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Scottish Premier League January 2012
Scottish Premier League News January 2012: Happy New Year for Celtic
Ali Morrello
Celtic
As New Year's go, Neil Lennon was not exaggerating when he claimed that this year was one of his best.
The Celtic manager not only saw off Rangers in the festive Old Firm derby with a 1-0 win, but in doing so also hauled his side - who were a whopping 15 points off the pace of Rangers just six weeks ago - into a two point lead at the top of the SPL.
It has been an astonishing turnaround from the Parkhead side, however, Lennon is wary of assuming that his side are home and dry now that they have their noses in front for the first time this season.
"I think we have come a long way in a short space of time," Lennon said. "On 5 November I was doubting my own position and I'm sure a lot of fans were as well.
"But Rangers are a top team and have been for a few years. They have a great mentality, so we have to be very wary. They are a very good side and that gets overlooked in all the criticism that surrounds both teams at times.
"We have to try and maintain our consistency. But this win will give the players a huge lift in terms of confidence. And, of course, the feelgood factor around the club will be here for a while.
"We want to kick on, and instead of people putting pressure on us, we want to try to put pressure on everybody else."
In the aftermath of the game - which passed largely without incident - the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, Stewart Regan, reiterated calls for the introduction of goalline.
Rangers felt they had a goal wrongly disallowed in the seventh minute of the game, after a Lee Wallace header appeared to cross the line before being clawed to safety by Celtic's goalkeeper, Fraser Forster.
"Another example last night where said afterwards via social network site, Twitter.
Regan added that the use of such technology, which is currently being tested by a firm employed by Fifa, will be on the agenda when the International Football Association Board meets in March.
The biggest headache that emerged from the game for Lennon was an injury to the influential midfielder Beram Kayal. The Israeli internationalist could be out for at least four months after he was involved in a hard tackle with Rangers midfielder Lee McCulloch.
Despite the loss of Kayal, Lennon will not rush into this month's transfer window to replace the player since he feels confident that he has sufficient cover in that area of the pitch.
Kayal's return to form, after ending speculation over his future by signing a new contract in October, has been a major factor in Celtic's run of 10 straight SPL victories.
"It would be a huge blow for me and the player and the club itself," said Lennon. "It's not a co-incidence that our recent run has come after Beram signed a new contract. He's a pivotal player for us. But what I will say is that midfield is the one area where we have got real quality strength and depth. No one likes to lose a player for any concerted period of time. We've been unfortunate with these injuries this season.
"He will have an operation on his ankle and he could be out for four months or we could get better news. We're just not sure the extent of it yet."
The Celtic manager was also quick to dismiss any suggestion that McCulloch had been at fault.
"It was a good challenge between two committed players," he said. "The way Beram's ankle has turned, there is a bit of cartilage floating about in there and ligament damage as well."
Kayal's injury will make Lennon doubly determined to retain South Korean midfielder Ki Sung Yueng. Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has confirmed his interest, albeit while adding he believes he does not have the necessary funds to do a deal.
Lennon says he does not expect any of his players to be sold during the January transfer window unless Celtic receive bids they simply cannot refuse.
"I'm not under any pressure to sell," added Lennon. "The board have been great in that aspect. Every player has his price but unless we get a knockout offer no one will be leaving.
"If that kind of offer happens, we'll sit down and discuss it with the board, myself and Peter (Lawwell) and we'll do what's best for the club. I'm sure there will be a lot of speculation regarding players. There already is. But I want to keep this squad together and we don't envisage players leaving."
Rangers
Rangers manager Ally McCoist has appealed to new owner Craig Whyte to strengthen his squad in the current transfer window.
McCoist has overseen a dramatic slump in form over the last two months as Rangers have dropped from runaway league leaders into second spot.
The Rangers manager has urged the club to give him the necessary finances to fund some new faces, and McCoist has revealed that this has been tentatively agreed by Whyte, who has promised at least one new arrival into the club.
Rangers are in a financial mess as they fight a contentious tax bill while Nikica Jelavic has been attracting widespread interest from south of the border. Even if the Croatian internationalist were to move to the Premiership and command a decent transfer fee in doing so, McCoist could realistically only expect to receive a fraction of it for himself to spend on new players.
