PRETENDERS ARE GENUINE ARTICLE
Smith thinks Aberdeen provide convincing title threat to Celts but need belief to stay the course
WALTER SMITH stared down the testing home straight of a marathon championship race 16 times at Rangers as assistant then manager, its terrain and tripwires only wearing down his effort on three occasions.
He can instantly pinpoint the signs of a team of title contenders, while identifying a weakness that renders another simply a pretender. Good news for Aberdeen, then, that the former Ibrox and Scotland manager has stamped their ticket for a serious run at this year’s crown.
One of the ingredients is his former Rangers midfielder Derek McInnes, part of a couple of Premier League-winning squads in the mid-Nineties and a manager whose impressive strides in the management game have not caught Smith by surprise.
Only veteran Barry Robson from the Pittodrie playing staff boasts course-and-distance form with the medal to show for it after one successful season at Celtic.
However, Smith believes the recipe within these rookie ranks can give Aberdeen a realistic shot at upsetting Celtic throughout the second half of the season — even if there is a reluctance to publicly admit they are genuine runners for the prize.
Smith said: ‘In Aberdeen’s position right now, should their expectation not be to win the league? It’s dead easy to play it down and I hear them all saying we’ll just take this or take that and the next thing.
‘The team should be delighted they’ve an opportunity to win a league championship and enjoy every aspect of it. Yes you get nervous, yes you’ll lose a game and get disappointed and all that. But you’ve got to come back.
‘Aberdeen have made big strides this year and Scotland needs them to continue to make them.
‘It should be a realistic target for them. I said to all the boys at Rangers: That’s why you are here. You are here to win a league title. You’re not here to be second. Players have to take it on board.
‘They shouldn’t shy away from it. By playing it down, you give yourself an excuse: “Ach well, we’re not expected to win a l eague title, Celtic are favourites”. If you are good enough to get up there, then you’re good enough to win it and you’ve got to accept that aspect to it and get on with it.
‘If you’re worried about going to Celtic Park then, well, so you should be. That’s alright. There should be nerves, you should be putting yourself up for the challenge. But at the end of the day if you’re going to win the title then you’ve got to accept the challenge of going to try to win every game you are playing.
‘They don’t need to say: “We’re going to win the league”. They just need to say: “We’ve got an opportunity, accept it and, yeah, keep it going”.’
Niall McGinn’s days off apart, Aberdeen’s mantra of concentration on their own next game and not the actions of rivals Celtic is credible throughout the surging run which has taken them from mid-table to the top at the turn of the year.
Since the concession of three goals at New Douglas Park in an October defeat, McInnes and a defence underpinned by Mark Reynolds, Ash Taylor and goalkeeper Scott Brown had guided Aberdeen to a remarkable streak of clean sheets — and the best winning run for the club in 25 years — until yesterday’s 3-3 draw at home to Dundee.
Further fortune may be just around the corner, according to Smith, as February provides a platform for Celtic to star on the European stage in their two ties against Inter Milan. That highprofile distraction could work in Aberdeen’s favour if they maintain their own relentless form against the rest of the division.
‘Celtic have got two big European games to play just now and, if they get some more, how they come back and handle the domestic game will be interesting,’ said Smith. ‘It allows Aberdeen the opportunity they will enjoy — of challenging for the title.
‘Maybe in the early part of this season and the latter stages of last there was an imbalance in their attacking and defending. They would go attacking and lose some goals. Aberdeen had that wee spell when they were getting 2-2 and 3-2 results like that earlier this season.
‘That’s not title-winning form. Your team must be capable of not performing at their best and still winning. Aberdeen look as though they’ve maybe got that at the moment.
‘I don’t think they are set up defensively at all. What they’ve done is defend very well — there’s a difference. I think they’ve a decent balance and are benefiting from that.
‘Celtic, if they win their games in hand, would be top. But what a difference from the last few seasons when we were looking at 13 or 15 points of a difference at this time of year.
‘Stewart Milne deserves credit for putting the financial aspects of the club back together again and having a steadiness back there.
‘And Derek has gone in there and settled the team down.’
Smith’s first experience of a title battle came when, in 1983, he helped Jim McLean coach a Dundee United team to pip Celtic and Aberdeen by a point. The strength of the Scottish top tier at that time was highlighted in the European adventures of both United and Aberdeen.
Only Celtic under Neil Lennon have been capable of arresting the slide of Scottish club standards on the European stage since Rangers flopped in 2011/12.
So, while Smith is encouraged to see the chase for league silverware more competitive than the last two years, he struck a realistic note concerning how far clubs have fallen in continental competition terms.
Smith said: ‘Celtic have suffered a bit by Rangers not being there. It has taken an edge off their game. So if I look at them this season — and I stress I haven’t seen them much — I don’t think they’re as good a team as two seasons ago.
‘So they’ve dropped a bit and Aberdeen and Dundee United are maybe a little bit better than they were a couple of seasons ago. Yet our country’s profile is diminishing.
‘We can have a nice, tight league and Aberdeen supporters are especially delighted to be back up there again. But if you’re looking at the football overall, the profile of the country is damaged European-wise and we’re not at a good level.
‘Motherwell have been in positions where they’ve finished third or second in the league then lost six or seven players before playing early in Europe.
‘Celtic have been left to plough a lone furrow and the other Scottish clubs have had a problem even qualifying for the Europa League when given the opportunity.
‘When Aberdeen get that chance, which they will next season — Dundee United might get it too — we’ve got to start to show that our football has some substance to it and start getting that reputation back.’
They shouldn’t shy away from it. By playing things down, you just give yourself an excuse not to succeed