Partners: GoodsFromJapan | JapanVisitor | PortugalVisitor

Home|Football News|Scottish Premier League|Celtic-Hearts-Rangers

Scottish Premier League Update

Ali Hannah on the Three Powerhouses of Northern Football

Celtic | Hearts | Rangers

Celtic Roundup

Things are looking up for Gordon Strachan.

After a sticky start to the SPL in which his side dropped five points from their opening four games - a defeat to Hearts at Tyne castle and a sloppy draw at Inverness - the Celtic manager unveiled Dutch internationalist Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and left-back Lee Naylor on the same day the Hoops learned their fate in the Champions League. A spirited comeback at home to Hibs – with Vennegoor scoring the winner – put the Hoops top of the league and completed a decent week’s business for Celtic. The signing of Thomas Gravesen which is expected to be confirmed this week is the icing on the cake.

Added to an intriguing tussle on and off the park that is set to unfold between Strachan and his former Old Trafford manager Alex Ferguson as suggest there is plenty of excitement at the club.

Manchester United, Benfica and FC Copenhagen stand between Celtic and a place in the last 16 of Europe 's most prestigious club competition.

Strachan and Ferguson had a public falling out and in his book the Celtic manager accused the United boss of treating him like a child. They claim to have buried the hatchet but it will be interesting to see just what wounds reopen when they go head to head again.

Yet, while most Celtic fans have looked upon the group favourably, they have been guilty of overlooking the threat of Benefica.

The Portuguese side, under the guidance of Dutch coach Ronald Koeman, ended United’s European hopes last season when they knocked them out before going on to dismiss Liverpool.

It is Simao Sabrosa and Nuno Gomes, the Portugal internationalists, who will be best known to Celtic supporters, although others such as the Brazilian centre-half Luisao, Armando Petit, linked with Manchester United during the summer and Fabrizio Miccolli, once of Juventus, confirm the squad is full of quality. Nevertheless, Jose Veira, the club's director of football, was cautious as he assessed his side's chances.

"We know Celtic will be an extremely difficult opponent, especially when we go to play them in their own stadium but FC Copenhagen will also be dangerous because they had a fantastic achievement in knocking Ajax out of the tournament in the qualifying stages,” he said.

Koeman has since departed the Portuguese capital to take up the position vacated by Guus Hiddink at PSV Eindhoven. His replacement is Fernando Santos, whose success as a coach has been limited to domestic cup triumphs in his homeland with Porto and in Greece with AEK.

Strachan will view home success over Benefica as crucial to his side's chances of reaching the last 16 given Celtic's recent form, albeit in non-competitive matches, against Manchester United.

While Artmedia Bratislava should provide a salutary lesson for the Celtic manager against the dangers in taking anything for granted in Europe, he will secretly be plotting six points from the home and away ties with FC Copenhagen as the basis for a serious assault on the group.

The Danes have every reason to fancy their chances having embarked on something of a spending spree, by Scandinavian standards, in recent seasons.

They boast the former Aston Villa striker Marcus Allback, former Chelsea winger Jesper Gronkjaer and the Sweden international midfielder Tobias Linderoth in their ranks, while a familiar name to Old Firm supporters will be that of Jesper Christiansen, the one-time Rangers goalkeeper.

Meanwhile, new signing Vennegoor of Hesselink is already looking towards his first Old Firm game.

The striker will provide the physical presence that Celtic have been lacking up front since the departure of John Hartson this summer and the £3.5m signing is keen to carry on where he started on his debut.

“I know all about the importance of the games against Rangers,” he said.

“It’s the biggest derby in Europe. It’s the Old Firm and everyone knows about it.

“In fact, some friends are already texting me about it saying they want to be at my first Old Firm match. The game is massive and I'm anxious to play in it.

“I do not have long to wait as it is on September 23. I know that because I’ve looked up the fixtures.”

The 27-year-old is also proud of his lengthy name that has been the cause of some confusion.

“I am very proud of the name,” he said. “It has been in the family for 200 years, and all my fore-fathers used the named totally.

“My father is very proud of it, and I was raised to be proud of my name. Some people say Vennegoor, some say Hesselink. But it is Vennegoor of Hesselink.”

Hearts: Can the team bounce back?

Hearts are determined to make their mark in the UEFA Cup after their ignominious 5-1 aggregate defeat to AEK Athens in the qualifying stage of the Champions League.

Their goal is to win their first UEFA Cup match and make the group stages of the competition but it is nevertheless a consolation prize for owner Vladamir Romanov.

