‘This is a really exciting test for us and one the players are relishing – we can beat anyone at home’
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE football may well have eluded Celtic once again this season, but their Europa League match against Lazio this evening feels far from a step down. The first meeting with the Italian giants, one of the great clubs in the continental game, in their history is as glamorous and enticing as any they have faced in recent times. Getting a result, too, will prove every bit as demanding.
Neil Lennon, who has been involved in some memorable tussles with Serie A rivals both as a player and a manager over the years, is certainly looking forward to the match against Simone Inzaghi’s team as eagerly as any of the 60,000 or so supporters who will cram into Parkhead before kick-off tonight.
“With the name and the fact the game is a sell-out it has the ingredients of a really exciting European night,” he said. “You have been able to feel the anticipation building.”
Celtic have started their Group E campaign in encouraging fashion with a 1-1 draw against Rennes in France last month and a 2-0 triumph over Cluj in Glasgow three weeks ago and will go into their third fixture a point clear at the top of their section and with ambitions of progressing to the knockout rounds for the third straight season.
Lennon appreciates this game against Lazio will – regardless of whether Ciro Immobile, the Italy striker who is the leading scorer in his domestic league after netting nine times in 10 appearances, or not – be a considerable step up on their previous outings.
He has, though, confidence that his players, who warmed up for this test with a 6-0 thrashing of Ross County in the Ladbrokes Premiership on Saturday, can continue their impressive run of form and take a significant stride towards a place in the last 32. He has urged his men to savour the occasion and show they are every bit as good, if not better, than their famous opponents.
“We got a great point in Rennes and a good win against Cluj, but this is a real test for us now and one the players are relishing,” he said. “They should really want to get their sleeves rolled up now and really get into this.
“This is what some of them are here for, to taste these nights. There is no better arena. The fans are craving European football and hopefully the players can connect with them and go and put on a performance.”
Lennon added: “I think we have got to try and win our home games. I think we are a great test for Lazio as well. The game is there for us. It will be exciting. I think we have to test them.
“People probably see Lazio as firm favourites and I get that. But we can beat anybody at home. If the players can replicate the last few performances at home, get the crowd going, get the juices going and get the tempo up, then we have a chance.”
Suggestions that Inzaghi may not field Immobile are of little concern to Lennon. Nor does he read too much into the visitors’ indifferent results this term. He knows from his personal experiences against Italian sides that whoever takes to the field for Lazio will be a quality player.
“I think of the Juventus team we played here five or six years ago [in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2013],” he said. “They were outstanding from front to back. I wouldn’t say Lazio are at that level currently, but they have still got some world-class players.
“In Immobile they have the best striker in the league at the minute, certainly in Serie A currently. He is very deceptive. You wouldn’t say he is lightning quick, but he is really sharp. He moves really quickly with the ball.”
Lennon anticipates his new-look back line, Hatem Elhamed, Christopher Jullien, Kristoffer Ajer and Boli Bolingoli, have a torrid 90 minutes ahead of them due to how Lazio will line up.
“They play with two strikers,” he said. “They play quite close together as well so the understanding is very good. It is not something our back four will have come up against before – two bona fide centre forwards. We have obviously analysed that.
“He [Immobile] may or may not play. But they have got [Felipe] Caicedo as well who is an ex-Man City and Levante player. No matter who plays they will be good because they have got good strength in depth as well. [Sergej] Milinkovic-Savic is a top European player. They can come at you from different areas attacking wise. But I have seen plenty in ourselves to see we can cause them problems as well.”
Lennon envisages no difficulties going from playing County to taking on Lazio in the space of just five days. In fact, he is hoping that rout of the promoted Highland club will have boosted his charges’ confidence.
“If we find the same level we have a good chance of winning,” he said. “The atmosphere and the prestige of the game against Lazio all take care of themselves in terms of your mindset and motivation. It will lift the players. They should make the most of it.”
NEIL LENNON has expressed his sadness at the passing of SFA heading of refereeing John Fleming at the age of 62.
The SFA released a statement yesterday morning announcing that Fleming had died after a prolonged illness.
