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Scottish Premier League Update

Ali Hannah on the latest from the Scottish Premier League, May 2007

Celtic | Scotland | Rangers

Celtic Roundup

USA | Japan

Gordon Strachan completed a League and Scottish Cup double but the Celtic manager is already looking towards next season where he expects to continue where he left off.

The Parkhead side had barely finished toasting the 1-0 defeat over Dunfermline in the Tennent's Scottish Cup when Chief Executive Peter Lawwell and Strachan were unveiling the capture of 21-year-old Scott Brown.

The former Hibs midfielder has attracted plenty of attention with Rangers and a couple of Premiership sides among his admirers. A £4.4m bid was enough to secure the services of the midfielder for Celtic and with Neil Lennon bringing down the curtain in his career with the Scottish Cup Final victory, the stage is set for Brown to make his mark at the club.

And, after celebrating the arrival of Brown, Lawwell has insisted that there will be further new faces to follow this summer as Celtic seek to consolidate their position at the forefront of Scottish football.

"We've had a great season, probably understated because of some of the performances towards the end, but we won two trophies and got into the last 16 of the Champions League,” he said. “But here we have to keep taking it forward. There's no rest, you can't in any way be complacent, you've just got to keep going.”

Strachan was also keen to emphasis the achievements of this season while concurring with Lawwell that there is yet more to come from his Celtic side. "As far as I'm concerned we have won our own treble," said Strachan. "Getting to the last 16 of the Champions League after the group we were in, was like winning another cup.

"We have a right good squad. Our group is better than anyone else's in Scotland. Now we have to add to the spirit, enthusiasm and willingness to win.
"We know where we want to go next. It's just seeing if we can bring those targets to the club and a lot depends on finances and circumstances.
"Usually at this time of the year, you want your holiday but I'm actually looking forward to the first day at training next season."

And while Strachan expects Brown to feature prominently for Celtic next season, he doesn't expect the midfielder's price tag to be an issue. "I don't think the fee is a big problem," he added. "His football assets are well known. He has determination, is young and he is going to get better. If you look at the British transfer market, then it's not a bad bit of business."

Strachan has also revealed the dossier of information he has about signing targets, insisting he has never been so well informed, and Lawwell confirmed: "We have specific targets and they are all at different stages.

"Some clubs are willing to talk. Others are not. The deals that are done the quickest are the Bosmans because you only have two parties. When you have a third party, ie another club, that's when it gets more difficult.
"There is a foundation that allows us to go out and do this," added Lawwell. "But it's not easy or straightforward and we now enter another transfer window and we will have another three months of pain and anguish. But we go into it very positively.
"There is flexibility in the budget. Last year we knew there might be a few going out, including Stilian Petrov. The plan is to strengthen, get better within the financial constraints that we have. We won't be irresponsible. We will work within our own means."

Meanwhile, midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura is a doubt for Japan's Asian Cup campaign after suffering an ankle injury during the Cup final.

The 28-year-old has been included in Ivica Osim's squad for the upcoming Kirin Cup, a key warm-up for Japan before they begin the defence of their Asian Cup title in July. Japan will play Montenegro on June 1 and Colombia on June 5 in the tournament that Scotland won a year ago.

"When I swing my leg it hurts. It's quite painful," said Nakamura, who is included in a squad under the guidance of Osim for just the second time after featuring in the 2-0 victory over Peru in March.

And Nakamura - who completed a clean sweep of Scotland's player of the year awards - hopes to overcome his injury to cement his place in the team.
"The last time I was only with the squad a little while but this time is longer," he said.
"I am hoping to learn more about this Japan team's football."

The reigning Asian champions open their Group B campaign against Qatar in Hanoi on July 9 before facing the UAE and Vietnam.

The tournament ends on July 29 - just five days before Celtic begin their defence of the SPL title.

Hoops boss Gordon Strachan may also lose new signing Scott McDonald to the Asian Cup over pre-season with the former Motherwell striker on the fringes of the Australia squad.

For Lennon, though, the end of the road at Parkhead isn't necessarily the end of his playing days though he believes he is leaving Celtic in a decent position.

"My job's done here and I've left the club in a real good position, so I'm delighted with my contribution to the club,” he said.

At 35, and after six-and-a-half seasons with Celtic, Lennon announced last month that he would be leaving once his contract expires this summer.

But as he prepares to depart, Celtic appear to be in good shape. After effectively having the league tied up by the turn of the year, and by reaching the knock-out stages of the Champions League for the first time, they have confirmed themselves as the dominant force in Scottish football. Rangers, with Walter Smith at the helm, may challenge next season, but Lennon is confident the future is bright for Strachan's team.

He added: "The only regret is I didn't come here when I was 22, 23. I've done all this since I was 29.

