On Celtic
We’re at the international break, four games into the SPL season. How would you describe Brendan’s start to his second spell in charge of Celtic?
If you’re being honest, I don’t think that Brendan has got the performances that he would have imagined in his head. I think in the St Johnstone game (0-0 result) …I watched that game and Celtic could have won by two or three goals. The St Johnstone goalkeeper had a blinding game, which can sometimes happen at Celtic Park. The Ross County game was alright (Celtic won 4-2 at home). I think his best performance would have been against Rangers in the first half. He would have been happy with that because they were in control of the game and were comfortable, his better players were playing well. He would have liked what he saw from his team in that half.
Brendan would also have been pleased that the back four that he finished with in that match was probably they’re second choice back four and they still managed to win the game fairly comfortably.
I think the most important thing for the Celtic fans is winning games and feeling superior – I’ve said this all along. Nobody talks about the style of Brendan Rodgers or comparing the football he’s playing to Ange Postecoglou. All the fans want is to feel superior to their biggest rivals and to feel superior, you have to win, which is what he did against Rangers.
The game was won on fine margins. There were some big turning points during the match (Rangers had a goal ruled out in the first half with the scores level after the foul on the centre half given by VAR) and we don’t know what could have happened if that goal stood. Ultimately the game was won with a bit of outstanding brilliance by Kyogo.
Of course, after the match, Michael Beale is the manager that is feeling the pressure, but it could have easily been the other way around. I don’t think that either manager will be particularly pleased with how their teams have played in these opening games of the season.
Does Celtic’s victory at Ibrox, despite being so early in the season, strike a phycological blow to their old rivals in regard to the title race?
It only helps for a week or two weeks in this case. There’s nothing better than recording a victory against your rivals before the international break. As a manager, you’re getting two weeks of relief – that’s what you get and then you’re ready to go again. Management is always on a knife edge because if you drop points in the next game, you’ll be beaten with a stick. That’s where you are when you’re the manager of Celtic or Rangers.
On what’s important for Celtic over the next few months?
I think it’s really important that Celtic get their top players back fit. That will make a huge difference. For Brendan, the added bonus is that he has taken a depleted squad to Ibrox and got a result. Rangers couldn’t break down his second-string back four in the last twenty to twenty-five minutes of the game. Brendan will have been impressed with that, and, if you’re Mick Beale, you’ll be worried that you couldn’t break that defence down. When Rangers did get in, Joe Hart produced two good saves.
Rodgers not making drastic changes
From the matches that you’ve seen so far, have you noticed anything different about this incarnation of Brendan’s team versus his previous Celtic sides?
Brendan is far from a stupid man. He must have known that when he went into the job, taking over from Ange Postecoglou, how difficult it would be to follow him. I’m not talking about just keeping to the same standards that Ange and his team set, but in many ways, he would be wary of not making too many changes while also having the self-awareness to not completely plagiarise what Ange did with his tactical set-up. He wouldn’t sit back and think to himself, ‘let’s keep everything exactly the same’.
There are always tweaks and tactics that managers will naturally defer too. Brendan knows that if he tries to change things completely, that can be disruptive, so it’s about finding the right balance.
Gio van Bronkhorst had that problem at Rangers. Gerrard had a successful system using inverted wingers whereas Gio van Bronkhorst wanted his wingers to stay out wide. He changed the style that Steven Gerrard had successfully put in place and went for a brand of football that was typically Dutch – we all know what happened there.
It’s very difficult for a manager to take over from a successful coach, especially one that was playing the football that Ange was playing. He played a brand of football that nobody had seen at Celtic before. We also know that Brendan has been very successful playing his way.
On Celtic Performances
Kyogo Furuhashi was a player that was linked with an exit in the summer. He silenced those rumours by signing a new contract and reaffirmed his commitment to the club – he has had a sensational start to the season. Do you expect the Japanese international to repeat his goalscoring heroics of last season and possibly better his output?
I think for Kyogo to match his achievements last year, where he scored 27 goals in the SPL, it will completely depend on what he’s given within the team. What I love about Kyogo, especially because he’s diminutive, is his movement and his mind. Kyogo knows that he isn’t the strongest player and, physically, he will lose those battles against most opponents. He is a genius of exploiting a team’s weakness. His movement is incredible, and he never lets anyone sees him when the ball is in play. His first thought is ‘how can I get in behind?’ which is everything I love about a striker. He’s a great team mate, the players love him, and he has a big giant smile when he scores a goal. He always puts the team first. He is humble.
