Top stop a saving grace for Gordon
CRAIG GORDON admits his Sunderland spell was savaged by injury but he’ll always savour the most spectacular save of his career.
The Celtic No.1’s sensational stop for the Black Cats against Bolton in 2010 was voted the best in 20 years of the English Premier League.
Gordon’s £9million move ended in disappointment though after a horror run of injuries but he is looking forward to returning to the scene of one of his most famous moments with the Hoops for today’s friendly.
He said: “There were a few good results along the way at different times against some big clubs. Those one-off occasions are happy memories.
“It was blighted by my injury record at that time. But I would be hard pushed to make a better save in the remainder of my career.
“I have a trophy. It was to mark 20 years of the Premier League. They had a vote on some of the best saves. It was that one that won it.
“The list of guys who were nominated for it and some of the saves were brilliant. To come out on top of that was amazing.
“The names were world renowned. It is a really good achievement and one I’ll hang on to for a wee while. It was special at the time.”
Gordon is hoping his old side can get back to the top flight following relegation.
He said: “It is a shame they are not in the Premier League because they are a great club.
“I hope they can get back there as soon as possible. That stadium, the set-up they have got, they deserve to be there.” BRENDAN RODGERS reckons it’s better to have two hitmen with a nose for goal than a slew of strikers who would leave him praying for a dose of the sniffles.
The Celtic manager insists trying to shoehorn three strikers into his squad is a selection headache he could do without – even if the risk of going with two backfired against Rosenborg in midweek.
There was a whiff of panic in the stands as Celtic went in to the Champions League clash without a frontman after Moussa Dembele got crocked and Leigh Griffiths, also nursing a knock, was suspended.
It was sod’s law losing the pair of them and plenty of Parkhead punters have been wondering if the gaffer should have been on the scent of another striker in the summer. Rodgers has no regrets though even if his midfielder heavy squad got bunged up in the goalless first leg.
He’s content with the two as three’s a crowd as far as he is concerned even if it forced the Parkhead boss to get creative.
Rodgers said: “I’ve always had strikers who are hungry to play. People will say you can never have enough good players which I think is rubbish. You can. If they are all fit and all fighting for a place then you are waiting for one to come in with a runny nose.
“It’s like, ‘Yeah okay you take the weekend off. See you Monday, get it right’. It doesn’t work. You want that competition but you have to be very clear with it.
“It all goes back to how you play. If you play in 4-4-2 or always a diamond you are more likely going to have maybe four strikers because you are clearly playing with two. If you play 4-3-3 or a system with one striker your need is more two or three. Any more doesn’t work.
“I prefer to go with two and then a winger who can also play as a striker. If you take one striker out of your team, then okay. If you take two out, then bloody hell.
“I’m not a magician. The game is also about the players. If you get the right players in, it gives you a chance.”
Rodgers will move to bring in someone now Dembele’s been ruled out until September. It still won’t be an out-and-out striker though as he’s hanging his hat on his star duo again this term.
It means if both are out then he will need to work on a new plan after the Tom Rogic false No.9 experiment didn’t come off.
Perhaps it is bringing out the managerial masochist in him. Instead of pulling his hair out and sobbing in to a hanky the Northern Irishman seems to strangely enjoy trying to solve the puzzle should Griffiths not make the plane for Trondheim next week.
Rodgers discovered just how fraught