THESE are interesting times for Neil Lennon and Ally McCoist, the managers of Scotland's two highest-profile clubs - so, what's new, you might ask; because, is not voyeuristic interest in the doings, sayings and opinions of the managers of the Old Firm clubs not embedded in the culture of Scottish football?
Let's be honest here, with the lead they have built-up, should Celtic not go on and win the SPL title, the biggest stewards' inquiry of all time will examine in forensic detail just how Lennon and his squad managed to blow such a strong position. Celtic, right now, are hotter favourites to win and in a stronger position than Devon Loch was all those years ago - and that was a once in a couple of centuries failure to win.
Ditto, if not more so, for Rangers, the street by which they lead the SFL Third Division is the length of London Road, Argyle Street and Dumbarton Road - if you consider that to be a single, continuous thoroughfare. The Third Division trophy is surely heading for Ibrox.
But, that's where the similarity ends for Glasgow and Scotland's two biggest clubs. The immediate problems facing the bosses could not be much further apart. Lennon now has to turn his mind to the twin targets of extending the club's Champions League run - I, for one, do not believe Juventus in the last 16 need necessarily be the end of the line, whilst keeping his squad fresh-enough and focussed-enough to see out the domestic campaign.
Then, there is the nagging worry that, just maybe, he could lose top-scorer Hooper and midfeild powerhouse Wanyama to the riches of the English Premiership. These two players are prime examples of Celtic's current management model of buy young and cheap, improve and sell-on to England. I don't think this plan sits too-comfortably with what I would call the genuine Celtic support - as opposed to the Plastic Paddies and glory-hunters. They would, I feel, rather see a return to the Stein model of local boys, mainly Celtic fans anyway, brought-up to play the Celtic Way.
Quite honestly, I do not feel the Lisbon Lions cannot be replicated - there is still plenty of raw talent out there in Scotland, it simply needs the right nurturing and it will come good.
But, I digress, losing Hooper and Wanyama might be a minor irritant en route to the SPL title, and probably a domestic "Treble"; the loss of one, might make it harder to stay in Europe: the loss of both would be a fatal blow I fear.
So, does Lennon allow Peter Lawwell to take the money, or does he caution rejection of any bids and go for broke. Decisions, decisions.
For McCoist, the question is, since he cannot strengthen his squad during this transfer window, and, in any case, canny Yorkshireman that he is - and, given his track record at Sheffield United, I don't see Charles Green sanctioning wholesale biggish-money recruiting - how does he keep things fresh once the divisional title is won?
I, and many Rangers fans of my acquaintance, would like to see McCoist giving the kids a whirl, once the league is tied-up. I know Lee McCulloch is not a well-liked individual outwith "Ra Peepul", but, in the way he has led Rangers, and from his personal performances, he has retrieved the Rangers captaincy from its recent history of neds, poseurs, badge-kissers and fly-men and taken it back to somewhere near the standards of such giants as John Greig, Eric Caldow and George Young.
There are still enough of the Lap-Top Loyal in the Scottish Football Writers Association to make big Mac a credible contender for Footballer of the Year, by the way. Although, I don't see how they could give it to someone playing in Level Four.
Fielding a team of, say: Lee Wallace, David Templeton, Ian Black and eight kids just might pay bigger future dividends for McCoist and the club than continuing to grind out wins then bringing in more over-paid recruits when able to.
He has a chance, in the closing weeks of the season, to find out if young Gallacher can replace Neil Alexander; how a back four of Hegarty, Perry, Cole and Wallace performs and to give the youngsters further up the park a chance to gel and grow together.
But, will be have the cojones to try this? Will "Ra Peepul", who, let's face it, don't have the Celtic support's fine past record in encouraging youth to flourish, stand for it, if they lost a couple of games they ought to have won, or have to grind-out wins?
Again, decisions, decisions.
I HAVE just finished reading a couple of books, one written-by, one written-about, Sir Clive Woodward, the architect of England's Rugby World Cup win in 2003.
Woodward is, for my money, one of those maverick geniuses occasionally thrown-up in sport. The books, his biography, written by one of my old bosses, the delightful Alison Kervin, and his self-penned "Winning", should be compulsory reading for any would-be coach or manager.
What does come through is the readiness of Rugby Union's leaders, even the RFU's 57 "Old Farts" and the SRU's "Alickadoos" (it means: all he can do is talk) to embrace change and to try things - to a far greater degree than football.
Of course, while Woodward was fighting his corner to win extra funding and support for the England team from the club men who ran the RFU, he was lucky in that there were important figures within the organisation such as former England captains Fran Cotton and Bill Beaumont who, having played with him for England and the British Lions, were ready to support even the most-outlandish of Woodward's demands.
Gordon Strachan will not have that kind of support at Hampden and, I believe, until we get some former top players into the decision-making processes within the Hampden corridors of power, Scotland will always struggle.
The way the SFA is structured, Stewart Regan, whose main job is to run the administration of the game, has, under him the paid employees. But, when it comes to decision-making, either through the Professional Game Board or the SFA Council, he is hugely-outnumbered by the club officials, who serve unpaid on these bodies - not a single board member or councillor that I can identify is a former Scotland player - this is a disgrace and, to my mind is unacceptable.
The Sky Football Yearbook does not list the full board of each of the 42 senior clubs, but, reading through the details of the leading officials at each club, the single ex-Scotland player named is John Collins, in his capacity as Director of Football at Livingston.
In contrast, look at the SRU, where the president is former Scotland scrum-half Alan Lawson; former "caps" Ian "Mighty Mouse" McLauchlan and Jock Millican are on the main board and "The White Shark", John Jeffery is on the SRU Council - as incidentally is former Glasgow Herald rugby correspondent Bill McMurtrie - can you imagine the SFA allowing Jim Traynor or Chick Young onto their Council? Me neither.
Since "the blazers" have got us, and continue to keep us, in a hole; why not ask them to stop digging and bring in one or two players to kick us out of it?
And, a maverick such as Woodward might help too.
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