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Scottish Premier League February 2012
Scottish Premier League News February 2012: Gut-wrenching month for Rangers
Ali Morrello
Celtic
Celtic manager Neil Lennon failed in a bid to snatch Newcastle United striker Leon Best in the final hours of the January transfer window, however he insisted that he was content with the business the Parkhead side conducted.
Celtic brought in Polish striker Pawel Brozek on loan until the end of the season and added defender Mikael Lustig, midfielder Rabiu Ibrahim and have secured Polish centre-half Jaroslaw Fojut on a pre-contract agreement.
More importantly, Lennon rebuffed all attempts from other teams to take his best players. Southampton tested Celtic with a couple of offers for Gary Hooper which the club resolutely turned down and it was vital to Lennon that no-one went during the window as he attempts to guide Celtic to their first title in four years.
"Southampton were in for Gary but I don't want to sell any of my top players," he said. "It would have to be top dollar for guys such as Gary, Ki Sung-Yeung, Beram Kayal, Emilio Izaguirre and James Forrest.
"But if I had to put a price on Gary's head then it would be £35million," he said with a smile and a laugh. "Even if we did receive a knock-out price for Gary, would we be able to replace him? Trust me, goalscorers of his calibre are not easy to find.
"We're top of the league and that brings its own pressure. But we need to keep all our good players. "I didn't want to see Gary, Kris Commons or Joe Ledley leave the club."
Brozek is at the club on loan from Trabzonspor and Lennon has told the forward that he is not guaranteed a starting place, given the form of Anthony Stokes and Hooper this term - who have netted 33 goals between them this season.
Brozek was desperate to get away from Trabzonspor because he feared a lack of action in the lone frontman system deployed by the Turkish club would destroy his dreams of playing for his country when they co-host this summer's European Championships.
However, he will need to prove himself to the Hoops boss. "Nobody here has got any guarantees," said Lennon. "This season I have left good players on the bench, guys like Ki Sung-Yueng, Kris Commons, Georgios Samaras and Adam Matthews."
Brozek has no English, but Celtic's second keeper Lukasz Zaluska, is able to translate for his countryman. "I haven't spoken to Pawel," said Lennon. "He doesn't speak English. Once I see him, it will be fine. I will need Lukasz in there as my interpreter.
"But that is not a problem because Shunsuke Nakamura didn't speak English for the four years he was here, and he was a great success."
Emilio Izaguirre has boosted Celtic by returning from a leg break slightly earlier than expected, however the Honduran has looked a little off the pace since returning. Given the length of time he has been out for, that is perhaps no surprise, but Lennon has admitted that the player still needs a little work before he will be back to his best.
"We took a little bit of, well, not quite a gamble, but we wanted to see how Emilio would do," said Lennon.
And the Celtic manager is reluctant to view the league title as a foregone conclusion, given the manner in which his side have forced their way to the top of the league and given just how small Rangers' squad now is.
"They have put themselves in a great position this season, but there is still a long way to go," he said. "There are no prizes handed out at this point in the season, that's for sure."
Celtic have already booked their place in the League Cup Final, where they will face Kilmarnock in March.
Their semi-final win over Falkirk maintains their dream of a domestic Treble, but it is something that Lennon has steadfastedly refused to discuss. "You know what it's like," he said. "The build-up, the build-up and build-up and one bad day and it's gone.
I have already said the treble is an almost impossible thing to do so I don't want any talk of that. There is no point in talking about it at the minute.
"The longer it goes on the more people will ask us the question but players have to dismiss that and concentrate on the job in hand.
"Teams have take points off us already this season and anything can happen on any given day. So it is important not to take our eye off the ball and take each games as it comes.
"I know it is an old cliche but we can't get too far ahead of ourselves."
Rangers
It has been a gut-wrenching month for Rangers manager Ally McCoist.
The Ibrox boss was left high and dry when the club sanctioned the sale of his top scorer, Nikica Jelavic, in the final day of the January transfer window. No replacements were forthcoming. With just one fit striker available to him - Steven Naismith and Kyle Lafferty are both sidelined - the mantle of responsibility will rest on the slight shoulders of David Healy who has barely featured for the club since arriving 18 months ago.
The exit of Jelavic was embroiled in controversy, with the player claiming he did not agitate for a move while Rangers insisted the Croatian internationalist had told them he wanted to be allowed to go to the Premiership.
