Scottish Premier League News October 2013: Celtic Shrug Off Loss Of Captain In Champions League
Lisa Dillon
Celtic
Celtic have been forced to plot a way through Group H in the UEFA Champions League without the services of their captain, Scott Brown.
In only the second game of the group the Scotland internationalist was dismissed for a petulant kick at Barcelona playmaker Neymar as the Brazilian lay on the ground.
Brown was immediately shown a red-card and Celtic fully expected that he would be suspended for the next game - a meeting with Ajax. However, UEFA's disciplinary committee reviewed the incident and felt that it warranted a tougher punishment and so upped the ban to three games.
It means that Brown will not be available again until the final group game against Barcelona.
Yet, while the player has been vilified for his stupidity - his petulance meant that a Celtic side who were holding the Catalans to 0-0 caved and conceded what may be a costly goal - Lennon has risen to his defence.
And the Celtic manager blasted the fact that he is still targeted by yobs who go unpunished while the likes of Brown have been treated as criminals.
His comments came after an unknown punter posted a picture on a social media site of himself holding a knife to the throat of a frozen TV picture of Lennon in the Celtic dugout, something that the Hoops boss revealed caused untold distress to his family.
"As a player, you are treated like a criminal sometimes," reflected Lennon. "I mean there's a guy in the paper holding a knife to a picture of me on a TV screen but that is sort of laughed off, whereas Scott does something on the pitch and is treated far more harshly than other people are.
"You have to have a sense of perspective on this.
"It is upsetting for my family more than anything else. It doesn't affect me all that much but what is concerning is the mindset of some people.
"Whether it's innocent or they think it's funny, for me it is disturbing. You like to think those days have gone but obviously not. I'll leave it to the proper authorities to deal with it.
"It has been getting better recently. For the last couple of years I have been free to get on with my life and on with my job. But some people think it's a bit of harmless fun."
And Lennon was also keen to defend the reputation of his captain.
"Scott is obviously disappointed but he has my backing, he has the players' backing and he has the backing of the national team manager as well," he said.
"There has been a huge improvement in him in the last few years. His form was patchy to say the least but we have got him fit and injury-free which is great and you can see what he brings to the team.
"We are talking about an isolated incident from the last three or four years and the hysteria following it is over the top because it has come under the microscope in such a big game.
"I still feel it wasn't a red card. I still feel he should not have put himself in that position but when I look back in the game and some of the other challenges in the game, he was really hard done by."
Rangers
Rangers manager Ally McCoist has revealed that he has taken a wage cut in a bid to help the Ibrox club slash costs and balance the books.
The Ibrox boss and his management team have agreed to a reduction in their salaries amid fears much of the £22million raised last December through an institutional share issue has already been wiped out.
McCoist had been widely criticised when it emerged that he was on a £700,000-a-year salary. And as the extent of the club's financial issues became apparent again, McCoist made the announcement that he would be slashing his own salary.
"It's just been agreed that the management team are certainly taking a wage cut," said the Ibrox boss.
"I didn't feel under pressure to do it because effectively I signed a contract. People forget that when I became manager of the club someone put a contract in front of me and I just signed it as simple as that.
"I didn't even look at it, to be quite honest with you. I didn't look at wages or length of contract, I just said: "I'm signing that because it's what I want to do".
"So I think it is a little bit harsh criticising someone when you don't know what is going to happen in the future."
Rangers began their ascent back up the footballing pyramid with promotion last season, but the financial fall-out of the club being demoted has been significant - the former Scottish champions announced operating losses of £14.4 million in their annual accounts - prompting McCoist to make the news public about his salary.
"We just feel that where we are as a team and with the turnover and income down it is the right thing to do," the former striker said.
"We are not looking for a pat on the back for it at all because any Rangers supporter in our position would do the exact same."
He added: "I think we could probably go back to when I was offered the job. The only thing we ever wanted was an opportunity to manage the club, myself and my staff.
"There was a contract put down which I can tell you in all honesty was not negotiated at all and we signed it, the finances were not important to us and that's the truth.
"We just wanted an opportunity to manage the football club so we signed that contract.
"Obviously we could not foresee what was going to happen in the next 18 months to two years which was a massive blow to the club, the support and everybody within the club.
"I would like to put out also that our decision, or certainly my decision, to take a wage cut has nothing to do with the accounts because the negotiations started well before the accounts came out.
"Obviously like most accounts there were one or two bits and pieces within them that are topics of conversation but in terms of my own salary, my decision to take a wage cut was well in place before these accounts came out."
Aberdeen
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes believes that keeper Jamie Langfield is finally ready to earn a Scotland cap.
The Dons gaffer reckons the 33-year-old is in the form of his life after making an impressive start to the season.
Langfield has one Scotland 'B' cap but has never played for the senior side despite having a host of squad call-ups.
But McInnes insists that must change and said: "Jamie is as good as any keeper in the SPFL. He has been brilliant in the time I have been here.
"He's a great lad to have in the dressing room and has really performed this season. He definitely deserves to get a chance at that level."
But Langfield himself is sceptical about whether or not the chance of international honours is a realistic one for him.
Scotland have friendlies coming up against the USA and Norway, but he won't be expecting a call from Gordon Strachan.
"It's not up to me, that's up to other people," he said. "I would love to play for my country. I'm so patriotic.
"But Scotland already have really good goalkeepers in Allan McGregor and David Marshall. Matt Gilks is also in there now as well and you can't discount Craig Samson or Cammy Bell either.
"I'm happy to just keep my head down and look at getting more clean sheets with Aberdeen.
"If the chance came I would be delighted but I am not sure whether or not it will materialise."
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