I have every sympathy for Ally McCoist and a word of warning for Celtic.

What the Ibrox manager will go through today is horrendous, inarguably the worst moment of his football career.

I think it's a disgrace what Ally has been put through since the administrators went into the club in mid-February.

He was unable to attend training sessions in the lead-up to Saturday's match against Hearts because he was obliged to attend meetings with Duff and Phelps' representatives.

Why is that job the responsibility of a football manager at Rangers? I feel sad for Ally at the start of a day that'll end with him attempting to console players being told they have to go to ease Rangers' cash worries.

He's been dragged into a messy situation he didn't create and the legacy of what happens today will leave Ally in a truly desperate position for the rest of this season.

Rangers had a squad that wasn't good enough to cope with Dundee United in the Scottish Cup at Ibrox and have now lost successive league matches there against Kilmarnock and Hearts.

Unheard of in my experience.

Player redundancies are the last thing Ally needs at a time like this. Inevitably the fans of Rangers and Celtic will look ahead to the two Old Firm games still to be played in the wake of a struggling squad being further depleted.

But they're not the be all and end all for Ally as he tries to avoid being beaten to second place by Motherwell.

Celtic will, of course, win the title, but my message to Neil Lennon and his players concerns Rangers' very grave worries about the future.

It doesn't follow that the deeper Rangers fall into the mire, the higher Celtic will rise as a consequence.

Now is the time Celtic have to make sure they don't take their eye off the ball and fail to realise all of their ambitions as a result.

The next three Sunday afternoons see Neil's side at Tannadice in a Scottish Cup quarter-final, Hampden for the League Cup final against Kilmarnock and then Ibrox for the Old Firm game that could be a title-decider.

But turmoil at Rangers means nothing to Celtic unless they do their own jobs properly on the park.

A rival's chaos doesn't make cup games any easier for you.

Dundee United are perfectly capable of doing well against Celtic and ending the fans' dreams of a Treble.

The champions-elect have to bounce back from a poor performance against Aberdeen at the weekend, and they'll need to do so against a well-organised team capable of rising to this challenge.

There's no such thing as any game being a cert for Celtic against Peter Houston's side.

If they play the way they did at Pittodrie, Celtic will be knocked out of the Scottish Cup - and that's a fact.

Kilmarnock have, for now, gone in the league on the evidence of recent weeks. But I think back to their performance at Ibrox when they passed Rangers off the park and won by the only goal of the game.

They've got it in them to give Celtic a tough afternoon at Hampden if Kenny Shiels' side bring their 'A' game to the cup final.

The next three games won't take care of themselves, they'll need to be taken care of by the players who've got a bad display out of the way.

A week of rest lies ahead for Celtic's players done-in by international travel and that should lead to refreshed minds and bodies at Tannadice.

By the time Ally gets a Rangers team out on to the park, co-incidentally at Tannadice in two weeks time, it'll bear no resemblance to one that anybody recognises.

I feel for him.

Hateley's tainted title talk is absolute nonsense

2012-02-27T06:25:27Z

I DON'T make a habit of disagreeing with my fellow columnists on Record Sport but I can't let Mark Hateley away with saying Celtic will be accepting a tainted title this season.

That's absolute nonsense. I sat in an apartment in Florida yesterday and watched Rangers win in far away Inverness, which means they are 20 points behind Celtic in what used to be called the title race.

A quick piece of mental arithmetic would remind you - even dismissing the 10-point deduction Ally McCoist's side suffered for their club going into administration - the league was galloping towards Celtic Park in any case.

And if Celtic supporters have taken to expressing their delight over that fact then what else were they supposed to do? I was Celtic's assistant manager under Wim Jansen when the club had to negotiate the toughest championship of all, the one that would determine whether Rangers made history by becoming the first side to win 10-in-a-row.

I had played for Celtic for nine years and was steeped in the Old Firm tradition. I fully understood the implications of a title win for Ibrox and the new players who had come into our dressing room, such as Henrik Larsson, were quickly brought up to speed on what our fans would go through if this happened.

Being the first club to win nine-in-a-row was a proud distinction for Celtic. It would have had an awful impact on the club's history to have had that distinction become an irrelevance because Rangers had gone one better.

There were supporters who came up to me on day one of my management role to implore me not to let that happen. And there are Celtic fans who tell me 14 years later how much it meant to them to win the title on the last day of the season by beating St Johnstone.

It might have been a nervy day but that only added to the joyous nature of the celebrations.

That's why nothing will be tainted for the Celtic fans when this championship's won by Neil Lennon's team.

They are currently watching the best side in the division and there's no way anything's been handed to Celtic. The points deduction imposed on Rangers under SPL regulations has been rendered meaningless - Celtic play a brand of football nobody else can come close to.

And the championship would be made all the sweeter for the fans if their team could win every game up until the point where the title is a mathematical certainty.

Celtic supporters have been on the receiving end of stick for years and they're going to enjoy this moment for as long as they can.

They will think about the consequences of Rangers' financial difficulties and whatever effect it might yet have on Scottish football in general, when the time comes. And that will be after their title-winning party.

Celtic could be on the threshold of a treble and their supporters have the right to celebrate their team's achievements.

Neil's expressed his sympathy for Ally because fellow managers understand the problems he's having to endure - while Rangers have to endure fresh revelations on a daily basis.

I've already stated I don't think it would be right for any titles previously won by Rangers to be taken away from them by the football authorities because I don't believe they were won on the back of any taxation issues.

But I won't accept this title win is tainted. Rangers had a great start to the season and then you could draw a line under their good form. Celtic went on a super run - and could be four league wins from winning the championship.

No-one can take anything away from a team as good as the one Celtic have at the moment.

And no-one should have sympathy for the men who left Ibrox players worried about job security and fans distressed about their club's future.

As told to Hugh Keevins.