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SPL August 2011
Scottish Premier League News August 2011: Poor Start To New Season For Rangers
Ali Morrello
Celtic
Celtic have it all to do this season as they attempt to wrestle the SPL title from Rangers. Neil Lennon's side got off to a winning start when they kicked off the new season with a 2-0 win against Hibs at Easter Road.
Lennon, who is still looking to add players to his squad before the closure of the transfer window at the end of this month, believes that Ki Sung-Yeung could be a significant player for his side this term.
"Ki has been consistent over the last 18 months and is developing nicely in to a top class player," said the Irishman.
Meanwhile, Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell insists this is not a make or break season for Neil Lennon.
The manager himself has said that he believes he needs to win the league this season after a run of three consecutive titles for Rangers.
However, Lawwell said: "No one ever said that this is a must-win season for Neil Lennon, but winning the league is our main objective every season and this one is no different."
Lennon has so far added Kelvin Wilson, Adam Matthews and Victor Wanyama to his squad over the summer but remains on the look out for new faces. He had been keen on trying to get Craig Bellamy into the club but the Welshman will not be heading to Glasgow as Celtic cannot meet the player's wage demands.
"I think Neil is pretty satisfied with what he's got, he'll maybe do a bit of tinkering," said Lawwell. "A lot of work was done last year and we have a good foundation, a good base.
"We're starting off from a more stable position this season and I think we are in better shape than we were this time last year."
Beram Kayal and Emilio Izaguirre caught the eye for Celtic during the last campaign and Celtic may have to fend off interest from England's wealthy clubs.
"We don't want to lose them," explained Lawwell. "Both of those players signed four-year deals last year.
"We wouldn't be actively trying to sell them but who knows? If the right number comes in, there might be a circumstance when we might have to look at it - if it suits the player, if it suits the club.
"At the moment, there is no prospect of that."
Rangers
It has been a ropey start to Rangers' defence of the SPL title. New manager Ally McCoist could only muster a 1-1 draw on the opening day of the campaign as the Ibrox side unfurled the Championship flag against Hearts.
The Tynecastle side stole the limelight, though, by taking a well-deserved lead before Ranger found their form in the second period. However, Rangers had already stumbled to a 1-0 defeat at home to Swedish side Malmo in the third qualifying round of the Champions League and the Ibrox support are already getting a little restless.
Had they not won their second SPL game - a 2-0 win over St Johnstone - there would have been a few murmurs.
Former Ibrox boss Graeme Souness admitted he fears for McCoist this season because he does not believe there will be much opportunity to enhance the current Ibrox squad.
"I think managing Rangers and Celtic are the hardest jobs in British football because of the expectation level," he said.
"You can spend more on one player - certainly I did - than the team you are playing against cost all together and that pressure is enormous. Rangers and Celtic are so big compared to the other clubs in Scotland that both supporters think it should be a walkover every time they go out on the park. And it's not like that.
"I worry for Ally because it looks like they have got no money to spend and he's following Walter Smith. I worry for him, but I hope and pray that he does well."
One of the players that McCoist has openly courted this summer is Dundee United's David Goodwillie.
The player has been the subject of at least two failed bids from Rangers while Blackburn Rovers have also tried to sign the striker.
However, the Scotland forward, has been warned against a move to Glasgow by current manager Peter Houston. The player has been involved in various off-field problems and was only recently cleared of rape by Tayside police after a seven-month investigation.
"In my opinion, with his off-field problems, going to Glasgow isn't the best thing. I said that and I still stand by that," said Houston.
"You know the troubles that can happen in Glasgow - and I'm a Glaswegian. I think he would be better served going down to England or abroad and proving himself and I believe he wants to do that as well.
"It is a crucial move, he has a decision to make. He has to grow up and be a mature person and I think he is getting there.
"I think he has had a couple of frights recently. He has to move on and think solely on a football career that can be a very good career."
McCoist, though, denies that he is feeling the heat this early into his Ibrox managerial career.
"People say you're only ever three games away from a crisis at the Old Firm," he said. "But there is always pressure at this club.
"The pressure to win games is enormous, whether it's league games or European games. I can understand people saying that the longer you don't win games, you can see the pressure intensifying. But I'm certainly not feeling the pressure any greater now, because the pressure is great in the first place.
"We'll handle it fine."
Hearts
Mark Wotte has set his sights on bringing some Dutch flair to the Scottish national side after being appointed as the SFA's first performance director. The 50-year-old Dutchman will be in charge of overseeing elite player development at every level.
SFA chief executive Stewart Regan said: "The appointment of a performance director was the single most important recommendation in the Henry McLeish review of Scottish football.
"The remit is to take Scottish football from good to great once again, by planning a route from grass roots to the senior national men's and women's teams and creating a "best v best" culture.
"I am delighted Mark has accepted this challenge and myself, Craig Levein, Campbell Ogilvie and the board are confident Mark's coaching and performance experience will help realise our ambitions."
Wotte has coached extensively in his native Holland, including a spell as technical director of Feyenoord and a stint in charge of the Holland Under-21s and believes that Scotland boss Craig Levein has the right level of passion to drive the national side forward.
"I was surprised by the commitment Craig showed about the future of Scottish football,” he said. "It was kind of similar to when I worked with Louis van Gaal with the Dutch FA as Under-21 and Under-19 coach.
"Back then he asked how many hours I spent being the national manager - of course there is a very limited schedule, maybe one fixture every four or six weeks. So he said, 'Why don't we start thinking about the future? Try to set up some strategic projects to improve the future of football in Holland?'
"I saw the same dedication in Craig. It's not all national coaches who are interested in youth - they are interested in winning games which is the most important thing for him and for Scotland at the moment. It was one of the reasons I got a good feeling about this job.
"It's rare for this to be the case. I've seen national coaches working in many countries and they don't care about the future. I can understand it because they're under pressure to qualify but a national team coach has a lot of time to do something in return for a good salary."
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