“I’m devastated,” said Lennon. “John was a really good port of call and had great leadership qualities as the head of the refereeing department. He set new standards.
“The last time I saw him was August when he briefed us on the new rules and regulations as he always did. I’m sure he will have had many nagging phone calls on a Monday morning and he always handled that brilliantly.
“He will be a huge loss to the game and my condolences to his family.
“I knew he was ill, but it’s still a shock when it comes and I think he will be a big miss. I think he is going to take some replacing.”
Fleming enjoyed a successful career as a match official. He was appointed to Category One status in 1994 and performed as a FIFA assistant referee from 1994 to 1997.
He was part of Scotland’s officiating team at Euro ‘96.
He joined the SFA referee development department in 2009 and oversaw the training and development of match officials at all levels and implemented a new structure to enhance referee recruitment and retention.
His work was recognised across the world game. He was appointed as a Referee Observer for UEFA and joined illustrious names such as Pierluigi Collina and Massimo Busacca on the Technical Advisory Panel of the International Football Association Board – world football’s lawmakers.
SFA president Rod Petrie said: “We will miss a trusted colleague, a man of honour and principle, and a dear friend.”
A YEAR ago this weekend,
Ryan Christie announced himself as a Celtic player with a devastating cameo off the bench against Hearts in the Betfred Cup semi-final at Murrayfield.
The 12 months since have been punctuated with intoxicating highs and devastating lows, from becoming an integral part of the Celtic side under Brendan Rodgers to doing it all over again under Neil Lennon, through rehabilitation from not one but two serious injuries to finally emerging as a treble winner.
It has been quite the ride for the unassuming 24-year-old from Inverness, and perhaps nowhere has his rollercoaster career with the champions been magnified more than by his experiences on the European stage.
As much as that day at Murrayfield is cited as the start of his Celtic career proper, the role he played in the win over RB Leipzig soon after was just as big a night for him in his book, which was then – in typically topsy-turvy fashion for Christie – followed by picking up a serious injury against RB Salzburg.
Then, earlier this season, Christie went from the top of the world to the depths of despair within 10 minutes in the Champions League qualifying defeat to Cluj, thinking he had scored the goal to put his team through only for that bubble to be burst shortly after as Celtic collapsed in the dying stages.
It’s a lot to reflect on for the Scotland attacker, but while he may have changed one or two aspects of the experience, he has no doubt that it has been the best year of his life.
“In the August of last year, there was talk about me maybe going somewhere in the last week of the transfer window,” Christie said. “Once that shut and I was still at Celtic, the manager said he still saw me in his plans, and it was down to me to keep working.
“When you look back, I had some luck with some injuries on the day [of the Hearts game]. At that time, the games after it were every three days. We had a run and I kept going. I got lucky with that and it spiralled up from there.
“Before that, my first start of the season had been at
Kilmarnock and I saw that as a big chance for myself, but we lost 2-1. You get very frustrated when your chance comes and you don’t take it. It was to be on the flip side of that at Murrayfield and suddenly everything came after that.
“I don’t know if getting easier is the right words, but you understand the expectation of Celtic a bit more as a player and as a club. I’ve realised that it’s just constantly having to churn out wins and every game is huge.
“Everyone was pretty gutted after the Cluj game and none more than me,” he continued. “Especially the way it happened with the second leg being at home and the way it went. It was gutting afterwards but I think we’ve got a good squad of players who definitely learned from it.
“Although it was a major down so early in the season, we’ve not really looked back since which has been good.”
While that night against Leipzig last November is still special to Christie, he hopes that a win over Lazio tonight can better it. And he is fairly sure that Celtic will have to top their performance from that night to get the better of the Italians.
“I’ve said before the Leipzig game is the best atmosphere
I’ve played in at Celtic Park,” he said. “Starting the game and winning it made it a brilliant night.
“I hope it’s even better than Leipzig but to get a win we will need to be at our best. It will probably take a Champions League performance to win it.
“It just feels like a really big game. Lazio have been a big name in European football for years upon years, as have
Celtic.