The £6m received for Jelavic is badly needed by Rangers who are floundering under a precarious financial situation at the minute. Craig Whyte, the Rangers chairman has been caught up in his own battle this week as he attempts to explain why he effectively mortaged four years of season-ticket money to assist with the running of the club, had told the media that there was "no point in trying to keep a player who no longer wants to be at Ibrox" but Jelavic, Rangers' top scorer this season, denied he had agitated for a move.
"My dream was to play in the English Premier League but I didn't force my transfer," insisted the Croat. "I spoke with Ally McCoist and said if the president [Whyte] wants me to stay, I'll stay and if they need money and want me to leave, I'll leave. The club then decided."
Jelavic, who revealed that he had not met Whyte since the businessman's takeover of the club last summer, hoped his transfer fee would ease Rangers' financial worries.
"I have never even met the president of Rangers. I saw him from afar only once. But I hope the amount the club received for me in the transfer will help the club a little. "It is a difficult situation for them and I heard inside information about them having problems.
"It is still my team and my friends are there and I am worried about the situation but I think they will find a solution because they are a big institution.
"It was difficult because they gave me a beautiful 18 months, two trophies, many goals and it was not easy [to leave]. This is football and we are all professionals. I just want to say thanks to everyone at Rangers, they will always have a special place in my heart. With or without me I don't see why they shouldn't win the championship - they are a good team and there are plenty of games to go."
Jelavic also revealed that his transfer to Everton was almost not concluded.
"The problem lay with Rangers. They didn't complete their end of the deal correctly and it hindered the negotiations.
"It was the longest day of my life. I started negotiations in the morning and by 1.30pm I had received texts from people congratulating me. I asked myself 'where have they got this information from? I haven't signed yet.' The transfer was only completed at about 9.30pm, then I put my signature to the contract."
Jelavic believes playing in Scotland has prepared him adequately for life down south. "I know Everton have not scored much this season but I don't feel the pressure, I like a challenge. I am always looking to be better every day and my ambitions are to play well and to be useful to the team and score as many goals as possible.
"I know it is a big difference but I think in Scotland you also have to be 100% and they also have tough games but the Premier League is on a higher level and I hope it will be good for me."
Meanwhile, McCoist remains adamant that he will not quit his post, despite the pressure he is under. The Rangers boss has allowed a 15-point lead to slither out of his hands and Rangers are now the chasing team in the race for the SPL title.
"I'm lucky enough to be manager of this football club and I believe we can win the championship again," he said. "It's going to be difficult when you look at our squad in terms of numbers compared to Celtic's, for example.
"We don't have the numbers they do but, at the same time, I believe we have the quality."
Nikica Jelavic was a big player for us, a massive player for us. But we've got options in attack. Mervan Celik falls into that category, and David Healy has been scoring recently."
Bookmakers Paddy Power suspended all bets on McCoist quitting hours after the transfer window closed. McCoist had been pictured leaving Ibrox on the night of the window closing clutching a sheet of paper that listed his injured players and looking ashen-faced after a meeting with Whyte.
However, the Rangers boss has insisted that he is going nowhere. "You know me and you know that I'm no quitter," said McCoist. "Certainly, it's not a bed of roses right now but I never thought it would be and I'm going nowhere.
"I didn't know they had suspended betting on my job because I didn't know anyone was betting on it - but I bet there's a bookmaker smiling."
Scotland
Craig Levein is trying to convince Hull winger Cameron Stewart to opt to play for Scotland rather than England. The Scotland manager is interested in recruiting the 20-year-old former Manchester United youth player, who has already represented England from Under 17 to Under 20 level.
But as Stewart's mother is Scottish, Levin hopes to persuade him to make the switch.
"We have spoken to Cameron,' Levein said. 'Mick Oliver (Scotland team scout) has done a lot of the work and we're keeping an eye on him.
"There's an ongoing dialogue. It's just a matter of watching him and seeing how he's doing. He's made us aware he'd be interested.
"Cameron's playing regularly for Hull, but he had an injury when he was out for a long time. We're just monitoring him right now, but he's definitely one we know about."
Stewart spent nine months on the sidelines with a cruciate knee injury before scoring on his return to action in Nick Barmby's first game in charge. He was named in a Scotland under-17 squad in 2008 but did not take up the offer and even though he has played for England he could switch for either Scotland Under 21s or the senior squad.
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