Scottish Premier League Update

Ali Hannah on Walter Smith, Paul Le Guen & Maciej Zurawski

Walter Smith | Paul Le Guen | Maciej Zurawski

Walter Smith: The Hardest Job in Football

It is doubtful that Walter Smith ever underestimated the challenge of taking over the reigns of Scotland, but the former Rangers boss has been left in no doubt just how leviathan his task is when it comes to restoring the fortunes of the national side.

After losing 3-1 to Switzerland in Hampden, Scotland have not gone ten years without a win in any friendly game at Hampden, an ominous statistic given the proximity of the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

A UEFA computer will decide the fixture dates after Ukraine put a spanner in the works of the initial agreement that was decided upon in Paris, but Smith must feel that being on the road - regardless of the fact Paris, Rome and Kiev are pretty formidable venues - will be an easier task than playing at Hampden.

Scotland have won only once in the recent World Cup qualifiers - against Moldova - and recent statistics form a depressing trend. Smith has admitted that he remains in search of the right formula, as strategies that have brought excellent performances, and victories in Norway and Slovenia seem to come unstuck at home. The balance between going all out for victory and remaining solid defensively is still out of kilter.

In actual fact, it was the defensive frailties exposed by the Swiss that may trouble Smith most of all as he prepares for the World Cup qualifiers. David Weir, Andy Webster and Gary Caldwell hardly lack experience at international level but often they looked desperately uncomfortable when confronted by pace. Their cause was not aided on occasion by Graham Alexander and Christian Dailly in the wing-back roles as the Swiss exploited space to deliver telling crosses.

At 35, Weir is the squad's most senior member and the Everton defender is well aware that things have to improve quickly as reflected on an unwelcome start to Euro 2008 preparations. "We need to do a lot better," he said. "The best team won the game and, in the end, won easily.

"That was the first time that we have fallen apart under Walter and it's really disappointing. Conceding cheap goals the way we did on Wednesday night is always going to create problems. It was a bad night and we need to take it on the chin.

"Everyone can see the Swiss are a good side who have been able to qualify for the World Cup. We've got to look into why they were so much better than us. You could say they have no outstanding players but they did show us up a bit.

"I honestly don't know why our home form is so bad and why we do so well away. I just wish I had an answer to that.

"But we should still play at Hampden. We shouldn't go away. Scotland should stay in Glasgow, because it's the home of Scottish football."

Dailly, another veteran, earned his 61st cap against Switzerland and feels the problem in friendlies may relate more to psychology than performance.

"I was looking at the match programme and, even before 1996, we were losing to Egypt in 1990 and things like that," he said.

"So it's not just in recent times that we can't win, there has been a problem with friendlies in general. It's probably a subconscious thing as much as anything else, but it's something we need to stop."

One positive to be drawn from Wednesday night was Kenny Miller's sixth international goal in his past five appearances, created by a precise pass from debutante Gary Teale.

Miller will complete his move to Celtic this summer and, watched by Gordon Strachan at Hampden on Wednesday night, there would at least have been one observer who left the national stadium feeling satisfied.

Paul Le Guen: Bound for Rangers?

Rangers remain in the hunt for Paul Le Guen, but the longer it goes without any confirmation of the Frenchman's arrival in Glasgow, the more concern grows that David Murray will have start looking elsewhere. If Murray and Martin Bain know what Le Guen's intentions are they have yet to let on to anyone else.

The Rangers Chairman has made no secret of the fact Le Guen is the man he wants and it is the reputable Frenchman who holds the position of strength in bargaining with the Ibrox club. Few will believe that the former Lyon manager would find Rangers irresistible, the job he had been waiting for after rejecting a host of previous inducements from other clubs. Many may instead look at the list of clubs with which Le Guen has flirted with and detect a worrying trend.

Rangers and Le Guen seem to be at precisely the crossroads he has already reached at clubs with broadly comparable resources in Russia, Ukraine and Italy.