“It’s exciting for us. That’s why we want to go as far as we can in this competition.”
THE message from Steven Gerrard was clear: Rangers are not in fear of Porto, and neither do they feel inferior ahead of what could well be his most difficult encounter as a manager.
The 39-year-old has taken on some significant European challenges in his time at Ibrox but the one that faces his side inside the Estadio do Dragao could perhaps be the most daunting.
A draw was earned in Villarreal last term, while the defeats to Spartak Moscow and Rapid Vienna proved costly. This season, Feyenoord have been beaten at home but the loss to Young Boys continued an unwanted record that leaves Gerrard still looking for a first group stage win on the road.
Few would bet on the Ibrox side ending that particular run this evening, especially given the way they performed in the Premiership draw with Hearts on Sunday.
But Rangers can perhaps take encouragement from Porto’s loss to Feyenoord last time out, and the fact that Krasnodar were able to win 3-2 here to knock Sergio Conceicao’s side out of the Champions League in August.
Gerrard is fully aware of what lies ahead. He won’t allow his players to be daunted by it, though.
He said: “If we start the game here like we started against Hearts at the weekend then we will go away with nothing, for sure. With all due respect to Hearts, this is a completely different level of opposition.
“I don’t know what Porto’s approach to that [Krasnodar] game was, but the games we have analysed, Young Boys was a 50-50 game in terms of possession and Young Boys had some really good moments at times. Krasnodar obviously knocked them out of the Champions League and we know that Porto would have approached that game with full focus.
“This is a good team, a team that we respect, but they are not invincible. They will give us moments in the game where we will have a chance to go and execute and do some good things ourselves. We are not coming here in fear, we don’t feel inferior, but, of course, we know that they have got good players. But so have we.”
Rangers have made impressive and significant strides on Gerrard’s watch over the last 18 months.
A win against an experienced and high-quality Porto side would be the most eye-catching result of his reign to date. “It will take our best performance [to win the match],” Gerrard said. “It certainly did when we had to go to Villarreal– what I’d say was a similar size of challenge – but I feel as if we’re better than when we went to Villarreal.
“What we did back then was find a performance that shocked a few people, because I don’t think many people gave us a chance before that game. I don’t think many give us a chance in this game.
“But in our small group, and in our preparation, we believe we’ve seen enough that if we have a top night, if we can find that top performance, then we could take something away from the game.”
In the aftermath of the draw with
Hearts, a frustrated Gerrard questioned the mentality of his players. Now, he needs them to stand up and be counted.
Rangers have the ability to win here, and Gerrard has urged his side to show that they have the belief to do it.
“Certainly in possession,” he said. “I’ve got no doubt we’ll be organised and difficult to play against. I think we’ll be aggressive in our organisation and we’ll be difficult to play against.
“But when we regain the ball – and we will – I need my players to show courage and belief and be brave, and show – I can’t use the word – but you know what I mean!
“[Doing well] in possession will be key. There will be no point in us working so hard for the ball if we’re going to be turned over and give them it back. That would make for a long night.
“I want us to believe in ourselves, I want us to make passes. There will be opportunities to maybe counter attack on the night, but the key to it, for us to flex our muscles here, is to keep the ball as much as possible and show that we have good players on the night.”
The win over Feyenoord on the opening matchday was the perfect start for Rangers and the three points earned at Ibrox leaves them level with all of their Group G rivals at present.
Porto are expected to win the
section but nothing can be taken for granted ahead of the 90 minutes that will mark the halfway stage.
Gerrard said: “It’s a huge challenge for us. I think when this group was drawn if I had to predict then, for sure, I would’ve said Porto were the favourites. So the challenge is huge.
“They’ve got fantastic technical players across the board. They have a good manager and I really admire the way they play. Having said that, I think we’ve got to come here and believe we can take something out of the game.
“We’ve got to come here with a game plan that we all believe in, that can work, and the idea is to take something away from the game. So, yes, we come here with major respect for the opposition and the size of the club and the size of the challenge – but we come here to do a job.”
