Win or lose, Strachan content with a job well done

IRRESPECTIVE of how the dust finally settles on his fourth tilt at the SPL title tomorrow, Gordon Strachan will be content in his own mind that he has delivered to Celtic exactly what was expected of him.

Should the championship be lost for the first time under his stewardship, there are many Celtic supporters who will vigorously dispute that assessment. Even if Strachan does become the first manager since Jock Stein to win four successive titles, he will still have his doubters among those who would be celebrating the achievement at Parkhead.

Strachan will react to either scenario with a clear conscience, pointing out that the demands made of him by the Celtic board when he replaced Martin O'Neill in the summer of 2005 have all been met.

"I knew when I came here that the idea was to bring the average age of the team down, reduce the wage bill and win championships," he said.

"Through the hard work of the guys here, we have managed to do that. So I've got no pressure that way. I would just like to win another title this weekend."

Having seen his team allow a seven point lead over Rangers at the top of the table in January turn into a two point deficit going into tomorrow's climactic fixtures, Strachan might feel entitled to rue Celtic's failure to significantly enhance his squad during the last transfer window.

On the contrary, he expresses his unequivocal support and admiration of the club's financial strategy under chief executive Peter Lawwell which sees them currently carrying an almost negligible debt of under £1 million, a far cry from where the club were before the new strategy was put in place at Parkhead.

"I never look at it that way, in terms of what happened in January, because I feel that we have enough good players here to have collected more points than we did," added Strachan.

"I don't have a problem with that. When Peter came in the club had £35 million of debt and there's none now. That's some going. That's just hard work. I think we should all take pride in what's happened since Peter took over. The club is on a strong footing.

"We have a much younger squad than we had and that's part of the deal.

"Most of them are at a smashing age where they can develop, can become better players and they have better resale value, if you ever wanted to sell them, because they're young and developing.

"Look at Scott Brown, Scott McDonald, Aiden McGeady, Glenn Loovens, those sort of guys are all about 23 or 24."

Celtic are certainly far better placed financially than Rangers to face the implications of failing to win the title tomorrow and the automatic place in the group stage of Champions League it brings.

The SPL runners-up will have to negotiate two difficult qualifying rounds in next season's revamped competition to secure a share of the riches on offer in the group games, but Strachan claims it is not a consideration for him this weekend.

"The game on Sunday is looking after itself," he said.

"We're not thinking about anything else. There's plenty of time for that after the game.

"It's amazing, mind you, that when you don't qualify for the Champions League it goes to £30 million you have missed out on, but when you do qualify it's only about £7 million you have made.

"When we didn't qualify the first year, I blew £35 million but when we qualified twice we only made £7 million according to some. So that's fantastic, because you must get a lot when you don't qualify."

That was a rare tongue-in-cheek moment from Strachan at a pre-match media conference when his mood was understandably serious.

He will wait until shortly before kick-off tomorrow to assess his team's general state of mind ahead of a match against Hearts they simply have to win and hope Rangers cannot do the same against Dundee United at Tannadice.

"I think the emotions stop once you're doing your final team talk and it just becomes something you have to deal with," observed Strachan.

"Emotions go out the window, then you flatline for about two hours after that.

"Sometimes you think the team talk matters. Other times you'll have a look and think they're okay and don't need anything else. You just have to judge it on the day and if you think there's anything that might tweak one or two, you'll give it a shot.

"Last year we had a couple of team talks and played with their minds, but you do that. The sports psychologist is here all week and at team meetings.

"It just depends. You might have to calm some down, you have to get some to think about things, you have to reassure some people that they are good players – that kind of thing. If you can find a common denominator that will drive everybody on as a team then you would use that as well."

Strachan is relishing the prospect of what could turn out to be as memorable an occasion as any at Celtic Park in front of a set of supporters he insists have given him as much backing as he could have wished for.

"They couldn't have done any more than they've done," he added. "You get chances like this to thank people for what they've done and I can't ask them to support any more than they have done.

"We are delighted with the support we've had and so am I, because I've had it as well. That's why I'm excited about Sunday because once you get that atmosphere, it's special. I hope it will be like a European night."

LAST-DAY THRILLERS

1986
Having led the league for most of the season, Hearts looked destined for a first Scottish League championship title since 1960. Two points in front of Celtic going into the final match and with a superior goal difference, Hearts needed only a draw away to Dundee to seal the title. But Celtic hit five against St Mirren at Love Street – and up popped Albert Kidd at Dens Park to score twice in the dying minutes, in perhaps the most dramatic finish to a title race Scottish football has ever seen.

1991
Rangers were odds-on favourites to win the championship until a late wobble saw Aberdeen go to the top of the league after the penultimate round of fixtures. The teams met at Ibrox on the final day of the season, both on 53 points, both with a goal difference of +37, but with Aberdeen ahead having scored two goals more than Rangers. A draw would have given Aberdeen the title, but Rangers rediscovered their form to win 2-0 and take the spoils.

1998
Rangers had won nine titles in a row, equalling Celtic's feat of the 1960s and 1970s, when Wim Jansen was appointed Celtic manager in another desperate attempt to stop the rot. Jansen revived the Parkhead club and denied Rangers what would have been a definitive tenth title – but the race went to the final day of the season, and a nervy performance against St Johnstone could have ended in crushing disappointment until goals from Henrik Larsson and Harald Brattbakk sparked bedlam at Parkhead.

2003
Celtic and Rangers went into the final game of the season locked on 94 points, with goal difference set to be the deciding factor. This was Scottish football's first so-called 'super Sunday', with Kilmarnock v Celtic and Rangers v Dunfermline kicking off at the same time, and both games televised live. Celtic won 4-0 at Rugby Park, but it was not enough, as Rangers thumped Dunfermline 6-1 to take the SPL title.

2005
This was the season that came closest to matching the drama of hearts' heroic failure in 1986. Celtic went into the final match of the season two points ahead of Rangers, with an away match at Motherwell to negotiate to win the title. Rangers, meanwhile, had to go to Hibernian, and a Nacho Novo goal gave them a glimmer of hope in the second half. Regardless of the 1-0scoreat Easter Road, Celtic had only to play out a draw at Fir Park to take the honours, and even led through a goal from Chris Sutton, but a late Scott McDonald double – just like Albert Kidd, a Celtic fan – saw the title snatched from the champions elect.

2008
A marathon season for Rangers ended in crushing disappointment, with the Uefa Cup and the SPL both lost in a matter of days. Rangers went to Aberdeen on the final night of the season on equal points with Celtic but with slightly inferior goal difference. Rangers went down 2-0, while Celtic won 1-0 at Tannadice to win the title by three points.