The ex-Celtic and Scotland manager discusses Celtic's transfer window, Martin O'Neill's future at the club, Scotland's new Head Coach and his former club Aberdeen.
Former Scotland and Celtic manager Gordon Strachan believes new summer signings will help Celtic will be more consistent this season after they needed a final day win against Hearts to secure the Premiership title.
Martin O’Neill’s team have made a good start to the season and are strong favourites in the football betting odds to win the Scottish Premiership.
The club also missed out on Champions League football last season, but after a win in their opening match of qualifying, Strachan believes a spot in this season’s competition could be the key to settling the club down. In our exclusive interview, Strachan also discusses his former club Aberdeen and the recent announcement of Sebastian Pocognoli as Scotland’s new Head Coach.
Do you expect that this will be Martin O’Neill’s final year as a coach?
Do we know what Martin’s thinking? No. But we know that football’s a drug to him and it keeps him ticking over. Do I see him going a bit longer? I really don’t know. You can’t read him and you also can’t read the Celtic situation.
When it’s going well, it’s exhilarating, but if it’s not going so well it’s really hard work. We’ve only got so much drive in us as football managers. For Martin especially, who’s had to do it as a player for a long time as well.
Some managers only get the stress around the age of 40 because they’ve not been high level players. But Martin’s had it since he was about 18, being at a top side. There’s only so much drive in you and even with the break he had from football, he’s lasted for this long.
But if somebody said to me, do you want to go back and manage? Absolutely not. I’ve got no anger and no drive whatsoever. I know the game far better, but no chance.
I wasn’t surprised when he returned for this season. Martin seems to have some drive still left in him. Can it go on more after the season? We don’t know.
Are you concerned by the slow speed at which Celtic are making signings this summer?
No, it’s due diligence. Only a few clubs can spend in a certain way. If spending is reckless and player wages become ridiculous, you could put your club at risk. It’s been shown with other clubs in Scotland and England. If you do not do your homework properly, you can not only end up not winning trophies but losing your club.
So I think Celtic’s speed is right, as the four signings they’ve made are smashing signings. People talk about Celtic’s business not being that great, Engels is off for 22 million. Kyogo and Maeda also went for good money, so the money they bring in from players is truly phenomenal.
What Celtic have to do, like any professional, is do it without listening to the outside noise. They’ve got to be brave enough to take more time and make sure that the deals that come in are suitable to Celtic and the model they have got.
So I think the timing’s right because they’ve won two games so far, but the big one for them now is the Champions League. If they get through to the Champions League, not a word will be uttered.
Do there need to be changes in Celtic’s boardroom to drive real change at the club?
No, you don’t need real change at the club. There are only certain people that want change at the club. Other people are quite happy with the victories last season. I’d say it’s performance in the Champions League now that would settle everybody down.
I remember when Ange [Postecoglou] was there and they lost a few goals but had good attacking performances against top sides. That’s what Celtic supporters are missing. They’re missing the games against Man United, Barcelona, matches like that. You can’t point your finger at the hard work done by everybody else there, and a certain amount of people will always be grumbling about the board.
So I don’t think change is necessary at all, because if your club is stable with money in the bank, it’s the job of the board or owners to make sure that the club is safe, forever. It’s not about gambling with your club to make more money for yourself.
We can’t forget, this is a Celtic team that was close to liquidation 30 years ago before one man came along with a million pounds and saved the club. That’s how perilous this game can be. But those who are running things at Celtic need to make sure they continue doing their job and not listen to the noise.
Would you be interested in the director of football role?
I’ve got no time to do it, it’s A 24-hour job. I do something similar with Dundee, but it’s kind of a pop in and help you sort of thing. I’ll give my advice on certain things like better recruitment; I’ll sometimes help with the coaching and development of the youngsters. I’ll give my opinions, then I’ll walk out and go and enjoy the rest of my life. I do not have the drive and anger to do that anymore. But it’d be a great job for somebody, but not for me.
You were the manager on some incredible European nights for Celtic. Can they realistically qualify and then compete in the Champions League?