Gerrard will have all of his key players available in Porto after Ryan Jack returned from injury. And the Ibrox manager is pleased with the options he has available.
He said: “Andy King’s got an injury at the moment but it’s not too bad. All being well, he’ll have a chance of being available for the weekend.
“Him and Jordan Jones are the only injuries at the moment. Everyone else was available and we’ve brought 20 here, so we’re in good shape.”
ROSS McCrorie insists he is relishing his reinvention during his loan spell at Portsmouth.
The 21-year-old Rangers player has been predominantly used as a right-back during his stint on the south coast, with manager Kenny Jackett praising his displays following Tuesday night’s 1-0 win against Lincoln.
McCrorie has also been deployed there during Scotland Under-21 duty, where he captained his country.
Despite being largely seen as a centre-back or holding midfielder during his years at Ibrox, the promising youngster is lapping up the learning curve.
McCrorie said: “I’m comfortable at right-back. I’ve played there for the Scottish under-21s and for the youth team at Rangers and I’ll go anywhere – just playing is the main thing.”
Jackett added: “I think it’s a position where, if Ross can find his bearings, there’s a really good athlete coming out from the back.”
James Scott has vowed to take his penalty pain out on Rangers.
The 19-year-old saw his firsthalf spot-kick against Aberdeen saved by Joe Lewis as Stephen Robinson’s side succumbed to a 3-0 defeat on Saturday.
It blew a golden opportunity to give the hosts a precious lead after five minutes – and Scott is honest enough to admit that it affected him in the aftermath.
However, he responded positively following a half-time pep talk from Robinson and insists he is ready to make amends when Motherwell face Rangers this weekend.
Scott said: “The best thing for my confidence is to go out at the weekend and hopefully score for the team.
“I took the penalty on Saturday and the keeper saved it – but that’s just one of those things. It’s not paid off and I hold my hands up for that one.
“It affected me for about 10 minutes or so after that but as soon as we went back into the changing room the gaffer said ‘Forget about it, it happens’.”
The Scotland under-21 ace has revealed that Robinson already treats him like a senior player. Scott continued: “The manager has been so supportive with me. He doesn’t see me as a young boy anymore, he sees me as an adult – which is a wee bit weird for me, but if I want to be starting matches and playing then I need to act mature.”
THIS is a column about Andy Murray. But it starts with a self-deprecating anecdote from Kilmarnock full-back Stephen O’Donnell.
When he was plucked from his boys’ club Wishaw Wycombe Wanderers to Aberdeen at the age of 10, the future Scotland international defender was told by then Pittodrie youth supremo John Ward that he had a chance in the game – “because he had the three As”.
You can imagine the 10-year-old O’Donnell’s ears pricking up. What were these mythical three ingredients which provide the perfect recipe for every aspiring young sportsperson?
“They were attitude, application and ambition,” O’Donnell recalled. “I wish he had said ability – but he didn’t!”
“What has all this got to do with Andy Murray?” I hear you ask.
Surely Scotland’s superstar is simply a singular phenomenon?
What resemblance does the finest sportsman of his generation bear to a Kilmarnock full-back who has become an easy target for fans who believe he isn’t Scotland class?
Well, as otherworldly as it seemed out in Antwerp this week when the Scot made an emotional return to the winners’ rostrum in an ATP singles tour event in Antwerp just nine months after his career was assumed by the world to be ended by injury forever, it all goes back to those three As.
Murray wasn’t born with a two-handed backhand and an ability to lob the ball within an inch of the baseline.
But whether it was nature, nurture, or a combination of both, he did have those three As. And it was those which gave him a chance of greatness.
While that phenomenal bank of skills – which appear instinctive but in fact were developed painstakingly over the years – was always there to rely upon, it has been his attitude, application and ambition which has brought him back from the brink in such remarkable fashion.
If he didn’t have the right attitude he would have crumbled at any stage in the process, not least in the Antwerp final when he trailed his old adversary Stan Wawrinka by a set.
If he didn’t have the application, he wouldn’t have done the long hours with his coaching team in training, nor made the painstaking changes to his game style which have born such fruit.