Whenever I’m working with smaller strikers in the Dundee development squads, I always refer them to Kyogo.
Kyogo seems to be more involved in the build-up under Rodgers. Do you think Brendan can unlock his creative output that will see him contributing with not just goals but assists this season?
Firstly, I think he played that way under Ange, staying close to the goal, because of the system and tactics that Ange was playing. Celtic played a brand of football that was similar to what Man City do, Kyogo was always the last one in the move very much in the same way that Haaland is.
City are set up in a way that enables their midfielders to dominate possession and the play, so there’s no need for their striker to drop and get on the ball. Celtic were the same under Ange.
With Brendan, the build-up play is slightly different and that will mean that Kyogo will get on the ball a little bit more and will have more freedom to move into different areas of the pitch to create things for his team mates. Kyogo is such an intelligent player that I think he can adapt to any tactical requirements – he can play in a number of different roles.
Kyogo has the magic and the creativity to not just finish moves off but to create them as well. He’s got incredible work-rate. He’s got a lot going for him.
On Celtic Champions League
How would you assess the group and the team that Celtic have been drawn against?
What Celtic need to do to give themselves a chance in the Champions League is to somehow pick up that big result against Atletico Madrid because they are probably the best side in the group. In many ways, it’s a little bit like Scotland; we got the big result against Spain in the European qualifiers. To get through these group stages, you need to get a big result against one of the biggest teams and, if it is the best team, then you’re giving yourself a brilliant chance of being in the draw for the last sixteen.
That’s what Celtic will be looking for. It is going to be a tough test. I think they will need all of their best players back, fit, and available – I do think that with Celtic’s best eleven they can give each of these teams a game. There isn’t a team in the group like Manchester City, Real Madrid or even Arsenal. Atletico Madrid and Lazio are hard-working, disciplined teams.
I don’t think we’ll see spectacular games of football because of the opponents. Atletico Madrid are experts at wearing teams down, grinding teams down. Lazio are the same. Celtic like to play football, but against those two teams the players need to go into them with an understanding that they are going to be hard fought battles. It will be hard work to beat them because of the way they set-up. They just need to get something out of them.
On Celtic And Dundee
Are you looking forward to being part of the Dundee technical team that will be heading to Celtic Park on Saturday?
To be honest with you, I don’t really like watching Dundee playing because I get nervous as a fan. I hope that I can hide it well (laughs)! It doesn’t really matter who we play, I’m always nervous because I’m desperate for the players to do well. I’m not worried about myself; I just want these players and the people at the club to do well and experience a wee bit of success because I know how hard they all work at the club.
How would you assess the start to the season with Dundee so far?
I was at our last match and with ten minutes to go we were two nil up. Had the match of finished that way (the final result was a 2-2 draw with St. Johnstone away from home), we would have been third of fourth in the league. That would have been fantastic. The good thing about the season so far is that I can see improvement and Tony (Tony Docherty, Dundee manager) can see the improvement, but we also know that we can go a few steps further.
The passion, fitness, and the technical ability to take our game to a higher level is there. We could have been third of fourth, but because of a couple of things, we’re not. I think Tony and the lads will be really disappointed to drop those points against St. Johnstone. The most important thing is for the group to understand why that happened and to not allow that to happen again.
Scotland vs England
The 150th anniversary game – do you expect this game to a be a friendly in name only, Gordon?
This is going to be a fiery game. We’ve got two teams playing each other that have both done incredibly well in recent times. Two team that are powerful, they’ll be some great players on the pitch and both of the sides are very comfortable with their shape and tactics.
Both teams are in a good place, Scotland in particular. Scotland have got players that are playing at the top of their game at the moment, playing at the very top level. If you look at Scotland’s four midfield players, you have Callum McGregor, who will be playing Champions League football with Celtic. Scott McTominay, a player who everyone is wondering why he can’t get a game for Manchester United at the moment because of his ability. John McGinn, who has been sensational since moving to England and Billy Gilmour who plays for one of the most exciting teams in the Premier League in Brighton.
