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Scottish Premier League Update

Ali Hannah on the latest from the Scottish Premier League, September 2008

Celtic | Rangers | Scotland

Celtic Roundup

The SPL is barely a month old, but Celtic, and Gordon Strachan in particular, are feeling the heat already. A limp 4-2 defeat in the first Old Firm game of the season has left the Scottish Champions reeling and their fans up in arms. Not for 14 years have the Hoops shipped four goals to their bitter rivals on their own turf.

That the defeat came 24 hours before the closure of the transfer window meant most fans headed home comforted only by the thought that further signings, emergency or not, would be introduced. They did not come. Marc Crosas, a Barcelona youth product who has never played in the Catalan's first-team, Pat McCourt, Shaun Maloney, Georgios Samaras and Glenn Loovens were the only additions over a long summer in which Celtic clearly tried, and failed, to bring further bodies in.

The loss to Rangers came hard on the heels to a 1-1 draw at Tannadice against Dundee United and the pressure is mounting already on the Parkhead side.

However, Hoops defender Gary Caldwell remained unbowed in the light of the latest crisis to hit Celtic. Caldwell insisted that, although a battle had been lost, the war is certainly not over. In typically honest fashion, the centre-back made no attempt to hide behind excuses and was magnanimous in defeat but the Celt insisted his men are still the team to beat in this season's SPL race. Caldwell and Strachan know exactly how to rise from adversity, having pulled a championship triumph from the fire of a seemingly impossible position in the final weeks of last season.

A move for Romanian international Gabriel Tamas collapsed over personal terms - it's believed the defender wanted £20,000 a week while the Hops wouldn't go higher than £14,000 - and Strachan has maintained that the English Premier League is responsible for the way in which the Old Firm are priced out of the market for players.

He said: "It's a setback because we're three points behind now and we're chasing Rangers again.

"But we showed last year we are strong enough to do it, that we can do it and we will do it again this year.

"We've come back from this before. We are the champions and they have got to come and take it from us.

"In this game they were better than us and we will hold our hands up. But as we proved last year it's a long season."

Caldwell may have maintained a positive outlook in the aftermath of the loss but there is no doubt the manner of defeat sank deeply into his personal pride.

He and Scotland centre-back partner Stephen McManus shipped four goals as their full-backs Mark Wilson and Andy Hinkel and keeper Artur Boruc, unusually, had days to forget.

Boruc in particular will remember the occasion with little relish.

The Pole was outfoxed by Daniel Cousin for Rangers' opening goal when the Gabon international, who signed for Hull 24 hours later, gave him the eyes for a cutback to Kenny Miller but instead swept a shot through the keeper at his near post.

Wilson was also skinned in that move before Boruc completed his nightmare with a howler that gifted Miller his second and Rangers' fourth goal to put the tin lid on proceedings for the creaking backline.

Caldwell said: "We are disappointed. When you play against your biggest rivals at home you always want to win and to lose by the margin we did was very disappointing. They scored their goals at the right times and took their chances when we didn't."

If his pride hurt, so did his bones after a bruising encounter with Rangers battering ram Cousin.

The striker was not willing to give an inch in the physical battle with Caldwell and McManus and had been warned by referee Dougie McDonald before going into the book for decking the latter.

Undeterred, Cousin belied his lazy look by continuing to throw himself into the challenges and when McManus was clattered again during the second half, McDonald flashed a red card.

Rangers boss Walter Smith felt his player had been harshly treated and, to his credit, Caldwell made no attempt to heap disgrace on to his opponent and insisted Rangers had simply won the physical battle.

"That's the Rangers style of play and that's how they come and try to beat us," he said. "They've done that for two years and that's always how they play against us.

"We've combated that for the past two years and we'll have to do it again.

"We didn't do it today and we have to learn from this, get better at it and do better next time."

To rub salt into the wounds of the Parkhead faithful, Boruc's late blunder gave Miller the opportunity to bag his second of the day.

The defender admitted it must have been hellish for the Hoops supporters to see Miller fire two goals but the international stopper insisted it would not have mattered who scored given the dismal nature of the beating.

He added: "Kenny was coming back to Parkhead for the first time and for him to score two is disappointing for the fans.
"But it doesn't really matter who scores against us, we're disappointed any time we lose a goal."

Rangers

So much for Kenny Miller and Rangers being lampooned.

The Scotland striker's return to Ibrox this season has a section of the Rangers support up in arms after his stint with Celtic only a year ago, but in the wake of the Old Firm victory they were left toasting a new hero.

The striker scored twice against the Hoops in a 4-2 win and duly caused apoplexy at both ends of the stadium. This was a triumph of character for the player given that both sets of supporters were looking upon him less than favourably. Celtic's fans came keen to make merry with their former "reject", while those of Rangers had gathered uneasily, awaiting much ridicule over Miller's presence. The striker duly made a laughing stock of both groups.

"It's important for a striker to get his first goals and the longer it goes the more pressure goes on you," smiled Miller. "So it feels great to get the goals and to do it against Celtic was obviously special. It was actually the first start I'd had up front in the league so it's obviously good to get off the mark, especially in a game as special as the Old Firm game.

"I've been out wide in some games, but that's not a problem as you do what is required for the team. But it was a good day for me against Celtic."

Rangers have now been installed as bookies' favourites for the SPL title. They have been shortened to 8/11, with champions Celtic now even money to make it four-in-a-row.