And if he didn’t have the ambition to get back to the summit of his sport, he wouldn’t have bothered trying in the first place.
Lord knows, he has achieved enough in the game with his three Grand Slam wins, two Olympic gold medals and former world No.1 status to have quite happily retired to spend time with his family.
While the Scot will take the next three weeks or so off to be with his wife Kim as they prepare for the birth of a third child to go with Sophia and Edie, those ambitions still burn bright.
While the next trick for that metal hip of his will be making it through best-of-five sets for an extended tilt at a fourth Grand Slam title, Antwerp was hardly a walk in the park, being required to play four matches in four days, the last three of which all went three sets.
That world ranking of his is already back to No.126, and not far off automatic qualification for Grand Slam play even without utilising his protected ranking, and there are a couple of intriguing chances to add to his legend before then.
Next month’s Davis Cup finals in Madrid, for instance, where his selection along with his brother Jamie at one stage might have been controversial but is now anything but.
There is the inaugural ATP Cup, too, out in Australia at the start of a year in 2020 where Murray seems set to start a stunning second life in the sport. Pick up a fourth Grand Slam crown or make it a hat-trick of Olympic wins in Tokyo and it would be a comeback story to rival anything which Tiger Woods, Roger Federer or Muhammad Ali ever managed.
Incidentally, pondering what Andy Murray, the promising Gairdoch United youth striker who once tried out for Rangers, might have achieved had he stuck with football remains one of Scottish sport’s great parlour games. He might have been released a couple of times along the way, been played out of position, not been rated by a coach or two. But armed with those three As, I reckon he would have had a pretty good chance.
I WAS saddened to hear yesterday of the news that John Fleming, the SFA’s head of refereeing operations, had passed away after a prolonged illness at the age of 62. Fleming, who also lost his wife Ann in recent years, spent eight years in total in
charge of Scotland’s refereeing fraternity.
Lord knows, his was a tough gig. While he wasn’t afraid to fight the corner for Scotland’s referees, he was widely respected across the game as the kind of man who managers could pick up the phone to and contact if there was a decision or other which they wanted to talk about.
He wouldn’t whitewash problems if he knew something had occurred in a game which had gone awry.
Last season was a difficult season for Scottish referees. There was so much uncertainty about the implementation of certain rules via IFAB that Fleming felt moved to write to FIFA for clarification.
Match appointments were another messy business.
I disapproved of the way that Willie Collum and John Beaton seemed to be kept clear of Rangers and Celtic matches respectively for a while. But Fleming was a good man and his passing leaves a void which the SFA must fill, not least at a time where Scotland’s referees are in danger of being left behind due to our game’s apparent unwillingness to implement VAR.
Europa League, Partizan v Man Utd - BT Sport 2 1730; Arsenal v Vitoria - BT Sport 2 2000; Porto v Rangers - BT Sport 3 1715; Celtic v Lazio - BT Sport 3 - 2000.
World T20 qualifiers, Scotland v Bermuda - Sky Sports Cricket 1620 & Sky Sports Main Event 1630.
European Tour, Portugal Masters - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 1130. PGA Tour, Zozo Championship - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Golf 0400.
WTA, Zhuhai - BT Sport 1 0800.
European
Championship - ITV4 1800.
The oldest football club in the world, Sheffield FC, was formed at a meeting of Cambridge University old boys.
Britain’s James Hunt won the Formula One world title with third place in the Japanese Grand Prix, securing the championship by one point from Niki Lauda.
Frank Bruno stopped 37-year-old Joe Bugner from regaining the British heavyweight boxing title at White Hart Lane.
Sven-Goran Eriksson departed Leicester by mutual consent after spending just over a year at the helm.
Hearts were placed under a two-month transfer embargo over their failure to pay wages on time.
Ted Bishop was sacked as PGA of America president after calling Ian Poulter a “Lil Girl” in a series of outbursts on social media.
New Zealand reached a second straight Rugby World Cup final by seeing off South Africa 20-18a at Twickenham.
Jamie Vardy was nominated for the Ballon d’Or.