Glenn Gibbons: Friends and foes, Smith and Strachan eye the last laugh

Published on Friday 13 March 2009 21:15

Genuine affinity between Old Firm rivals – but something has to give

AN OLD Firm Cup final would not be anybody's idea of the perfect location for a love-in, but Gordon Strachan and Walter Smith are likely to come as close as it is possible for any Celtic and Rangers managers to get to one at Hampden Park tomorrow, even with the Co-operative Insurance-sponsored trophy on the line.

Looking forward to the decisive match of the first of the season's glittering prizes, Strachan expanded on the mutual admiration, respect, and even affection that exists between himself and his great rival, the two men having known each other since their days as players with the two Dundee clubs more than 30 years ago.

Cynics, of course, could claim, with plenty of justification, that their players were also guilty of cosying up to each other in the narcoleptic scoreless draw the team played at Celtic Park last month, and in the match at Ibrox at the end of December in which the tedium was relieved only by Scott McDonald's pulse-quickening winning goal.

Strachan, however, is convinced that the tightness of these recent confrontations is attributable to the style in which they choose to play – and cautioned, alarmingly, that this latest affair at the national stadium may not be any different. "It's a final that's different to any other because it involves Celtic and Rangers," said Strachan.

"I feel excitement and apprehension, but I'm not sure if you'd call it nerves. I do sleep well, although I didn't in those early days as a young manager at Coventry. I tended to lie awake thinking about things. Now I sleep soundly.

"People ask if Walter and I can surprise each other in these events, but it's not really a case of one outfoxing the other. We each have our playing style and we don't change too much. We may do a little tinkering here and there, but basically, there's not much change and I expect it will be the same on Sunday."

The relationship between the two managers was evident during the last match, when they were seen chatting and laughing, as though at a bar, rather than in the middle of a conflict that is reputedly among the fiercest and least forgiving in the game.

"I'm up against somebody I respect and admire," said Strachan. "Unlike England, we don't go in for mind games before big occasions. We talk and enjoy each other's company. I played against him in Dundee derbies when I was at Dundee and he was at United.

"I don't think it's any surprise that Walter became a very successful coach and manager, because he had something that is common to many of those who do well in our business. He was a bit short of pace as a player and you often find that guys like that learn quickly how to read the play, to get themselves into the right position and not be caught out.

"It means they become very good readers and analysts of the game, tactically sound. They know how it works, long before they have given up playing and become managers. Another good example of that would be Willie Miller at Aberdeen."

If there appears to be slightly more urgency about Celtic's need of victory, it is because of their elimination from the Homecoming Scottish Cup by St Mirren and the detail that they have not won an Old Firm final for 20 years. Even if only four have taken place since that Scottish Cup triumph in 1989 – and the last of them six years ago – it is a statistic that will gnaw at the club's supporters.

And the identities of the finalists, naturally, will bring an edge to a competition that has been devalued in recent years. Smith admitted that the financial rewards available to the league champions has taken the premier tournament far beyond the two national cups in status. He might have added that the one which will be contested tomorrow also began to lose its value when it was no longer able to provide qualification for the Uefa Cup.

"In terms of priorities, the league is out on its own," said Smith. "The financial aspect, I think, has devalued both the cup competitions. But we won't be thinking it is devalued as we drive up to Hampden on Sunday. It's the same with the Old Firm fixture itself. Since the change in the league has us playing each other four times a season, it may have lost a wee bit, but as we get to the stadium, that won't apply, either."

Strachan's "tinkering" could see the return of Paul Hartley to midfield, perhaps preferred to Marc Crosas in the specialised holding role. Without offering confirmation or denial, Strachan responded to the question of Hartley's inclusion with what impressed as a powerful hint. "There's no doubt," he said, "that certain players enjoy certain games, certain conditions and even certain opponents. It's like golfers who play better on some courses than on others because it just suits them. Hartley is like that and he's completely reliable, whatever job you ask him to do."

That role could be to stifle the creativity of opponents such as Pedro Mendes and Barry Ferguson, as he did in the victory at Ibrox. Strachan's main dilemma will be which of his two unproductive strikers, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink or Georgios Samaras, play beside Scott McDonald in attack. If Smith decides on a 4-4-2 – unusually for this fixture, but perhaps impelled by the certainty that you can't leave with a draw – it seems certain Kyle Lafferty will be preferred to the surly Kris Boyd as Kenny Miller's partner.

Whatever warmth may pass between the two main figures occupying the dug-outs, it is unlikely to transfer to the stands. It is also, however, a wearying thought that there could be more excitement and animation among the fans than on the pitch.