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Scottish Premier League Update

Ali Hannah on the latest from the Scottish Premier League, October 2009

Celtic | Rangers | Scotland

Scotland

George Burley has pinpointed the key players he believes can lead Scotland to the 2012 European Championships.

The Scotland gaffer hung on to his job last week despite a disastrous 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign that saw his side fail to qualify for the World Cup. But Burley weathered the resulting storm and believes he has a core of players who can help him take Scotland to the first major finals since 1998.

By the time the Euro qualifiers begin next September he wants a youthful group of players who are ravenous for success. And Burley will look to players who can perform without fear - even against the best in Europe.

Craig Gordon, Alan Hutton, Darren Fletcher and Scott Brown will provide a solid backbone for his team. But Burley expects a new breed of stars to complement that quartet. He will put his faith in Steven Whittaker, Steven Naismith, Steven Fletcher, Ross McCormack, James Morrison and Graham Dorrans for the next campaign.

The Scotland manager is particularly excited by Rangers pair Whittaker and Naismith, who performed so well in the 1-0 defeat by Holland at Hampden.

He said: "We've already brought a number of new players in to the group.

"Naismith was a sensation against Holland and he's a player I've always admired. I actually tried to buy him from Kilmarnock when I was at Southampton. He is a committed young boy who has shown he can come into the full squad and perform.

"Whittaker was also fantastic when he came on against Macedonia and played well against the Dutch too. We have Steven Fletcher, McCormack and Morrison as well. I also brought Dorrans into the squad so we're constantly trying to develop. I look at our Under-21s and speak to Billy Stark regularly.

"I'm always looking at when these boys are ready to come in. Our aim is to play with no fear. I want us to have desire as a team. We want players who look forward to competing against the top nations. I don't think we're ever going to be an Argentina or Brazil with a host of world-class players.

"But I was at a school in Paisley recently where the SFA have introduced coaching. If we could get that into every school we WOULD produce world-class players. That's the challenge but it takes a lot of effort. However, I've just mentioned six young players I want to work with.

"The team isn't old. We have guys in their prime."

Despite the promise shown by youngsters Burley knows what his side is crying out for - a prolific goalscorer. Kenny Miller will still be around for the Euro qualifiers but neither he nor Burnley ace Fletcher is a natural predator. Kris Boyd fits the bill - but Burley was reluctant to admit he missed the man who walked out of his squad last season.

However, he did say: "We've maybe lacked goals. That's our little problem. But it's from everybody - wide players, midfielders and the strikers. Football isn't an individual game. What pleases me most is the group seems to be getting stronger together. It's about performing as a team and that togetherness should be Scotland's strength.

"The style of our football has pleased me. We have attacking thoughts going into games as we showed against Holland. If we keep that mentality we will score goals."

Celtic Roundup

He has been Celtic's man of the month, but Paddy McCourt has spent the last few weeks trying to play down the hype and tell anyone who'll listen that there is much more still to come from him.

The Northern Ireland internationalist emerged from the Parkhead wilderness to net a couple of dazzling goals and look like the kind of creative link Celtic have been crying out for since Lubomir Moravcik quit the club seven years ago.

McCourt taking full advantage of the lifeline handed to him by manager Tony Mowbray in what has otherwise been 15 months of frustration at Parkhead.

Showcasing the mercurial talent which convinced former Hoops boss Gordon Strachan to sign him from Derry City in the summer of last year, McCourt proved impossible to contain when given a chance in the first-team and the clamour has grown among the Hoops support to see more of him.

The midfielder's form has earned him a recall to the Northern Ireland squad for next month's World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic but the player, who has been dogged by fitness issues, has maintained that there is much more still to come from him.

"There's no way I'm near the finished article," he said. "I'll still get fitter and I'll still get better, but at the minute it's nice to get a few starts and some goals.

"It's brilliant just to be involved at this club. It's something I've always dreamed of doing. When I came from Derry City, I was nowhere near ready to play here.

"I was lucky that my ability was getting me through games in the League of Ireland.

"The jump in terms of fitness was massive for me and it took my body a while to come to terms with it. Luckily, this year, I've been able to get a full pre-season and do every day at training without any setbacks."

McCourt is well aware of the challenge that lies before him, with Shaun Maloney and Aiden McGeady established as regulars on the flanks. But he is ready to work on the weaknesses in his game and push his team-mates all the way for a regular starting berth.

"Nowadays, wingers have to track back as well as create, and that's not a natural part of my game," McCourt said. "I enjoy the attacking side of the game and trying to beat players but I need to work on my defensive side. If I can blend the two together, hopefully I can be a regular in the side.

"Aiden McGeady and Shaun Maloney are the first-choice wingers at the minute. But it's a challenge to get in the side with those two fantastic players in front of me. All I can do is do my best when I get the chance and hopefully score a few goals."

And McCourt's national manager believes that the player is ready to finally fulfill his undoubted potential.

Nigel Worthington, the Northern Ireland manager, has watched with interest as McCourt's star has risen and he believes Celtic can get the best out of the 25-year-old.

Rangers

He has rarely been without his critics but if Kenny Miller is anything it is a big occasion performer. Rangers went into the first Old Firm game of the season trailing Celtic by four points and knowing that defeat would have left them with a mountain to climb.

Within the first 20 minutes Miller had netted a double to sink his old club and he later admitted that the dread of falling seven points behind Celtic had inspired him to seize the moment.

Aiden McGeady pulled a goal back from the penalty spot but the headlines belonged to Miller.

"It was a massive win for us," admitted the striker. "Even at this early stage of the season, losing and going seven points behind wasn't even worth thinking about.

"Even a draw and four points behind would have been difficult to claw back. So the win was vital for us."

The victory may have given Rangers a psychological boost but Miller is well aware Celtic still have the advantage where it counts.

"We are just happy with the win but we are still behind them in the league table," he continued. "For us it was just important to get the win. They've still got the advantage, they are still a point up."

Rangers had found themselves under pressure after drawing a blank in their last three Clydesdale Bank Premier League outings, and Miller was thrilled with his early double.

"I'm over the moon," he said. "Goals have been hard to come by recently and we've not been firing as a team as a whole, not just the strikers.

So it was good to get the goals early and hang on for the win. There was some great defending and some big performances."

The result was vital for Rangers as it did with the Ibrox support growing increasing restless prior to the game. Walter Smith is in the middle of a four-match touchline ban after a torrid afternoon at Rugby Park last month in which two players were sent off and he utterly lost his cool.

And prior to the Celtic victory, Rangers had drawn their previous three SPL games – and hadn't scored a goal in any of them. In between times they had been mauled 4-1 in the Champions League at Ibrox by Spaniards Seville, although with just two games played there is ample time for Smith's side to still qualify for the latter stages.

On a brighter note, Rangers assistant manager Ally McCoist is ready to sign a new contract after revealing he wants to remain at Ibrox for life.

McCoist and boss Walter Smith are out of contract in January and both have yet to agree an extension, with reports suggesting Smith is seeking assurances over cash for new players before committing himself.

McCoist is tipped to replace the veteran manager at the helm when he does quit Rangers and hopes to remain with the Scottish champions.

"I'd love to stay for life," he said. "This is my dream job. I am back coaching at the club I've supported since I was a wee boy and I love it. I lived the dream when I played for Rangers after growing up and supporting them and now I am doing it again as a coach.

"I'd love to carry on working here and hopefully I will."

Ali Hannah

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