Aberdeen Jimmy Thelin ‘risky’ flak unfair as Celtic & Rangers given leeway

Jimmy Thelin hasn’t even entered the country yet but he’s already had pundits questioning why he was handed the Aberdeen job over the usual band of Scottish-based managers.

The names mentioned most prominently have been Malky Mackay, Neil Lennon and Stephen Robinson. Surely these guys with experience of the Scottish game are better options than this outsider, is the argument put forward.

Let’s assess that. Aside from all the obvious added baggage from a chequered past, Mackay has just been sacked by the team sitting second bottom of the Premiership. An interim boss is currently trying to save them from the relegation battle Mackay and Derek Adams left them in. In what world would his next job be at one of the biggest clubs in the country?

Neil Lennon was in charge of a similar-sized club to the Dons in Hibs and after a good start, left them in the bottom six and under a cloud after falling out with with people behind the scenes. Since then he’s had a 10-in-a-row disaster at Celtic and managed in Cyprus for a few months, albeit winning a cup but then being fired for underperformance in the league.

All that suggests these guys are not even the “safe pairs of hands” they’re being billed as. What is it about them that makes them so much more appealing than a young, hungry manager who is on an upwards trajectory? That they know the league? What good is that when their most recent jobs in said league have been failures?

Robinson is obviously the exception as he continues to have St Mirren punching above their weight and has done a very good job there. Derek McInnes would come into the same category.

But are they so far clear of Thelin just because they are from, or have managed in, this country?

Put it this way. If the Celtic or Rangers jobs were to come up right now would our pundits be putting these guys forward and dismissing any foreign bosses because they ‘don’t know the league?’ Of course not, because apparently it’s different for those two.

Philippe Clement has started to wobble at Ibrox in recent weeks but there is no-one giving it ‘ah you see, they should have gone with someone that knows the league’. You can bet they would be with any other club. In fact, some are with Nick Montgomery who has only been at Hibs for a few weeks more.

There seems to be some sort of fear of bringing in foreign managers in this country for any other club outside the big two. Just because they are both global clubs with big resources everyone seems to forget about this unwritten rule they’ve set about having to “know the league.” You’d think if that was so important it would matter even MORE at clubs where the demand for success is so great, the margin for error is so small and there is a uniqueness around the culture of playing and managing in Glasgow.

But no, they are allowed to go out and appoint Belgian managers who are unlikely to have watched many games of Scottish football in their life, but the likes of Aberdeen are criticised for casting their net out and trying something a bit different.

Thelin has been described as an impressive individual by those who have worked with him. He’s won titles, albeit at a lower level in Sweden, and finished second with Elfsborg in the Allsvenskan. That’s higher than the Hacken team who BEAT the Pittodrie side in Europe and significantly higher than the Hammarby side managed by Marti Cifuentes, who was given the QPR job in the Championship down south and turned around their form.

This is not some unknown manager who has been plucked from obscurity yet he’s met with the suggestion he’s not suitable for the Dons and all of this suspicion around bringing someone in from abroad. Can we not embrace someone who will likely have new ideas, a bit different to the norm here, and could just be a breath of fresh air in our game?

The same thing happened when Hearts appointed Daniel Stendel a few years ago. Okay, that didn’t end well but he was already on the back foot before a ball was kicked because of some apparent distrust of a foreign boss. He wasn’t coming from Siberia. He’d won promotion from League One in England, where our teams recruit players from, but they’re not allowed to take a manager who had been a success there because he’s not from the UK?

It’s not clear what it is the fans of Malky Mackay and co think they could have achieved at Pittodrie but what is clear is that Aberdeen supporters are much more enthused about the ride that Thelin could take them on.

Every managerial appointment is a risk. Is taking someone from another country a bigger risk? Perhaps ever so slightly, but the reward could be far greater than settling for a “safe pair of hands” that may not even be that safe after all.

What’s worse is that the Dons’ last three failed permanent managers have been Scottish. It’s not difficult to see why going down that road wouldn’t be that appealing to them.

“Hopefully I can just keep repaying their support,” Adam Idah

Adam Idah has been somewhat of a surprise package since Celtic brought him to the club on a loan deal from Norwich City in the January transfer window of this year. The big forward has consistently found the net for the Hoops and has managed to score some pretty important goals along the way since coming up the road to Scottish football.

Bagging a goal against your city rivals in a pressure-cooker of an atmosphere is not for the faint of heart, it has to be said. However, nothing about the Republic of Ireland international could be described as faint; Idah plays with no frills or airs and graces, he simply engages the opposition defence in a good old-fashioned duel to the death. And it’s been great to watch at times, it really has.

He’s brought a freshness and a vigour to the Celtic squad that has been missing and is certainly a throwback to the days of John Hartson and Jan Venegoor of Hesselink. Using that big, bustling frame, he’s always looking to press his authority in the final third of the pitch and that dig he brings to the game cannot be dismissed if the Bhoys are to go all the way this year and scoop what would be a very sweet third consecutive Scottish Premiership title come May.