"I've given Craig a couple of names that we would like at the club; not loan signings," said the Rangers boss. "I had a good chat with Craig and he was very well aware of the fact - before I met him - that we need to get strengthened, certainly in the forward areas. We certainly share the same opinion that we need to get players.
The relationship [between them] has been formed since the start of the season. Craig is very well aware, without me telling him, that we need to get one or two players in. With the Kyle Lafferty injury and Steven Naismith being out long-term, we've never been more needy than now.
"I wouldn't go as far as saying the championship is on the line [unless signings are made] but in terms of our team progressing then we are certainly short of numbers in forward areas. There are certainly one or two players that we want and we'll be doing our utmost to get them.
"We will definitely be able to bring someone in, probably on a loan basis, but I don't really know. I probably could get some cash. Craig is approachable and if I go to him with a deal, like every other chairman, he'll say yes or no. It's no different from anywhere else."
McCoist has held talks with Jelavic and has apparently been told the Croat remains fully committed to Rangers, despite speculation about interest from Liverpool, West Brom and QPR.
"I've had a good chat with Nikica and he's totally focused," said McCoist. "He's a professional and he knows the score. For the foreseeable future it looks like he's going to be a Rangers player and that will only change if somebody stumps up a certain amount of money that the owner will accept.
"Nikica hasn't said he wants to go. There's been no indication from Nikica that he's downing tools or wants away, absolutely none. I've got to tell you and be right up front with that. And we haven't had any enquiries about him. Even if Nikica doesn't go, I will still need at least one striker in. The owner knows it."
Hearts
Hearts manager Paulo Sergio has insisted that the Tynecastle club can overcome their present financial difficulties and emerge even stronger. Speaking at his first press conference since the club ended its media ban - ban which has been in existence since October - Sergio also voiced his hope that Hearts will avoid punitive sanctions from the SPL over unpaid salaries, saying he was sure they would be paid.
The Hearts players and staff received their December salaries this week, hours after the SPL imposed a seven-day payment deadline. The league said it will also take action if payments are late in subsequent months, but Sergio expressed confidence in the board's ability to find funding.
There is a fear that there will be something of a firesale at the club this month with players sold off as controversial owner Vladimir Romanov seeks to exit Tynecastle.
"It is a problem that our board has to solve," Sergio said, referring to Romanov's insistence that the wage bill had to be cut, if necessary by selling off senior players. "I am sure we are not going to let die a club like this one.
"I am going to do everything I can do so the future of the club is alive and having success. I hope everyone around me is going to do the same.
"It is very clear for everyone in the club that we have to reduce costs. I don't know if some player goes to another club, but what I know is that if we have some propositions maybe we have to sell or to put on loan to make these kinds of savings. Of course, I don't want to lose players, but it's not my decision."
With three wins and a draw from their last four games, Hearts have forced their way back up to fourth in the SPL, however the desire for domestic success is tapered by the very issue of ensuring the club survives.
"The main thing in this moment is not to go to third place or second place, but to put the club in a good position to survive and review all these in the next season," said Sergio. "This changes our goals, but even in this position I want to be competitive and I believe I can do it with some young players.
"I am frustrated, because I came here with some dreams and under different conditions, but it is an honest job too - to pick the young players and to make them believe we can win SPL games with young players and in a hard moment like this. If you look at our season, at the moment we are reaching a very good level. The problems started and we had five or six tough weeks - now we are on the way up.
"But, if I lose two, three or four players, we can be in trouble again. That's not the way that we should work in football. But we work with what we have.
"Nobody can put a knife in my neck and say, ‘Hey, you have to finish third or second' with the conditions we're working in. That's clear.
"I never have easy jobs. But it's up to you. You can always make a choice - either you quit and go home or you fight and try to do things that you believe. If I was unhappy here, if I don't feel the support of our fans and the people around me every single day, maybe I'm thinking to go home and look for another way in my life. But it's not what happens. I can be happy here in Edinburgh. I love the city. I love the club."
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