Although Miller took most of the headlines, it was Rangers' summer signing Pedro Mendes who really pulled the strings in the middle of the park. The Ibrox side were disconsolate at the sale of Carlos Cuellar to Aston Villa in August, but Walter Smith wisely reinvested the money and his signings are already paying back their fees.

Mendes aside, Steve Davis has also resettled well and Barry Ferguson's absence hasn't been felt as keenly as was initially feared.

Meanwhile, Rangers fans seem to be taking well to US international midfielder Maurice Edu. As he warmed up on the sidelines during the Rangers 4-2 victory in the Old Firm Derby against Celtic, Edu heard fans cheering something that sounded like his name. After listening a bit more closely he realized it was indeed 'Edu' being cheered, instantly lifting his spirits.

The player had just jetted into the club and was surprised to even be named in the squad for the trip to Parkhead.

"I was jogging and stretching," he said. "I started listening a little bit. It sounded like they were saying, 'Edu'. I was like, 'Are they really saying that? I started listening a little more, and that's what they were saying."

Edu had just completed his $5 million move from Toronto FC and hadn't even made an appearance for Rangers. "It's a cool feeling, you know, first game," said Edu. "I didn't even play in a game and they already had a chant for me. It was a nice welcome."

Things are not quite so rosy for Brahim Hemdani, however. The midfielder has not started a competitive game for the club this season and he must now leave Rangers in search of a fresh challenge.

The Algerian has been frozen out at Ibrox this season by Smith. Hemdani has fallen down the pecking order even further after the arrivals of Mendes, Davis and Edu. Rangers tried to offload the midfielder, who earns around £16,000-per-week, to Turkish club Kocaelispor before the transfer window closed. But a move failed to go through, leaving the 30-year-old facing the prospect of reserve football until the market opens again in January.

And last night Hemdani admitted his love affair with Rangers will have to come to an end if he can agree a pay-off for the remainder of his Ibrox deal.

He said: "I think the time has come for me to get a change of air. I have nothing more to prove in Scotland. "If no offers arises then I will be forced to see out the final year of year of my contract and remain at the club."

Scotland

George Burley is a man walking on thin ice. Almost before it has begun, Scotland's World Cup campaign was looking over.

Burley desperately wants to add style and guile to the old rock-solid foundations that were laid by Walter Smith and which also underpinned Alex McLeish's time in charge.

But now that reality has bitten after a 1-0 defeat in Macedonia, Burley is considering a back-to-basics approach for a match his side must win. After arriving back in Glasgow following Saturday's 1-0 defeat in Skopje, Burley was asked if he will stick with his 4-4-2 formation on Wednesday night.

He said: "We are playing our best players and trying to get the best out of them. We will look at it for every game and Iceland will be different. We may slightly vary it. We'll try to take the second-half performance from Skopje into the game in Reykjavik and, hopefully, pick up the points.

"We will look at our options. Our best players were out there but Kris Commons and Shaun Maloney looked lively and they are pushing."

So will Burley ditch his bold ambition and return Scotland to Tartanaccio?

The answer is as yet unclear. He said: "We will adjust our system depending who we are playing against.

"I felt we were too deep at the start of the game in Macedonia and needed to step forward to put them under pressure. The changes gave us more going forward in the wider areas. We responded well and were the better team after the break. To play for 90 minutes in 100-degree heat isn't easy."

Burley has added Hibs striker Steven Fletcher - who scored twice in the Under-21s'win over Slovenia - to his squad. He will also have to monitor closely the physical condition of captain Stephen McManus and veteran full-back Graham Alexander, both of whom picked up knocks.

But most of all, Burley will have to find a way of lifting this group out of the gutter and having them focused and ready to fight for their lives - and that of the manager.

Just four games into his tenure as Scotland boss, Burley has reached a defining moment.

No matter which way you add up the numbers there is now no escaping the cold truth - Scotland cannot drop any more points in Iceland and remain serious about making it out of this group. Burley grinned his trademark grin and said: "There is still a long way to go and we have seven games left. Yes, we've lost our first and that was disappointing. Macedonia was never going to be easy. We conceded early in the first half and never really pushed on to them enough.

"They are an experienced side but I was very pleased with the the second half. We finished strongly. All credit to the players for putting together that second-half performance in the heat and, overall, I thought we deserved a point."

Burley had better move on and quickly. Already there is talk of player unrest behind the scenes and, if so, he will be on borrowed time.

Rangers midfielder Lee McCulloch has announced his retirement from international football and it is believes it is because he doesn't want to play under Burley.

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher insisted that the players are happy with Burley's regime, but the truth of the matter is somewhat different.

McCulloch, who won 15 caps, phoned Scotland boss George Burley to inform him of the decision.

"Lee said he has been considering his future since around about the time of the Italy game," said a Scottish Football Association spokesman. "He wants to concentrate on club football and getting back to fitness and playing for his club."

McCulloch has missed Rangers' recent SPL matches against Aberdeen and Celtic due to a knee injury and has not played for Scotland since Burley took charge in January.

There had been reports that the former Wigan and Motherwell player did not wish to be selected for the squad while Burley was in charge. However, the SFA insists there is no animosity between McCulloch and the national manager. "He assured the manager it was nothing personal," the spokesman added.

Ali Hannah

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