TOM Boyd believes leading Celtic to their dramatic SPL title triumph last season will prove to be the making of Stephen McManus as both a captain and a central defender for the club.
In his first year as skipper of the Parkhead side, McManus had to wait until the final day of the campaign to get his hands on silverware as Celtic clinched their third successive championship at Tannadice.
Boyd's own experience of the post convin
ced him that the importance of proving yourself as a winning captain at Celtic cannot be overstated.
"I remember 1997-98, my first year as captain, and I felt a lot of pressure to win something," said Boyd. "That season was all about trying to stop Rangers making it 10 titles in a row and I think the most crucial part of it from Celtic's viewpoint was when we won the League Cup final which was played in November at that time.
"I've got really fond memories of that day. We beat Dundee United 3-0 at Ibrox and it proved to everyone in that team that we could win things, that Celtic were not going to have another barren season. We went on to win the title as well and there's no doubt that League Cup win played a major part in spurring us on.
"On a personal level as captain, it was really important to lift silverware for the club and I've no doubt Stephen McManus will have felt the same last season. He missed out on the two cup competitions, so winning the title as captain would have been an even bigger thrill for him.
"Stephen comes from the same village as me and he is a level-headed young man. He is now first choice centre-half for both Celtic and Scotland and I think what happened last season will stand him in good stead for many years to come.
"When I became captain of Celtic, it was at a time when the club hadn't been successful for some time, but Stephen came into the job on the back of a succession of captains like myself, Paul Lambert, Jackie McNamara and Neil Lennon who had all lifted trophies for Celtic. He has handled that pressure well and I'm sure winning the title last season came as a big relief to him."
As Celtic continue their pursuit of Auxerre's Romanian international central defender Gabriel Tamas, Boyd believes the partnership between McManus and Gary Caldwell has enjoyed the last laugh on those who pointed to it as the weak spot of Gordon Strachan's team.
"They took a lot of undue criticism last season," observed Boyd, "but their understanding really shone in the final weeks of the season and Celtic ended up with the best defensive record in the SPL. A lot of the stick Gary took was when he was playing at right-back, which he admits isn't his best position, but when he moved back into the middle the partnership with Stephen was rock solid. The club are right to look for new players and, if possible, better players. That's what Celtic and Rangers always have to do. But there is no guarantee that any new signing will be able to settle in Scotland or handle the pressure of playing for one of the Old Firm clubs."
Meanwhile, Georgios Samaras is relishing the opportunity to showcase his talents in the Champions League with Celtic once again.
The Greek striker signed a three-year deal with the Scottish champions earlier this month following a successful spell on loan from Manchester City last season.
Samaras played his part in helping Celtic secure the league title, meaning direct entry to the Champions League group stages. "First of all, it's really important that we don't have to play a qualification game," he said. "We go straight to the groups and that is so important for us.
"There are a lot of good teams in the qualification stages and other teams which are already midway through their season and are fit and ready for these matches. The games can be very tricky and Celtic did well to qualify ahead of Spartak Moscow last season.
"The Champions League is the best league in the world featuring the best teams and the best players and it's always nice to test yourself against the best.
"It's going to be tough whoever we end up getting in the group stages, but with the supporters we have here, I think it's going to be very tough for anyone to take anything off us at Celtic Park."
The full article contains 769 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
