Jason: It’s got to be Rooney for Scotland now
JASON KERR believes St Johnstone’s Betfred Cup hero Shaun Rooney can cap his season by starring for Scotland.
Stopper Kerr became only the second Saints captain to lift a major trophy after the Hampden win over Livingston.
Wing-back Rooney scored the only goal, adding to strikes from the quarterfinals and semis, and Kerr insists his emergence will have come to the attention of national boss Steve Clarke.
He said: “Shaun’s a massive candidate for Scotland. Just look at how well he’s done this season.
“He always pops up with an important goal for us and has definitely been the man of the tournament. He’s a top, top player and you’d like to think there’s a good chance he can get a call-up. On his day he’s unstoppable.”
It’s back to league business for Saints tonight with a trip to Hamilton and Kerr admits all minds have to be focused on their bid for a top six spot.
He said: “That was what the gaffer said to us right after the final. Obviously you enjoy your night and have a couple of beers, but you have to recover because we want to push for the top six.
“We think we’ve got a good chance of doing it if we play well in these next three games, starting at Hamilton.
“It’s always a tough game there. They’re scrapping to stay up and we certainly won’t underestimate them.”
JOHN COLLINS believes Celtic’s next manager should be one of four top candidates – but insists a director of football must be appointed first. The former Hoops star has identified sacked Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, Red Bull Salzburg’s Jesse Marsch, former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe and Belgium’s Roberto Martinez as a four-man wish-list for his old club.
But Collins is adamant the other role should be filled before deciding on Neil Lennon’s successor.
He said: “I look at Ajax, PSG, Bayern Munich, these are the structures that are successful year after year in each country.
“The most important thing is they have the director of football in place before a manager. He helps select the right type of manager for the type of football the club’s looking for and so the manager is his man and the relationship between them is going to be so tight.
“Every big club in the world has a director of football in first.”
Collins made almost 300
appearances for Celtic in the 1990s before returning as assistant to Ronny Deila and has firm views on who can lead Celtic now.
He told BBC Scotland: “I’ve got four names on my list.
“Roberto Martinez. I’ve enjoyed watching his teams play through the years, he plays an attacking brand of football, very similar to
Brendan [Rodgers]. He’s got a track record of delivering what I would class as Celtic type of football.
“Eddie Howe managed Bournemouth successfully. He hasn’t won the big prizes but he’s not had the players. What he did for Bournemouth is the equivalent of winning the Premiership.
“I marked Jesse Marsch’s name down when I saw Salzburg play Liverpool two years ago. His team had energy, legs, were positive, looked to go forward.
“Another one is Frank Lampard. In his first season at Chelsea, he proved he can give youngsters a chance. At Celtic, you’re mostly signing young players, so he can help in the development stage.”