Steve Clarke has been very clever with what he’s done. He’s found a system that enables him to play all of his best players and has picked a shape that suits them. That enables Robertson to do what he does best in terms of providing width and quality in the wide areas, with Tierney – who is such a good football player – to play as a left-sided centre back. He’s getting all his best players into the team.
Scotland aren’t inundated with top strikers, but with the midfield that we have, and the power of players like McGinn and McTominay, they can get into the box and make a big difference. We saw that the other night against Cyprus in qualification. Some midfield players don’t have the power or the ability to do that.
When I look at the overall balance and the way the team is set-up, it’s fantastic. McGregor and Gilmour give players like McGinn and McTominay the freedom to go forward and Robertson and Hickey provide the width. The good thing about this team is that they are all starting to mature at the same time – this isn’t a team of youngsters – this is a team of players who are mainly between the age of twenty-five and thirty and coming into their prime. They know the game. They have the energy and vibrancy.
McTominay in great form
The last time the two sides met was in the European Championships, with the match finishing 0-0. It would be fair to say that Scotland were the better team that day – how much do you think they have improved since then?
The way that Scotland played has evolved since the last time the two sides met. The system has changed, and the Scottish FA deserve credit because they’ve allowed Steve to get on with his job. That has really helped the development of his team. There aren’t many teams in the world that would like to play Scotland right now.
How do you see the game playing out?
I don’t think Scotland will get beat. I don’t think that we will get beat whatsoever.
How much credit does Steve Clarke deserve for what he’s achieving with Scotland?
Steve Clarke deserves most of the credit (laughs)! When it goes wrong for a manager, you get most of the stick, so when the team is successful, the manager should be praised. Steve is a humble man, and he will credit his players and his staff, but he deserves all the recognition for what he has achieved with Scotland. We’re having a spectacular qualification campaign – five wins from five – beating some big teams like Spain along the way. We’re top of the group and look like we’re capable of beating anyone. There are a lot of factors for this upturn in performances – he has overseen an evolution of Scottish international football.
It was reported this week that Harvey Barnes is considering switching his international allegiances from England to Scotland – would you welcome him into the fold?
Well, we don’t know what the conversations have been like between him and Steve. We also don’t know if he has been asked before, it doesn’t feel like he has. I think that’s really important. You want players that want to come in and play for you, but they also have to have that connection to Scotland and want to be part of the group. They need to feel Scottish.
I can remember asking one player – who I won’t name – if he wanted to play for me twice when I was in charge of the national team. In the end, he turned me down. After two declines, I moved on and I never asked him again. You should only be asked a certain number of times. If you don’t feel Scottish, then don’t play.
I would want to know what the history is there. Has Barnes turned down the offer before? If he has been asked in the past and said no, then you have to think why does he want to play for Scotland now. If the player hasn’t done that and Steve likes what he’s heard from him, then great.
The other side to this is squad harmony. Does Steve leave one of his players out, players who have created a wonderful squad and connection with each other? That’s the tricky dilemma that all international managers face.
Harvey plays as a left winger. Scotland aren’t playing with wingers at the moment. There are a lot of factors to consider before you make a decision like this. Steve will also want to remain loyal to the players that have done incredibly well for him. There are a number of players in any international squad that make huge sacrifices with a clear understanding that they will only ever feature for ten minutes – guys that give up their summer holidays or time off because they want to be part of the set-up. Will Steve feel comfortable about potentially replacing one of those players with Barnes? That’s a very difficult decision for a manager to make.
On a similar note, I have to ask you about Elliot Anderson. He has withdrawn from the Scotland squad and after doing so, Gareth Southgate publicly declared that he was in his thoughts for a future England role. As someone that played and managed your country with such distinction, what are your thoughts on him withdrawing?
What I would say about Elliot Anderson and anyone else for that matter, is that there are always players that do want to play for you. In club management, if you miss out on a player, there will always be another one that will pop up who will be better. There is always somebody.
The most important thing is being committed. If you don’t feel that connection to Scotland. If you don’t have that pride to wear the jersey, please do not come. Go and find yourself a country that your proud of playing for.
On Tottenham
You were bullish about Ange when we spoke in June mentioning that his football would take the breath away of the Tottenham fans. Four games in, Spurs are second top – how would you assess his start to life in London?