The Tynecastle side do not have it easy after drawing Sparta Prague and they face a tough test to make it into the group stages of the UEFA Cup.

Despite all the controversy over the dismissal of Julien Brellier and his first yellow card over in Athens when Hearts failed to make the Champions League group stages, there was a distinct gulf between Hearts and the Greek side which was illustrated by the 5-1 aggregate score.

Although Romanov has given his manager Valdas Ivanauskas the dreaded vote of confidence, it remains to be seen just how long he remains in the dug-out; Romanov is not a man known for his patience.

Craig Gordon, the Hearts goalkeeper, said it was the manner of their defeat against AEK Athens which had bothered the players but they had to put the disappointment them.

Whether or not they can compete against Sparta Prague remains to be seen but Gordon is optimistic.

"I don't think there is much of a debate over who was the better team over the two legs against AEK but it was the way certain decisions went against us that has angered everybody at Hearts," said Gordon. “Now we’re just looking to do what we can in the UEFA Cup.”

Steven Pressley, the Hearts captain, believes the club can make an impact in the UEFA Cup particularly when they get all their injured players back.

Pressley said his side liked to take games to their opponents and expected a similar positive approach in future European matches.

"We are an aggressive team and if we lose that edge then we certainly won't play in the same fashion," said Pressley. "I think it's important that we keep the aggressive side of things.

"Against AEK Athens we played some excellent counter-attacking football. That's the style we need to play to be successful in the UEFA Cup."

Rangers: Burke and Le Guen

Paul Le Guen’s introduction to Scottish football has been something of a mixed bag so far.

The Frenchman found himself on the receiving end of the Old Firm’s famed lack of patience when he suffered two draws in his opening three games, but a home win over Hearts shot Rangers to the top of the SPL.

Then, a problem that was so familiar to the Ibrox side returned to haunt them against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and another two points were lost.

Le Guen had told disgruntled striker Kris Boyd – Scotland’s top scorer last season with 39 strikes in all competitions - to do his talking on the pitch rather to reporters with a back page headline in mind when the player was left on the bench for the opening three SPL games.

The Scotland striker hasn’t just done his talking, he has taken a megaphone and shouted his intentions to his new manager with four goals in his last two games.

It was Boyd who scored the two goals that won the game against Hearts and then scored a brace against Killie and the player is determined to hang on to his place.

However, Le Guen’s headache in the treatment room continue.

Little winger Chris Burke was has been in fine form since his return from an ankle injury but the player was left crocked again after a late tackle from Fernando Ricksen - now on loan at Russian club Zenit St Petersburg. Ricksen lunged at the player during the friendly which had been arranged as part of the deal to send him to former Ibrox manager Dick Advocaat’s club and the home support howled their derision to the Dutchman after his tackle.

Burke was forced off the game and could face up to a month on the sidelines after damaging the same ankle he hurt during pre-season training in South Africa.

However, Burke has absolved Ricksen of any blame.

“There were no words spoken after that. I'm sure he didn't intend it - well

I hope he didn't anyway," Burke said.

"Hopefully I can just get back as quickly as I can.

"I think Fernando has kicked the bottom of my foot and it has twisted into the ground and caught.

"It's just unfortunate that it happened straight away but these things happen in football and I just have to be positive and look forward."

However, even a pairing with unrated Norwegian side Molde in the first round of the UEFA Cup wasn’t enough to tempt Le Guen into undue optimism over Rangers’ prospects of a protracted run in Europe.

The club stated that they would need to make it to the UEFA Cup Final in Glasgow next May to claw back the money they have lost from failing to make it into the Champions League, but Le Guen was clearly mindful of the unknown merit of his own, relatively untried team.

The Frenchman responded with characteristic non-commitment to the question of how realistic the Ibrox side's ambitions should be in the context of the continental theatre. “To win this first tie is as far as the ambition should go at this moment," said Le Guen.

"I am aware of the need for a good run in Europe for a club like Rangers, but the most important thing is to get past the first round and into the group phase.

"In doing so, you are guaranteed four matches, which will be very useful experience for many of our players. You have to remember that we have a number of young players and we have yet to find out how they will cope with the European competition.

"That is why playing in the Champions League is so good. With six games in the group stage, your players are given the opportunity to gain invaluable experience, no matter the results.

"But, even with young and comparatively untried players, it does not mean you can't have a good run. They can learn quickly from participating in demanding occasions at different stadiums around the continent. But, until you are involved, there is no way of knowing how things will turn out."