Adam Idah of Celtic heads the ball over Zach Hemming of St Mirren to give Celtic a 3-0 lead. Celtic v St Mirren, Celtic Park, 13 April 2024 Photo Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock

The Cork native is enjoying his time with the current Champions and has admitted that he’s only beginning to realise how big this institution really is. “I popped into a couple of pubs back home in Cork. I didn’t expect all that, to be honest,” he said to Football Scotland. “I was shocked when I walked in! It was great seeing everyone. They sent me some footage of the place from the other weekend watching the theRangers game and the place looked amazing. It’s not far from where I grew up. My mate took me down and we met some fans and the owners. It was top class.

“I don’t think I would have got that reception if I wasn’t at Celtic. They’d just think I was just another local lad. Coming here you are treated like a hero wherever you go. It’s fantastic. I don’t know if I’ll need to buy a pint again – I hope not!

“The fans are so good. Every single person I’ve met has been top class. You can be driving through the city and people are cheering you on. It’s great for us players to have that fan base behind us. It really motivates you to fight for them.”

Celtic v St Mirren – Brendan Rodgers with Adam Idah after the Premiership match at Celtic Park on Saturday April 13, 2024. Photo Jane Barlow

The player revealed he’s living in a new, mad, exciting, yet undeniably wonderful world as a Celtic striker, and now he’s looking to repay that magnificent support he has been given since he walked through those famous Parkhead gates.

He said: “I knew the club was huge when I came up. I know everyone says it but you don’t actually realise how big it is until you are here. For example, I got sent a video of the goal from a pub in Australia. It was mobbed and it was going crazy.

“You realise people are watching this all over the world. It’s amazing how big this club is. It has taken me a bit by surprise. I was saying to my mum recently, I didn’t actually realise just how many Celtic tops I was seeing when I was back home.

He added: “They have always been there but maybe I just wasn’t noticing as much. It’s still a bit of a shock to me. It’s been weird. There are so many fans back home that will come up to me.

“Even lads I used to kick a ball with when I was young and are still friends are asking me for photos. I’m thinking, ‘What is going on?’ It’s crazy. My life has gone a bit strange. No matter where I go I think I’m going to bump into Celtic fans somewhere. Hopefully I can just keep repaying their support.”

3 Celtic experimental solutions for Liam Scales injury with one Brendan Rodgers go to remaining

Brendan Rodgers has an injury headache to consider at crucial point in the campaign – with Celtic facing more problems at the heart of their defence.

Daizen Maeda could be out until next season in a blow to the Scottish Premiership leaders title surge – it is at centre-back that the Hoops can’t seem to shake their problems Liam Scales has picked up a strain in his abductor with Celtic boss Rodgers stating he is unlikely to be involved during the clash with St Mirren leaving the Irishman with a major rethink of his backline for Celtic Park showdown.

Cameron Carter-Vickers and Scales have been the preferred partnership this season – but with the US international and Scales being hampered by injury woes at various points throughout the campaign. And when the Parkhead boss has been forced into a rethink that has often brought concerns over the recruitment since Rodgers’ return into the limelight.

But with Celtic knowing that every game is a must-win with Rangers breathing down their necks it’s a far from ideal time to break up your preferred partnership. Record Sport looks at the options to partner Carter-Vickers.

Gustaf Lagerbielke

The Swedish defender was close to leaving Parkhead for Lecce in January after a lack of game time, but could he now have a say on the title race? He was kept around for cover during an injury crisis but still has rarely managed to secure any minutes after his £3million move last summer.

Lagerbielke has not started a game since September and has managed just two substitute appearance since his January switch to Serie A collapsed. If the decision was to keep him around due to injuries the 24-year-old will hope to finally get his chance against the Buddies.

Maik Nawrocki

Maik Nawrocki has faced an injury-hampered spell at Celtic and saw a brief run in the team come to an abrupt halt following he return of Cameron Carter-Vickers. The Polish centre-back limped off against Motherwell back in February and has yet to make another appearance.

He was designated as Liam Scales partner while Carter-Vickers was out and having made the bench in recent weeks he will be hoping he gets the chance to replace the Ireland cap. After making just 10 appearances so far this season fans will be keen to see how their £4.3million summer signing fairs on the right-side of a centre-back duo.

Stephen Welsh

The 24-year-old has remained a trusted figure at the back following Brendan Rodgers return to Celtic Park. Despite being hampered by his own injury problems this season, Welsh has often been the go-to defender should Scales or Carter-Vickers be sidelined.

When Scales was last absent in the win over St Johnstone, Welsh was given the nod. Given the stakes at play Rodgers could turn to a tested pairing.

Tomoki Iwata

While Tomoki Iwata has shown his best in the Celtic engine room in recent weeks, the return of Callum McGregor could see him pushed into a deeper role. While the fitness of the Celtic skipper remains up in the air, Iwata has shown he can play at centre-back already this season.

The midfielder was pushed back into the heart of the defence before Rodgers’ turned to Lagerbielke in the 3-1 defeat to St Johnstone. With Iwata having regular minutes under his belt, could he fill the void left by Scales?