Ange has got off to a sensational start. I have to say, I thought that it might have taken him a wee bit longer, but he’s really made an excellent start to his Tottenham career. I like the changes that he’s made to the team. Bissouma is playing every week and James Maddison has adapted to Ange’s methods incredibly quickly.
They are players in the midfield that can beat people. They eliminate people with their ability which creates all kinds of spaces on the pitch – they have both been magnificent for him. They are moving the ball around quickly – this Tottenham team isn’t as quick as they moved the ball at Celtic, but its early days and that will come – but they are playing with a level of freedom that I didn’t expect at this stage.
Tottenham are breaking teams down in the middle of the park, which is really hard to do. When you think about the best teams from the last twenty years: the great Barcelona sides with Xavi and Iniesta, City with De Bruyne and Gundogan, that’s what they do. Tottenham are doing that now because of the impact of Bissouma and Maddison.
Those two players have made a huge, huge difference to the Tottenham that we saw last season and the Tottenham that we’ve seen four games into the new season.
Do you think Ange has silenced some of the doubters and some of the boorish critics who questioned his appointment after his Celtic tenure?
I sat with Ange for a long time and discussed the critics. I don’t think at any stage in my life as a player or a manager I have ever given those kind of comments any of my attention – you try and keep away from it.
When you’re successful, you don’t care what someone has said two weeks or go or whenever it was. Most managers, good managers, they don’t care what any of the critics, journalists or pundits say. The difference is when it comes from someone who is a peer or someone your respect. For example, if it was a top manager like Sir Alex saying something, then those words carry a little bit more extra weight. You’d think about it.
I’ve never in my life thought about those comments and, I’ve never in my life thought about responding to them because you’re too busy as a manager trying to win football matches. Football managers serve the fans, the players, and their staff. They don’t serve pundits.
Ange can’t worry about these people. It’s just noise. Some pundits or reporters will qualify what their asking by saying “the fans say this” on the occasion that someone asked me a question like that, I would always reply with tell me which fans said that.
Ange shouldn't worry about critics
You mentioned that his first objective would be to finish above Arsenal in the league. It’s only early days, but that’s where Spurs currently are. From what you’ve seen so far – what do you think Spurs will achieve this season?
Well, I think I’ll stick to my same answer in terms of what Spurs will want to achieve and that will be to better than Arsenal (laughs)! It’s really hard to tell after just four or five games what this Tottenham team are going to achieve by the end of the season. Most managers can only think one or two weeks at a time – a month at a push.
From what I’ve seen, the players are really enjoying themselves. What you don’t realise from Ange’s team is the work that’s done off the ball. That’s a really big thing, something that Manchester City have perfected over the years. Tottenham’s work off the ball has been really impressive. Ange’s team’s do that and he’s doing that quickly with Tottenham. It shows that the players are buying into his methods, and they are also incredibly fit. If you’re not super fit, you won’t play for Ange. If you’re not super committed, you won’t play for Ange.
What’s happening now is, when we’re watching Match of the Day or any of the highlights, as a football fan, you’re looking forward to watching Spurs because there are guaranteed goals. They’ll concede goals too, let’s get that right, but that’s part and parcel with the way that Ange plays.
On Manchester United
What have you made of the start Manchester United have made to the season?
It’s been an average start to the season for Manchester United. There hasn’t been anything disastrous or anything that has really stood out. They’ve relied on a couple of moments of magic from some individual players and have had some moments where the defending has been pretty average.
It’s all a bit mundane at the moment. When you watch the football, nothing is blowing you away and nothing is impressing you. Most of the focus seems to be around off the field activity. The fans want the Glazers out, and, if you’re fans are spending all their time focussing on that, then it tells you that the football that is being played isn’t providing much entertainment.
I’d like to get your point of view on how you, as a manager, would have handled Jadon Sancho’s tweet where he accused his manager of making him a scapegoat.
First of all, I think that Jadon Sancho needs to understand that Erik ten Hag hasn’t sat down and started talking about the player of his own accord, he’s simply answering a question from a reporter.
Players always want the truth from their manager. In this instance, Erik ten Hag has answered the question honestly and the player hasn’t liked his response, but Jadon needs to learn to handle the truth.