There’s a point where you can compete and there’s a point when you get to the mega teams where it’s nearly impossible to compete.
I think when Celtic have finished the transfer window and it’s all settled then they have a good chance of getting to the last 16. You’ve got to remember last year at Celtic, Johnston, Carter-Vickers and Jota were all injured. That’s three big players to go missing and people don’t take that into consideration.
I think if they can keep a hold of Johnston, especially as they try to qualify for the Champions League, or maybe until January, that would be a bonus. But I would understand if everybody in Britain wants him as their right back.
Do you expect Celtic to return to dominance in the SPL this season?
Well, I would say they are dominant, in terms of picking up trophies. Were they dominant in performances last year? Probably not. Do I think Hearts were unlucky not to have won it. Probably, yes.
But Celtic were not dominant last year. They scraped through with a huge couple of performances at the end. I think they’ll be more consistent and pick up more points this year, but it’s up to other teams to catch them.
If Celtic get another one or two players in and make it through to the Champions League, that would be great.
Have you been impressed with Aberdeen’s squad rebuild and what you’ve seen from the new signings so far?
Aberdeen are not in the same position bad as the likes of Dundee or Kilmarnock where you have to change eight or nine people a season because you do not know if you’re going to be in the Premier League or not. If you’re not it’s a killer. So we can’t give anybody three or four years contracts, usually it’s one or two years.
So there’s constant change. I think Aberdeen would love to get back to the stage where they only get three or four players in rather than 10 or 11 players – that’s the Scottish League for you.
It’s not easy for them, but I think they are trying to do the best they can. Aberdeen can’t pick a player who they think’s going to be a star because that’s not the type of pool they’re picking from. For Dundee, Kilmarnock and Motherwell it’s even less. But if I was an Aberdeen fan, I’d expect to be in the top four every year.
But Stephen Robinson’s come in and Aberdeen fans have enjoyed the fact that he is proactive with a more rounded attack, it wasn’t one-dimensional.
What will the pressure be like on Stephen Robinson in your opinion this season and what would you expect to be a good campaign?
Top four is a good job. I think with the resources, the players and him as a manager, I think the club and fans would be expecting top four.
If you go to the stadium, the club and the way it’s run, the training facilities, it’s a one-team town with fantastic support, I think you would definitely expect to be in the top four.
How far do you think Aberdeen can go in the League Cup and can fans expect a trophy win or are other sides in the competition too strong for the Dons?
They can definitely beat Kilmarnock in the next round, and they were unfortunate to have played Celtic in their second game, that’s a hard start to the season. But I do think Aberdeen can get to the final.
Robinson is the third manager to swap St Mirren for Aberdeen after your legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Does that come with added pressure for Robinson in your opinion?
I don’t think so. Sir Alex is so far ahead of everyone else that even the most fanatical fan won’t be thinking about that switch. I’ve seen things on Instagram or Twitter where people try to compare others to Ferguson, but it’s not the same realm.
Scotland have just announced Sebastian Pocognoli as the new head coach, what do you make of his selection following Steve Clarke’s departure?
First of all, we have to say well done to Steve Clarke, he’s been terrific. He’s given the fans in particular travels around the world that have enjoyed immensely. But I think what Steve Clarke gave us was absolutely terrific to get there.
But when you get to these tournaments, it’s very simple, you need players who can score goals. You saw Norway with Haaland and Ødegaard, the two players made a difference. We didn’t have many attackers or variation of play, and defenders who made a couple of mistakes. That’s the big difference in football.
So it can be difficult for international managers because they all come from different systems, so can he [Pocognoli] change the way we play? I tried my best to do that so our philosophy was more focused on players with an attacking mentality. But on the physical side, we kind of let ourselves down.
Steve [Clarke] did far better on the physical side and had a system that suited his best players like Scott McTominay and John McGinn. That’s the best way to build a team. But we wish Pocognoli every good luck. He’ll find it a bit strange, but he’ll enjoy it and I hope he becomes Scottish quite soon.
