Scottish Premier League News February 2013: Celtic Avoid Sales in January Window
Lisa Dillon
Celtic
The transfer window closed on the 31st January with Celtic claiming a small victory.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon had been adamant throughout January that he would not sell his best players. That resolve was put to the test as Norwich put in four bids for top striker Gary Hooper, with the final bid believed to be in the region of £8m.
It is a measure of the just how financially sound Celtic as in that they could afford to rebuff all offers for the Englishman. With a place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, Celtic had been reluctant to sell anyone.
Hooper is known to be frustrated that, despite impressive performances in Europe he has not won a cap for England and he has repeatedly turned down the the offer of an extension to his Celtic contract, which expires next year. However, Celtic also believe that, if Hooper has to go, they can do better business this summer.
"For the last time - he is not for sale," said Lennon. The Celtic manager even took to social media site Twitter late on the final night of the transfer window to reiterate that his striker would be going nowhere.
"He is ambitious, he wants to further his career eventually but for now he looks pretty happy to me," said Lennon. The Parkhead side, however, did miss out on a late bid to take Kevin Doyle from Wolves late on Thursday evening.
In a further boost, Celtic managed to keep Kenya midfielder Victor Wanyama, who has reportedly interested a number of Premier League clubs. The Kenyan FA had caused something of a furore by claiming that the player would be heading to the Premiership before the end of January, but no such move was forthcoming.
Wanyama was forced to contradict the statement on the Kenyan website, saying: "I can confirm to you that I will be at Celtic. We are playing well and our Champions League dream is on and right now I am looking forward to the big game against Juventus.
"A lot has been said and written about my intended move but I have not given it much thought and even my manager feels I should play until the end of the season for Celtic then from that point the doors can be open for a move."
Georgios Samaras, meanwhile, is awaiting to discover if his place in the Celtic team for their Champions League last-16 clash against Juventus is in serious doubt.
The Greek striker was forced out of a routine win over Kilmarnock with a hamstring strain and it remains to be seen if it will keep him out of the first leg of the game against Juventus on February 12th.
Lennon is more confident that defender Emilio Izaguirre, who also went off during that game with a knee injury, will recover quickly.
He said: "Emilio should be OK. He just felt a little bit of tightness at the back of the knee. Georgios, we think, may have a slight strain but he will be scanned and we are hoping it is not too serious.
"It is two weeks until Juventus and if it is more than a mild strain then it will be a concern. At the minute it doesn't look too bad but the scan will reveal more."
Meanwhile, Lennon was fuming after Celtic's Treble ambitions were put to the sword by St Mirren. The Paisley side put Celtic out of the League Cup semi-final when they beat Lennon's men 3-2 at Hampden.
"The treble is gone, we have only ourselves to blame," said Lennon. "Criticism will come our way and rightly so.
"There was a lack of discipline in our shape and in our play. Some of them behaved like spoilt kids out there. I dealt with it in the dressing-room and I am not going to speak about it again to the players."
Rangers
Rangers have insisted that they will continue to fight for compensation for the players who declined to transfer their contracts to the newco club after failing in their initial challenge.
The Ibrox side were seeking compensation for six players who left Ibrox, citing employment law, after the oldco club were consigned to liquidation in June.
It is understood an arbitration process was facilitated by the SFA and involved a representative from both parties along with a QC, who ruled against the club.
A statement read: "Rangers Football Club today received notification of the SFA arbitration panel's decision which ruled that the club did not inherit the right to continue the arbitration process started by oldco.
"This was always a possible outcome of what was purely a procedural hearing.
"Suspecting this would be the outcome, the club had already filed a further Notice to Refer under SFA article 99.
"This was done before the end of last year and that process will now continue.
"The club had argued that since oldco's registration had been transferred to newco the right to continue the case would also have transferred.
"Nothing has been won or lost at this stage and the club will continue with its action."
Oldco Rangers were consigned to liquidation on June 14 and Charles Green's Sevco company bought the club's business and assets before assuming their SFA membership, initially provisionally, on July 27.
Rangers were seeking money for Allan McGregor (Besiktas), Steven Naismith (Everton), Sone Aluko (Hull), Kyle Lafferty (Sion), Steven Whittaker (Norwich) and Jamie Ness (Stoke), alleging breach of contract.
The players' representatives had challenged the club's right to participate in the process given Green's company did not have SFA membership when they left.
Steven Davis, John Fleck and Rhys McCabe also declined to transfer their contracts to Green's company but their clubs subsequently agreed deals with the new Ibrox regime.
The players left under TUPE laws, which entitle employees to retain their job, or decline to transfer their contract, when the company they work for is sold.
Green argued he had bought their contracts when he acquired the original company's assets and business for £5.5million
Meanwhile, Rangers manager Ally McCoist will have to do without the services of young Lewis McLeod after he was ruled out of action for at least two months.
The youngster had been in fine form this season and was ever present up until the Queens Park game at Hampden at the end of the season. But he was stretchered off in a league game against Montrose at the end of January and scans show he has damaged medial ligaments in his knee.
It is a major blow for McCoist to lose a player who has played a major part in the campaign so far.
Scotland
New Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has recalled Lee Wallace to the national side.
Strachan takes charge of his first Scotland game in February when he oversees a friendly against Estonia at Pittodrie and he has been quick to ring a few changes to the squad.
Wallace had not been included since dropping to the Irn-Bru Third Division with the Ibrox side but Strachan believes he remains good enough to be selected for international honours.
The bulk of observers would agree that Wallace has been arguably the best left-back in the country this season and it makes sense to have him in the side.
Birmingham winger Chris Burke and Leeds forward Ross McCormack have also been brought back into the national set-up.
Celtic winger James Forrest, who has been missing for several weeks with a hamstring injury, is one of four Parkhead players selected for the clash, which comes six days before their club's Champions League clash against Juventus.
The squad is largely familiar with the likes of Kenny Miller and Alan Hutton included.
Wallace played in the 5-1 friendly defeat to the United States last May but was then overlooked by Craig Levein, who feared he would not be able to adjust to international football while playing in Scotland's bottom tier.
Levein did pick Wallace's Rangers team-mate Ian Black for the friendly win over Australia in August but stressed that was because of a shortage of midfielders.
Strachan revealed the decision to recall the former Hearts left-back came following discussions with his coaching and scouting staff.
"It was a collective thought," he said. "We had a look at the options in that area and Lee was one of the names. I asked, 'who do you think is playing well and deserves a pat on the back?'
"Is he a good player? Yes, he's a good player. He is in the Third Division but can still be a good player.
"Lee's been in the squad many times and played and he's been a good player. I see no reason why he's still not a good player."
Burke has only two Scotland caps, both gained in Scotland's successful Kirin Cup adventure in 2006, when he scored twice in a 5-1 victory over Bulgaria.
Burke, who has been the subject of several bids from Nottingham Forest this month, is part of an extended 28-man squad as Strachan looks to gather as many players as possible.
The Scotland boss said: "I spend a lot of time in the midlands and I've seen a lot of Birmingham with my media work with ITV last year - we did a lot of their Europa League games.
"Chris was fantastic in the Europa League at a good level, he has a maturity about his play now.
"In the international set-up you need to be able to beat people by passing or eliminating people by going past them.
"He can certainly do the second part and is getting better at the first. International defences are so good, you need people like that.
"I spoke to the Arsenal scout who was at the Burnley-Birmingham game and he said he was fantastic."
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