The suggestion that Le Guen has verbally committed to coming to Rangers has peppered football circles, but crucially, nothing has yet been committed to paper. Aware that the clock is ticking, Murray has also been actively working on an alternative structure which would involve an emerging coach Preston's Billy Davies is one possibility that has been touted operating under a director of football.

Le Guen would be an outstanding coup for Murray. But courting the former Lyon manager in public with the media and supporters aware of his every move has put the Ibrox Chairman under intense pressure to deliver. But in the past year Le Guen has been down this road time and time again, and, Murray will note with some trepidation, eventually turned down or been too expensive for every one of the clubs he met, visited and negotiated with.

Rangers, with a Champions League tie against Villarreal looming on Tuesday night and the opportunity to make history by going into the last eight of the competition, need affirmation over where the immediate future lies. Murray has said repeatedly that he will make an announcement once the European campaign is over, and that could also coincide with the end of Barry Ferguson's season.

The Rangers captain has been struggling with an ankle problem for much of the season and declared his intention to go under the knife as soon as there is no Champions League football for the Ibrox side. However, Alex McLeish has insited that the player will have to wait until the summer for the operation because he is so crucial to Rangers.

But, with the league title effectively over, it is time for Rangers to start rebuilding for next season.

Celtic's Maciej Zurawski

In-form Maciej Zurawski was forced to miss Poland's defeat to the USA this week because of fears of a thigh problem.

The in-form striker - who scored four goals when Celtic trounced Dunfermline 8-1 to create an SPL record a fortnight ago - has netted 15 goals in his last 16 appearances and has offered the Parkhead side a fresh aspect to their forward line.

Having previously been injured when on international duty - Zurawski pulled his hamstring when Poland played England - the striker was reluctant to play any part for his country on Wednesday for fear of aggravating the problem. He has been troubled with injury in his first campaign at Parkhead. Zurawski has recently shown the kind of form that prompted Gordon Strachan to pursue him so doggedly last year and, as the Hoops close in on the title, the striker is desperate to be a part of it.

"There was a problem with a muscle and I felt some pain," said Zurawski. "So we had a scan and I decided not to play.

"I couldn't risk a repeat of that unlucky match against England and injure myself for Celtic. If this had happened to me before the game against Germany at the World Cup then I would have played, but it was not worth it."

Pawel Janas, the Polish coach, had no problem with Zurawski's withdrawal.

"He decided not to play and that was okay," said Janas. "I already know exactly what Zurawski can do for the team he is one of the players who would go to the World Cup even if his form was not good."

The defeat from the Americans proved personally painful for Artur Boruc after the Celtic goalkeeper, who replaced Liverpool's Jerzy Dudek at half-time, blundered for the only goal. Boruc attempted to punch clear a cross, but cannoned the ball off Taylor Twellman and Clint Dempsey profited to score.

It is not the first time that the stopper has proved clumsy at taking a cross. Against Dunfermline he flapped and allowed the Pars to blemish an otherwise impeccable performance and of late he has looked uncertain in goal.

"I made a mistake," admitted Boruc. "I thought I could reach the ball cleanly but that is no excuse for me. It was very disappointing and I'm sorry that it ended up meaning a defeat for the team."

David Marshall has had to play second fiddle to Boruc this season, a scenario that has been particularly painful for the youngster given the fact he has effectively battled his way to the number one position.

His impressive form against the likes of Barcelona and Rangers when he first broke into the Celtic side slumped a little towards the end of last season when he was dropped for the experience of Ran Douglas. When Douglas left for Leicester and Magnus Hedman retired, it was widely assumed that it would be Marshall who would keep goal for Celtic this season.

He started in the now infamous 5-0 defeat in Artmedia Bratislava and then in the 4-4 draw against Motherwell in the opening day of the season, but since then he has found it difficult to dislodge Boruc.

He has stated that he may have to look elsewhere if the situation doesn't change, but with Boruc's form so shaky he may get his chance sooner rather than later.