Sanity goes out the window

Nov 30 2008 Gordon Waddell

HALF MEASURES - something we Scots never do. In a week calling for reason and sanity we've thrown ourselves over the edge of a cliff.

By Wednesday not only were Celtic out of Europe, they had gone out to the Danish Under-11 schoolgirls' netball fourth XI - a side tagged an embarrassment not only to the Champions League but to Danish Under-11 netball.

Yet still good enough to pump any team from Scotland obviously. But as we poked the cadaver of our game in the aftermath looking for signs of life we kind of missed the point.

Because all we did was compare what we've done this season to what we did in the last campaign. Then asked the question: Are we that bad or is this just a blip?

Without figuring that last season was actually a blip as well. As big a spike on one side of the norm as this was a spike down the way on the other.

No doubt about it, this season has been a disaster. Thirteen games, no wins, five goals. If Celtic lose their final group match to Villarreal it will be our poorest ever in Europe. Questions do need to be asked.

Yet we're holding it up against a campaign where we played more European games than any other in history. Thirty nine to be exact - won 11, drew 14.

Our standards have dropped but not as far as some are making out. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

That's why Walter Smith and Gordon Strachan were right to ask for a measure of sanity yesterday morning.

The big question now is: Will we see it from either of their clubs come January?

That's the problem. All they have left this season is trying to blow each other's brains out.

No distractions, no excuses and it's as even a playing field as they've had for an SPL title run-in in years.

Since Strachan arrived in 2005 at least one of Glasgow's big two has always had a post-Christmas Euro run to fret over, to bubble-wrap their squad for. Not this time.

They go into the January transfer window with two sets of fans growling they've been shortchanged by their side's Euro failures. That their clubs haven't ponied up the cash when and where it has been needed.

When January comes around the gap between the Old Firm could be tight if Rangers go on a decent run and Celtic stumble at Ibrox next month.

Then we'll see if either of them are as sane as they're making out.

Different story when they're peeing up different walls. A European final against an SPL title? They can argue about what they'd rather have forever.

This year there's no hiding place. They're both staring up at the same wall.

One wins, one loses. One manager survives, the other gets assassinated.

And if one thing is guaranteed to knock the sense out of either of them it's the prospect of the other getting the step on them.

Which is why, come January 1, the clamour from the stands to spend will be massive.

And you know ONE of them will blow the promised prudence out of the window.

If either thinks about getting through to February without making an impact signing they will lose the league.

The Old Firm have both made mistakes in the transfer market already this season.

Rangers by shutting the stable door after the horse had bolted in August, signing Pedro Mendes and Steve Davis a month after they needed them.

And Celtic by using what little cash they did have in the wrong areas - especially not pushing for a much-needed left-back. That's why David Murray and Peter Lawwell will take an absolute pounding next month. Their punters won't settle for being let down again.

Look at last year. Rangers sold Alan Hutton for £9million and brought in Christian Dailly and Neil Alexander. Celtic bought Barry Robson and took Georgios Samaras on loan.

It doesn't take a nuclear physicist to work out what impact both sets of dealings had.

Which is why Strachan and Smith can play as nice as they like with their bosses this weekend - but why they'll both have their hands around their necks in a month's time.

As the great Chico Marx once said, come January, there ain't no sanity clause.