"I've packed a lot in, in this six-and-a-half years, and it's been very rewarding. Lennon may be leaving Glasgow, but he is hopeful of continuing his career at another ambitious club, preferably in the Barclays Premier League.

"I'll sit down and take a couple of days with my family and start talking to clubs," he said. "If there's any offers out there I'll look at all the options I've got.

"I'm so pleased to have been part of the history of the club and to have been captain as well is fantastic."

Rangers

New Ibrox signing Kirk Broadfoot is confident his versatility can give him a major advantage in his bid to tie down a starting place in the Rangers first team.

The former St Mirren captain can perform at left-back or in the middle of defence and as he prepares to force his way into Walter Smith's first team he believes his adaptability will be an important asset.

Veterans Davie Weir and Ugo Ehiogu look set to start next season in tandem in the middle of the Ibrox defence but with left-back Stevie Smith struggling to recover from a troublesome groin problem and the jury still out on Sasa Papac, Broadfoot may find himself facing off against Ian Murray for that slot.

The 22-year-old said: "I will play anywhere for Rangers. I played out of position at the Saints and don't have a problem playing in the central area at the back, or on the left flank.

"Hopefully the fact that I am relatively versatile will be a plus, because I know the competition for places will be really tough. But it's a long and demanding season and, in that respect, I dare say everyone in the squad will get a chance to impress at one time or another.

"It's up to me to take my chance when it comes along, and hopefully I can hit the ground running in pre-season and take it from there."

Many observers expect Broadfoot to be little more than a squad player next season, yet as Alan Gow showed with his display against LA Galaxy in a friendly, Smith will give all players a chance to impress before the Champions League second round qualifying tie on July 31.

Broadfoot is determined to return to pre-season training on June 28 in peak condition, while he has no doubt that, under Smith's coaching, he still has plenty of development in front of him.

"Hopefully, at 22, I am only going to get better," he said. "In that respect, when you are training with the quality of player there is at Rangers, day- in day-out, and under a manager like Walter Smith, I am going to be learning all the time - and that is something I am hungry to do."

Scotland

Scotland manager Alex McLeish has had his preparations for next month's Euro 2008 qualifier against the Faroe Islands wrecked by a string of injuries.

The withdrawal of five players for a friendly against Austria meant a surprise recall for Garry O'Connor who went AWOL after last year's win over France at Hampden when Walter Smith was in charge of the national side.

McLeish revealed that before recalling O'Connor, he had confronted the 23-year-old - who has scored twice in nine international appearances - about his conduct. "Circumstances have dictated that he is in the frame," said the manager.

"I was talking to Andy Watson [his assistant] a few weeks ago and we said, 'it will fall into place at the time' and it has. He's fresh because he's just started his season and he's in good shape.

"There were things we advised him about, like apologizing to the fans and to the recent management team. He had to exorcise some ghosts. He's a young man and, as happens in football the world over, he needs a bit of guidance.

"These are boys who are earning a phenomenal amount of money and they should have the discipline to allow their potential to develop properly."

O'Connor could hardly have timed his rehabilitation better. On Sunday he became the first British player to score the winning goal in the Russian cup final after being sent on as a sub for Lokomotiv against FK Moscow.

O'Connor, who suffers from homesickness, is likely to return to Britain during the summer and a return to the Scotland line-up will provide him with an ideal platform to advertise a new-found maturity.

McLeish has refused to get overly frustrated with the call-offs - a constant headache for any Scotland manager - and has insisted that the players handed their chance should seize it with both hands.

Strikers Kenny Miller and Craig Beattie, midfielder Scott Brown and defenders Steven Pressley and Russell Anderson all missed the friendly game in Vienna.

McLeish said: "Injuries are not something I dwell on, because there's nothing you can do about it. If they're out, they're out. You've got to look at an opportunity for somebody else and perhaps they can grab a chance. "This group of players do want to get to major finals and I think the determination will be there for all to see come these two games."

While the likes of O'Connor will be hoping for the chance to shine in Austria, Brown has vowed to be ready for duty against the Faroe Islands next week.

The Celtic midfielder will be looking to add to his three caps in Toftir on June 6, and is a likely starter if fit.

Brown remarked "I'm desperate to be on the plane to the Faroes next week.

"My knee is not feeling too clever and it's a major disappointment to be ruled out of the Austria game because I want to play as many games for my country as I can.
"But I am hopeful it will clear up in the next few days and that I'll be able to play in Toftir.
"It's going to be a vital game for us because we are still in with a chance of qualifying from this section and I want to play my part."

Christian Dailly was actually packing to go on holiday when he got the call. "Christian could have been in the Caribbean and it would have been very hard for us to have brought him back from there, but that's the attitude we need," said McLeish.

"Mind you, I don't think Mrs Dailly is pleased. He's fit and he's played in a lot of reserve games lately. As long as he's got the legs I'll consider him, though circumstances decreed that I couldn't fit him into the team originally.”