Sacking in Scotland – Who’s Next?
March 31, 2009 by Chris Smillie
Filed under Champions League, Features, Scottish Premier
It’s getting to the squeaky bum stage of the SPL. Trigger fingers on the sacking gun are getting itchy as the battle for Title, European and Relegation places are cemented but just who is safe and who is not. Kilmarnock are plummeting, Inverness seemingly rising (before a hammering away to Falkirk), Rangers struggling and Celtic unable to take advantage. Unusually, the Scottish Premier League has a system of playing two-thirds of the season before a top six/bottom six split, resulting in the best six teams in the country fighting for European places, whilst the bottom six are pitted against each other in a battle against the dreaded drop. Let’s have a look at the clubs:
Glasgow Celtic
Gordon Strachan has had an amazing run of victories over the last few years, including three Championships in a row, plus getting beyond the Champions League group stages. All with a far reduced budget than his predecessor, the celebrated Martin O’Neill. This year, Wee Gordon has already taken the first piece of silverware in the CIS Cup from deadly rivals, Rangers.
Soccer News TopicsStill, the Green’n'White faithful has never taken to WGS. Failure to strengthen, particualrly up front, in the New Year has put what seemed an unassailable lead in to question. The board are unlikely to sack Strachan but will Gordon decide he’s had enough?
Sack or Back: Back but I expect Gordon to call time and move back to England at the end of the season.
Glasgow Rangers
What a topsy-turvy world Walter Smith lives in. At the end of last season, Smitty was living the glory of the UEFA Cup Final and putting in a decent title challenge on Celtic. Earlier this season, an astonishing loss in the preliminary stages of the Champions League and falling way behind Celtic in the title race led to calls from the dubious ‘We Deserve Better’ brigade. Now? Rangers are once again in the title race, battling all the way. There are still questions over finances and just where the goals will come from besides Kris Boyd. But just as it looks as though Walter Smith has turned the corner, along comes an embarrassing home defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle followed by a loss to Celtic in the CIS Cup.
Sack or Back: Smith won’t be sacked but will move upstairs soon, with Ally McCoist taking over. The Rangers/Smith dynasty is just starting…unless chairman Murray manages to sell his share in the club and then all bets are off.
Heart of Midlothian
Csaba Laszlo must have the most difficult job in Scottish football. After a multitude of sackings with successful and non-successful coaches it seemed impossible that Mad Vlad could butt out. However, it seems that Vladimir Romanov has tired of day-to-day Hearts allowing Laszlo the opportunity to create his own team. Hearts are now battling it out for third place despite lacking a decent striker.
Sack or Back: It should be back but who knows with this regime.
Dundee United
Craig Levein recently declared his desire, not to just push for the UEFA Cup third place, but to split the Old Firm and take that all-important second. Fine words at the time but now United are around 20 points behind second-place Rangers and are struggling for third place. Levein has also a history of ’speaking his mind’, which is newspaper talk for criticising referees, clubs and his fellow managers. Craig has also revealed a desire to return to England, where he failed so badly with Leicester.
Sack or Back:The late Eddie Thompson did everything he could to make sure Levein had all he needed to finish the job at taking United back to a respectable position. Nevertheless, it would appear that Levein has got itchy feet, despite being only at the beginning of his mission. The Board will back but I fear Levein will be offski soon enough.
Aberdeen
The knives are certainly out for Aberdeen boss, Jimmy Calderwood. After having to sell or release some of his most important players in the summer, resulting in a settling-in period for the new boys, Calderwood has taken the Dons to a battle for third place and a further chance of Euro-glory. Still, that’s not good enough for the Red Army. They point to cup disasters, notably last season against Queen of the South and this against Dunfermline. JC can quite rightly point out that, before he took over, the Dons had been in relegation trouble for years and only the big spenders of the Old Firm and Hearts have won trophies in recent times.
Sack or Back: To sack Calderwood would be a risk. He’s taken a poor team to beyond the UEFA Cup group stages with no real money but failed badly in the cups. Willie Miller wants to support the chairman but I expect Jimmy to decide enough is enough as soon as a Dutch or English team offers a contract.
Hibernian
It’s difficult not to feel a little sorry for Hibernian managers in recent times. Despite bringing in fortunes selling the likes of Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson, Steven Whittaker etc etc, the managers have had very little to spend. Mixu Paatelainen has managed to assemble (and partially inherit) a team that looks promising on paper, with talent to burn. Unfortunately, on grass, the team has often failed to deliver. Hibs have neither entertained not gotten result when asked. Calls for Mixu’s head have grown louder as the season has progressed, with the team appearing to lack the fight to save Paatelainen’s head.
