Sunday’s League Cup final carries huge significance for the Australian coach, but Hibernian can play with nothing to loseRecent history dictates the claiming of trophies alone is not sufficient to protect a Celtic manager. Ronny Deila, recently catapulted back into the spotlight at New York City, collected three major honours in Scotland but was never convincing in a role he held for just two years. Neil Lennon, already a decorated Celtic player and manager, was at the helm as the club won five trophies after his second tenure began in early 2019. By late 2020 angry fans were rampaging outside an empty stadium, demanding Lennon’s removal.There is also the issue of how much of an achievement the winning of domestic...
The Liverpool legend has given his side hope and is looking for his first trophy as a manager in the Scottish League Cup finalIt would be natural for Celtic supporters to have spent recent days in a state of apprehension. For the prospect of their domestic dominance being halted by their Old Firm rivals Rangers is galling. Were Aberdeen, Dundee United or Motherwell to end Celtic’s consecutive trophy haul, which currently stands at nine, there would be joy for the underdog and widespread shock. If Rangers break the spell, the mutual impact would be considerable. For all that Celtic should be the favourites heading into Sunday’s Scottish League Cup final, a Hampden Park showpiece likely to be more intense, and...
Derek McInnes’s side have an itch to scratch in the League Cup final against Celtic on Sunday and a trophy would sit well for a club with off-pitch developments in the worksIt would be no consolation to Brendan Rodgers but if Aberdeen were to be the side to loosen Celtic’s grip on Scottish domestic silverware, that outcome would seem fair. There will be debate about how meaningfully they have done it but no team have recently threatened Celtic more than Aberdeen. The Dons have been runners-up for the past four seasons.Under Derek McInnes, Aberdeen have an itch to scratch. Six semi‑finals and three finals have returned one trophy, the 2014 League Cup. McInnes takes his players back to the final...
The Celtic manager has been quick to assess the wider picture in Scottish football and he has the chance to claim his first silverware against his side’s closest challengersBrendan Rodgers does not need the Scottish League Cup as endorsement of his early work at Celtic. Champions League qualification afforded Rodgers instant acclaim, to the point where even finishing bottom of Group C will be accepted by the masses.Rodgers smiles when contemplating what might have been, in the event of falling at the Champions League’s playoff hurdle. “You start behind the eight ball,” he says. “You are tight behind it. If we don’t qualify and then go on to win a league and cup what is said is ‘You didn’t make...