I think in hindsight Ten Hag will look back and regret saying what he did through the media and it would have been more effective telling him face-to-face to avoid what we’ve got now. However Jadon needs to look at himself and figure out what he’s doing wrong, rather than feeling as though he’s being attacked. Of course we don’t know the whole story but that’s how I see it from the outside.
The first thing I would say to a player is have a look at yourself. Look at yourself before anybody else, it’s as simple as that. Go and look at your games and tell me if that’s as good as you think you can be. If it is, then you can’t play here because the standard is far bigger at Manchester United than anywhere else. If I was that young man, I would have a look at myself and apologise to the manager.
United have world class players
From my point of view, the United midfield is really lacking the right kind of balance. Given the struggles United are having in that area of the park, are you surprised by ten Hag’s reluctance to use Scott McTominay this season?
Individually, United have some brilliant players. Casemiro, Fernandes, Eriksen – they are great players. As a group, something isn’t working. When you have a midfield three like that, you have to also ask if your three players up front are doing enough or offering these players enough protection.
You need to have that work-rate from your front three players. They need to make the opponents life a misery when they have the ball by either pressing or holding a shape that doesn’t allow the opposition to move the ball forward. Maybe that is why United’s midfield is struggling – it’s not a question of blaming individuals.
I think there is a role for McTominay at Manchester United, but the manager sees the game played the way he wants to see it, and currently that doesn’t involve McTominay. Scott offers something a little bit different to those players. He’s good on the ball, but he isn’t as good as the guys we’ve mentioned – what he can offer you is that power and ability to break the lines.
United face Brighton at home on Saturday. That feels like a big game for ten Hag – does he need a win and a performance to start building some faith again?
Brighton are a real team. What Brighton have achieved over the last few years has been magnificent. They’ve developed over the last few years and are run really well – everything is well thought out.
When players join Brighton, I think they are doing so with an ambition to improve. We’ve seen players leave the club – it is a bit of a shop window playing for them – but they always seem to have a succession plan and these departures don’t really have any kind of impact on the club and its performances.
Are Manchester United as good a team as Brighton? Of course, if you were looking at individuals, you would have to say that Manchester United have better players but are they are a better team? When I watch United, I see a lot of individuals and a club that is relying on moments of magic from individuals rather than a collective effort. That’s the battle that we’re looking forward to seeing on Saturday and I think it will be a very tough game for Manchester United.
Brighton, despite the player turnover are incredibly stable. United don’t have that stability. I think that sometimes having too much money when signing players can be a bit of a curse. Brighton sign players that are desperate to improve, whereas United will sign the best they can, elite-level players. I question some of the mentalities at United. These big players will come in on big wages, with big careers behind them and stay at the same level. I don’t see a lot of players improving at Manchester United. A lot of players seem to arrive at Manchester United with an attitude that says, “I’ve made it”.
On Championship Clubs
Of your three former clubs, from what you’ve seen so far, who do you think has the best chance of returning to the Premier League?
Coventry are a team with a lot of guts. They’re a team that every player they sign, improves. Will they have enough in their locker to get promoted to the Premier League this season? I don’t know.
Southampton are a team that love to keep the ball. Their possession-based game will work against some teams, but not all of them.
Leeds. When we spoke last time, I didn’t think that Leeds would lose so many players, which I think could be a problem for them. Leeds are the biggest club out of the three, there can be no doubt about that
Coventry are late-starters. They can get going into the season. They know the league really well, which will help them. When I look at The Championship this season, I don’t think there are one or two teams in the division that will blow most teams away – I can’t see any candidates that you would potentially consider run-away leaders in terms of securing those automatic promotion spots.
I think it will be really, really tight between the top ten with about eight or nine games to go and I expect Coventry, Leeds and Southampton to be in that group. I hope that Leeds can get themselves sorted out by that point in the season because they have the fanbase that can drag them along into the promotion reckoning and they also can intimidate other teams. Let’s see how Leeds respond now the season really start to kick on.
It's a heck of a division to see who can win it. I can see Leeds getting results together and getting over the shock of relegation. The way Leeds went down was an embarrassment and sometimes that can take a while to get over – for the club, that can take a little bit of time to shake off and get out of the system. Southampton didn’t go down with a proper fight either. I think both clubs are suffering from the consequences of poor finishes to the Premier League season and need to dust themselves off.