Sack or Back: Mixu must make the top six if he is to save his job. If he does, I expect him to be given another season to turn it around. A bottom six finish may result in the big Finn looking for another position in football.
Motherwell
Last year, Mark McGhee was hailed as a sensation, being touted for both the Scotland and Celtic jobs. The first half of 2008/09 saw the ‘Well flirt with relegation before finally turning in some decent perfomances and results – all this on possibly the worst pitch in British football. Now, McGhee is again flirting with the top six but will his castigating of fans be the undoing of him?
Sack or Back: There’s no way McGhee will be sacked but if there’s a better opportunity, I doubt Mark will even pause for breath. If Strachan does indeed leave Celtic at the end of the season, expect McGhee to submit an application quicker than is decent.
Hamilton Academicals
After being promoted surprisingly to the SPL, it was no surprise to see the Accies at the bottom of the table, destined for a quick First Division return. Billy Reid decided a change was required and instituted a form of anti-football. This produced incredible results, with the talents of James McCarthy and McArthur, along with Richard Offiong providing some attacking nouse.
Sack or Back: Done absolute wonders. Expect Reid to be offered a contract as long as he would like.
Kilmarnock
Killie have had a terrible run of form that has seen them drop into the relegation mire. Jim Jefferies has long had to cope with large debts and plummeting wages, yet has achieved multiple top six finishes. Since losing the likes of Nish, Boyd and Naismith, Killie have struggled with a goalscorer. Kyle has looked a decent prospect but can he get the goals to save Killie?
Sack or Back: With a team good enough to finish top six, I doubt Killie will be in the relegation mire much longer. Keeping Jefferies is the only sensible option. A sacking is extremely doubtful.
St. Mirren
Since selling their ground at Love Street and moving in to a purpose-built stadium, the Saints have cleared all their debt and look well-placed for the future. Under no way are they safe from relegation but with enough attacking players to make up the difference, they will fight all the way.
Sack or Back: Gus MacPherson is appreciated by both the supporters and the board. Only relegation could threaten his position, so he will be backed until at least the end of the season, and probably further.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
ICT are the only team in the SPL to have already sacked their manager. Under Brewster, an awful away record, plus an even worse home form, seemed to suggest that Inverness were dead and buried. Since arriving though, Terry Butcher has produced decent performances, including a draw at home with Celtic and a wonderful away win at Rangers’ Ibrox Stadium! And then…a 4-0 loss to bottom team Falkirk brings ICT back down to Earth. With little time to experiment, Butcher must get it right.
Sack or Back: He’s only just arrived so Butcher will be backed. Should relegation actually result, expect Butcher to ship out and John Robertson to come back. Having said that, Butcher and Malpas have every chance of turning it around.
Falkirk
Last season, John ‘Yogi’ Hughes was a contender for manager of the year. And now? Bottom of the table with a support largely turned against him. Yogi has brought in a number of experienced players but it just hasn’t worked out. An astonishing 4-0 victory against Inverness gives the Bairns’ fans some hope of survival but they need to get some more results soon.
Sack or Back: The board has come out in support for Hughes. Expect him to be backed but multiple rumours abound that John Hughes has already agreed a deal with Blackpool at the end of the season.
Conclusion
Not surprisingly, the team that gets relegated will be the most under-pressure to sack the manager. Strangely, there’s not a bad manager amongst them. Jefferies and Hughes have proven themselves in the past (although it would appear that Yogi wants to move on), whilst Butcher worked wonders at Motherwell and appears to be doing much the same thing at Inverness. Gus MacPherson is another solid manager who has kept a rather journeyman team in the top echelon of Scottish football. I don’t see any teams benefitting long-term from a change, so it will really be a fall-on-one’s-sword moment for the relegated club.
In the top half, Mixu Paateleinen needs a good run to save his job. Hibs, with that talented team, won’t be content to merely wait around. Jimmy Calderwood took the first bus out of previous club Dunfermline as they didn’t appreciate him enough for a Euro-adventure plus keeping the club out of the relegation mire. The same thing is happening at Aberdeen with English and Dutch clubs sniffing around. I don’t expect Calderwood to last into next season, one way or another. What is strange is that for a less-than-glorious first half of the season (although with a second half UEFA Cup place rally), plus early cup exit, Dons fans want Calderwood out and Mark McGhee called up. McGhee who led Motherwell to a less-than-glorious first half of the season (although with a second half UEFA Cup place rally), plus early cup exit.
Strachan probably cannot do any more for Celtic and to win over the Celtic fans if he takes the league title, so expect a Premiership club to come calling, whilst Rangers are in such a financial mess that only a takeover will stop business as usual next season at Ibrox.
