The Full Scottish Football Report - Jan 26
Welcome to the Full Scottish Football Report – Jan 26 proved to be another turbulent month. Wilfried Nancy ended a very short term as Celtic manager while Hearts stayed on top of the Premier League.
Served by Brian P. Dunleavy
Hearts continue to lead the way in Scotland
The more things change, at least in some outposts of Scottish football, the more they remain the same—in others anyway.
Hearts continues to lead the Premiership by six points over Celtic and Rangers, securing victory Wednesday night even after going down to 10 men against St. Mirren at Tynecastle. The Edinburgh club has revolutionized how it operates, using analytics (thanks to minority owner Tony Bloom) for everything from player recruitment to team selection to in-match tactics.
Old-school observers (like us) can roll their eyes all they’d like. It’s working. With a budget roughly one-tenth of that of Glasgow’s big two, the Jambos have been top of the table since the first ball was kicked in anger in August.
Without an analytics infrastructure in place, Celtic and Rangers (though that may be changing at the Ibrox club) can only do what they have always done: spend more than their opponents. And while it’s worked in the past—or, for at least 40 years, anyway—there are no guarantees.
As of this writing, Rangers have already been busy, adding left-back Tuur Rommens and midfielder Tochi Chukwuani, a total investment of about £7.5 million. Manager Danny Röhl has suggested more are on the way.
Celtic ask for patience
Well, see if this sounds familiar. With a reported £75 million in the bank, the Parkhead club have so far… brought in right-back Julian Araujo on loan from Bournemouth until the end of the season.
That Araujo’s arrival was one of former gaffer Wilfried Nancy’s last acts in charge should probably go unmentioned. Though, to be fair, the Mexican international (by way of California) seems a decent player.
Now, with caretaker boss Martin O’Neill back for a second, er, third spell, Celtic are once again promising additions but asking for patience.
“Just give us a little bit of time, cut me a little bit of slack and we’ll be ok,” the Irishman said after the Hoops struggled to beat Falkirk Wednesday night. “The focus is to try and win some football matches, but the other aspect to it is to try to add to the squad if we can do. To add a bit of extra quality to help the players out here.”
That word “quality” should also ring some bells. The necessity for it was a constant refrain from O’Neill’s countryman Brendan Rodgers before he resigned as Celtic manager in October.
The more things change…
Nancy’s Failure at Celtic Comes from the Top Down
Wilfried Nancy’s incredibly brief tenure as Celtic manager hardly bolsters the reputation of Major League Soccer on the international front.
However, it’s important to note that while the Frenchman and former Columbus Crew bench boss made mistakes during his brutal 33 days in charge in Glasgow’s East End, as his record of two wins and six losses indicates, he is hardly a bad coach.
Pundits and punters in Scotland have been quick to dismiss “the MLS” as a glorified pub league, but the truth is the Premiership is, at best, on par with the North American outfit.
In fact, the bottom half of the Scottish top flight would likely struggle to compete with most MLS clubs, finding themselves in Chivas USA territory.
Yes, Celtic and Rangers, were they to compete in the U.S.- and Canada-based league, would most likely be top-of-the-table sides. Hibs and Hearts would be competitive as well.
Beyond that, though, the Scots are having a laugh if they think the likes of Livingston would stroll to MLS Cup.
Nancy was clearly a fish out of water during his time in the Parkhead hotseat, but it was not his footballing acumen that was the problem. On paper, he is arguably the perfect manager for Celtic, a coach who has experience building exciting teams from limited budgets.
Rather, it was multiple missteps, including the infamous Carlisle comment, as well as tactical inflexibility doomed him to failure.
Was Nancy doomed to fail at Celtic?
However, the real mistakes made in his appointment were made above his pay-grade. Did no one within the Celtic hierarchy think it important to brief Nancy on the Scottish press—or clue him into the complex, chip-on-the-shoulder rivalry between the Scots and the English that made Nancy’s Carlisle comment so damning?
That he chose to implement major tactical changes over less than two days before his side played a crucial match against Hearts was foolhardy. That the board put him in a position in which he had to do so is laughable. Reportedly, a problem with Nancy’s visa paperwork prevented him from coming on board during the November international break; why no one thought the appointment could wait until the next international pause is anyone’s guess.
Officially, Nancy’s downfall was sealed following Celtic’s 3-1 defeat to Rangers Saturday in the Glasgow derby. That said, we’d argue he was doomed from the start.
And if the Hoops hierarchy fails to get its house in order, it will be more of that same for whoever takes charge once Martin O’Neill’s time as caretaker ends this summer.
Steve Clarke Preps Scotland for World Cup
Scotland national team manager Steve Clarke continues to prepare for this summer’s World Cup, the first for the Tartan Army since 1998.
That means scouting potential players for his own squad, as well those of the Scots’ opponents during the tournament in North America. The need for the former is particularly acute, given that John McGinn appeared to suffer a significant injury during Aston Villa’s loss to Everton last weekend. That’s the short-term plan anyway.
Long term, the former Kilmarnock bench boss has a decision to make regarding his own future. His contract expires at the conclusion of the tournament.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell has said he hopes to discuss the matter with Clarke before the national team heads across the pond. For the record, we’re not sure that’s the best idea, given that Scotland will be an underdog heading into the tournament anyway—the last thing the team needs is a potential distraction with its manager.
That’s especially true because Clarke has said in the past that the World Cup will likely be his swan song with Scotland. He has already managed more matches than any other gaffer in history—no small feat. And, at 62, does Clarke really have another qualification campaign in him?
He may not have the desire for a high-pressure club job either, though he has been linked with the Celtic post for years, including recently.
Celtic have already indicated they will likely wait until after the World Cup ends in July before making a managerial appointment. The thought has been that Roberto Martinez, currently in the Portugal hotseat, is in their sights but, as of now, Clarke will be available then, too.
The Ayrshire man could, of course, return to Killie, which has been struggling this term, but that seems unlikely. He is a lifelong Killie supporter, though.
Until Clarke makes his plans clear, his own future and that of the national team will remain in the balance.
No pressure, Steve.
All Quiet at Celtic as January Window closes
Are you like us? (We surely hope not.) Have you been refreshing your news feeds desperately seeking announcements of new signings at Celtic?
Have you had the same response as we have upon seeing that there, in fact, have been no new signings (as of this writing)? Have you considered throwing your devices out the window?
As the days pass—we’re writing this missive on the 29th—Celtic have brought in two players on loan this month: Mexican-American right back Julian Araujo and Czech striker Tomáš Čvančara.
Both fill needs in the Hoops’ first team. Araujo has shown himself to be a clever footballer. Čvančara made his debut against Hearts on Sunday and set up what should have been the match-winner in what ended as a 2-2 draw.
In short, they are a start. However, Celtic require so much more if they hope to contend for the Premiership title.
Celtic’s Quiet January Window Beyond Mystifying
We feel a bit silly writing about this—again—after all the ink we’ve already spilled (metaphorically speaking) on the subject.
Criticism of the Hoops hierarchy also represents a bit of a position shift for us. We had been defending the board and others behind the scenes at the club as recently as October. We’re not generally big on fellas in suits, but Celtic have won 13 of the past 14 Premiership titles after all.
But now? Consider us among the throngs asking what the heck (First Touch is a family publication) is going on here.
How, after barely any activity in the summer window, have dozens of potential players not been identified and pursued? How can we be edging so close to the Monday deadline with few concrete links, much less no signings?
If nothing more happens between now and Monday, these and other questions will need to be answered. Though it’s likely we’ll see everything we need to know on the pitch