| The last fortnight has seen the Old Firm pair publicly state their desire for a move to the more lucrative English leagues or possibly an Atlantic League, which would include top clubs from Holland, Belgium, Portugal and Scandinavia (see also Page 35).
However, today, Craig was more interested in promoting our own brand of football in this country and claims, instead of seeking to jump ship, Rangers and Celtic should be “working harder” to improve their teams within the boundaries of this country.
He said, “To be honest, I’m fed up hearing about all of this.
“But what I will say is all the managers in this country outwith the Old Firm try to bring in players who are value for money and who can compete with Celtic and Rangers.
“It’s up to the Old Firm to do the same when they are looking for players to compete with the top teams in Europe.
“It’s easy to say they’ve no money, but they need to work harder to improve things like their scouting networks if they want to compete at that level.”
Quickly moving on to business in hand, the United boss admits he’ll be forced to make changes for tomorrow’s home game against Hamilton.
Danny Swanson and Prince Buaben are suspended, while Paul Dixon and Scott Robertson are injured.
That could see Mark Fotheringham make his home debut in the middle of the park, with David Robertson also in contention for a starting role.
Craig was giving little away today, but, whoever comes in, he’s looking for his team to put the visitors under pressure from the off.
“We are at home and we’ll be doing our best to get Hamilton on the back foot straight away.
“We’ll, obviously, be making changes to the side, but it’s an opportunity for those who come in to put in a performance that will keep them in the team. We’ve started the season quite well and I firmly believe this is another chance for us to pick up three points.”
Hamilton caused a stir a Tannadice last season, with Craig at loggerheads with Accies counterpart Billy Reid following a 1-1 draw.
That day, the United boss accused Accies of being negative and time-wasting, while Reid claimed his team had been the better side and deserved to win.
“That’s in the past now,” said the United manager.
“These things can happen in football. Mind you, if the same thing happens again tomorrow, you can be sure I’ll be complaining about it after the game.”
Hamilton will welcome back key men Mark McLaughlin and Simon Mensing after both were sorely missed in the 2-0 defeat against St Johnstone two weeks ago.
Captain Alex Neil (hip) could be back in the frame before the end of the month, while Derek Lyle (knee) and James Gibson (knee) are out for the season. |
