Scottish Premier League News October 2012: Steven Fletcher Back In Scotland Squad
Lisa Dillon
Celtic
Celtic manager Neil Lennon guided the Parkhead side to their very first away win in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League and promptly declared himself the "proudest man in Europe."
But, as the dust settled on Celtic's impressive 3-2 win over Spartak Moscow which gives them four points from their opening two games, Lennon paid tribute to the influence that Dermot Desmond, Celtic's major shareholder, has had on his Parkhead career.
The duo had their first meeting of minds the night when Ross County, then in the First Division, humbled Celtic in the Scottish Cup when Lennon was caretaker manager. It was an embarrassing result and one which Lennon feared would see him kicked out of his temporary position which he had occupied since the sacking of Tony Mowbray.
"It was a hugely disappointing performance and damaging to myself in that respect," said Lennon.
"I spoke to Dermot for a good hour that night. We had a long conversation about where the club was heading in terms of the football department.
"He was very encouraging towards me. I said surgery was needed and there was a malaise running through the club which we needed to eradicate and he agreed with me on that.
"He wasn't over-critical. He was actually really well-balanced about the whole thing as he always is. Probably being out of the maelstrom looking in he can take that view on it.
"He showed a huge amount of faith in giving me the job in the first place. I know people don't think he's that interested - he's very interested. He's interested in the club, he's interested in how the business is running and he's certainly interested in the players and how they are.
"A highly intelligent man. He wants you to look at things from a managerial business perspective rather than a football perspective - less emotion and more thought going into things.
"I've learned a lot from him and he's always sending me books to read. He sent me Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, about how Billy Beane devised and reinvented the whole baseball scouting system.
"There are times when - certainly after last season's Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts (when Lennon marched on to the field to confront the referee) - he just wasn't pleased with me.
"Yet two weeks previously he'd been saying how great everything was. Where I've maybe put the club in a bad light he's not slow in telling me. He's a hugely busy man.
"People think he swans around the world playing golf all the time but he's not. I try to speak to him before every game to tell him what my thoughts are and what the team is but he never interferes in footballing matter - he gives his opinion but he never interferes in what we do here.
"I'm allowed to say my piece. He's not a dictator by any means but he gives me his point of view, you listen and you learn. There are times when I stop and think 'yeah' you're right.' It's made me step away and look at things and maybe see things clearer."
And, despite the rookie tag that still lingers around Lennon, the Hoops boss believes that he has done enough to show that he can be regarded as a solid and relatively experienced manager now.
"People were still not sure about this young rookie manager but I've shaken that tag off now," he said.
James Forrest, Adam Matthews and Charlie Mulgrew have all signed extended contracts, but Lennon took time to praise Georgios Samaras, a player who has not always been a favourite of the Hoops support."I want him to score more goals like he did in Moscow," said Lennon.
"He's very unselfish. He's a team player. He's not motivated by money and he loves the club. There were times when he could have gone. Two or three clubs on the continent offered him far more money and he said, 'No - I want to stay here'."
Rangers
Ally McCoist has admitted that his position as Rangers manager is under scrutiny as results continue to embarrass the club.
Rangers are just one point off the top of the Irn-Bru Third Division, but having lost 1-0 to part-timers Stirling Albion - a side who has won just one game all season and are rooted at the foot of the table - there is serious pressure building on the Ibrox boss.
While McCoist bullishly insisted that he did not feel under any more pressure than usual, he acknowledged his managerial ability would be called into question after what was their first league defeat of the campaign.
"Obviously, it goes with the territory," he said. "Nobody needs to remind me of what is required from any manager, and that is results. And today, we lost a league game, which I am sore about. I'm extremely disappointed, exasperated, but it is not a real shock, given our away performances."
While Rangers, who are third, have performed well enough at Ibrox, they have lost one and drawn three of their four away league games.
Asked to explain, McCoist said: "I am at a loss, I have to say. I would eradicate the problem if it was evident. I don't think you need to be a top coach to see that we are not the same team away from home as we are at home. But there is a determination to put it right, and we will."
Scotland
Scotland manager Craig Levein finally bowed to public pressure this month and recalled Steven Fletcher to the international fold. The 25-year-old striker, who was named as the Barclays Premier League Player of the Month for September, had been out of favour for two years after falling out with the manager.
The £14million was called into the Scotland squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign against Wales and Belgium, the first time he has been involved since the now infamous 1-0 defeat in Prague in which Scotland played the game without a striker.
Fletcher's post-match criticism of Levein's 6-4-0 formation that night preceded his exclusion from the squad which faced the Faroe Islands and the player subsequently relaying his unwillingness to play for the national manager again via a text message to a third party.
The long-standing impasse finally ended last week, however, when Levein recalled the player.
And, after Levein last week admitted he should have resolved the situation sooner, Fletcher also conceded that his spell in the international wilderness filled him with regret. "I am desperate to play for Scotland again and, like Craig, I regret that it has taken this long to come about," Fletcher said.
"I think it just became apparent that we all needed to move on. The most important thing is that I can look to restart my international career. When I first spoke to Craig again it was fine and was not awkward at all. We both said our piece and agreed that, whatever happened, the country comes first.
"I had a good chat with the manager when he came to visit at the training ground last week and, while it was important we discussed the past and put it to bed, it was more important that we focused on the future.
"I understand why people want to know what changed but the truth, as the manager said last week, was that the situation wasn't helping anyone. I am a proud Scot and it is a privilege to play for my country. Everyone knows it has been too long since we last qualified for a major finals and I want to do my bit to help us reach Brazil 2014.
"I am a more experienced player than I was two years ago and I am delighted with the way things have gone at Sunderland. The manager (Martin O'Neill) has been very supportive, as has Phil Bardsley - who is gutted to be missing through injury.It was good to see the other players. I am just happy to be back as part of the squad and looking to make a positive contribution in what are two massive World Cup qualifiers."
Notoriously stubborn and inflexible, recalling the player back into the squad has clearly been a major thing for Levein. However, the Scotland manager is under pressure due to two poor results in the opening two games of the qualifiers and knows that he needs to have his best players in the team.
On the recall of Fletcher, Levein said: "It's a big plus for me and the rest of the team for him to be involved. I got a phone call through a third party during the week and there was an indication from that person that Steven was desperate to come back and play.
"Things progressed between myself, this third party, his agent and the boy himself. I got a text saying he was willing to have a chat about it so I called him last night and he was desperate to come back and play."
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