Celts Must Give Their Aal To Get The Better Of Brucie

Sep 14 2008 Andy Walker

MOST Celtic fans will tell you the Champions League draw has been kind to the Hoops - but mark my words: Don't dismiss Aalborg as complete no-hopers.

The Danes are first-up group opponents for Celtic at Parkhead on Wednesday.

But they can't be written off while former Scotland captain Bruce Rioch calls the shots.

I know from personal experience the huge influence he has on his team and I wouldn't be surprised if they sneak a surprise win at some stage in the group.

Celtic's recent Champions League history suggests a home win is on the cards - but right now their form isn't good enough to take the points for granted in the campaign opener.

Aalborg are the poor relations in Group E with Manchester United strong favourites to go through as winners and Celtic and Villarreal tipped to fight over second place.

But Rioch is the kind of man who relishes a challenge. My first dealings with the manager came in 1992 when he replaced Phil Neal as manager of Bolton Wanderers.

Initially, I didn't know what to make of our new boss but when I eventually left after two seasons working under him, I could not have been more impressed with his ability to coach, manage and lead a group of players.

One of the first things I learned about Bruce was he was very proud to have been the son of a Scottish regimental sergeant major.

He was equally proud to have been the first English-born skipper of the Scotland national team.

In fact, not so long ago he was interviewed for the post of Scotland manager - but the SFA, in their wisdom, chose Bertie Vogts.

Knowing Bruce, he would simply have taken that setback on the chin and moved on.

His managerial record is impressive and his success with Middlesbrough in the late 1980s was remarkable.

Boro went into liquidation in July 1986 and, with no money to spend, Bruce simply gave local lads like Tony Mowbray, Colin Cooper and Gary Pallister a chance to impress.

They formed the backbone of a side that quickly won back-to-back promotions.

Bolton were a mediocre side with average crowds of around 5,000 when he took over. By the time he left, 13,000 or 14,000 was the norm.

It was an inspired appointment as Rioch was responsible for putting a famous club back on the map.

Given that level of success with two unfashionable clubs it seems obvious to mention that his man-management skills were impressive.

One incident is worth a mention.

There was a feeling at the time that Bolton were about to achieve great things and capable of anything.

But unexpected success can cause some people to do daft things.

Scott Green played in a famous victory at Anfield when we knocked out FA Cup holders Liverpool on their own pitch.

For the first time since the days of Frank Worthington, there was serious interest in the media about Bolton Wanderers and their players.

Scott was not used to the attention and wasn't sure how to respond. He took the hype too much to heart.

One morning, we were gobsmacked when he drove up to the training ground in a brand new BMW.

It was a beautiful machine and Scott was preening himself, showing it off to anyone who looked interested.

When Bruce found out he casually summoned Scott to his office and told him he had bought a beautiful car but that he didn't need it.

He advised him to take it back to the showroom as soon as possible, reminded him he had a wife, newborn twins just a few months old and that he should concentrate on providing for them instead of buying flash cars.

To his credit, Scott listened and was soon spending money instead on getting a better house for his family.

Bolton's success under Rioch brought the crowds flocking to Burnden Park.

After training one day, we returned to the ground to see thousands of supporters queuing up to buy tickets for the next big cup-tie.

Bruce came into the dressing room and told us training wasn't quite finished.

He led the whole first-team squad into the kitchen where we were asked to join him in preparing pots of tea and plates of biscuits to take to the fans queuing in freezing temperatures, just to thank them for their support.

Can you imagine that happening now when so many players have an inflated idea of their own celebrity?

It was a simple gesture right out of Brian Clough's book of tricks.

Bruce had been part of the great man's team that won the English First Division and knew what was required to put a winning team together.

His style of play was always the same - crisp passing, keeping possession and using the width of the park.

At Middlesbrough, Stuart Ripleywas a key player for him and at Bolton David Lee and Scott Green were two wide midfielders who did the same job.

Bruce will be excited at being on the Champions League stage.

His team is so far removed from Celtic in terms of wealth, stature, history and tradition - but that's exactly what he will thrive on.

His success at Middlesbrough and Bolton, when both clubs continually upset the odds against the big boys, tells me Aalborg will be dangerous opponents on Wednesday.