Dundee United's Barry Robson fears it is only a matter of time before a big club moves in for Tangerines boss Craig Levein.
Levein will mark 12 months in his job at Tannadice next week and has already dragged the team he inherited sitting bottom of the SPL table to fourth in the league, having recorded their best start to a season since 1993.
United, who host Rangers on Sunday, have battled with relegation more often than not over the last decade but look almost certain to finally break into the top six - if not the top four - this season.
The Tangerines' remarkable turnaround has ensured Levein's stock has steadily risen, so the former Hearts and Leicester manager, who led the Jambos to third place in 2003, is likely to be shortlisted for future vacancies around the country.
He was considered for the Scotland position following Walter Smith's departure to Rangers but, even though he missed out on that occasion, Robson is worried bigger clubs will start circling.
He said: "The manager has been here for nearly a year now and we've improved steadily all the time. I knew the minute he walked in the door that he was excellent and he has proved it over the last 12 months. He is very shrewd tactically, has got us organised and has improved every player. He commands respect because he has done it all in the game as a player. It's going to be difficult to keep him at Tannadice because I wouldn't be surprised if a bigger club tried to take him away. Hopefully that won't happen because we love working with him but the fact he has done so well won't be going unnoticed. He was linked with the Scotland job and that wasn't a surprise because of how good he is. We want to hang onto him but it wouldn't be a shock if someone big came calling."
Levein is renowned for pushing his players hard and will not allow standards to slip.
Robson was on the receiving end of a blast during the recent game with Falkirk but insists his manager's will to win is one of his biggest strengths.
He added: "We had a bit of a fall-out during one of the games but it was nothing. It doesn't matter who you are, what you are or where you are with the manager - if he has got something to say he will just say it. I think he would even go through the chairman! I've got great respect for him and get on great for him. He's a winner and so am I and so are the rest of the lads so we all work well together. He works on little things and in the end it adds up to a lot. He has improved me because he is so thorough, we watch videos of how we play and after it he goes over what I could have done better and also what I did well. It's all very positive and he does that for every player so I think all the lads would agree that they have improved."
Robson added: "He has got a really good eye for a player and has made some great signings for basically nothing, guys like Morgaro Gomis and Prince (Buaben) as well as the Irish boys so everything is going really well at the club."
Goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska has learned that his metatarsal injury is almost healed and will begin to increase his workload over the next few weeks.
22 October 2007
Barcelona are facing an injury crisis and defender Eric Abidal admits they will need to somehow find a way to cope with the "physical" challenge posed by Rangers.
But Abidal insists the answer is not for manager Frank Rijkaard to push him forward to bulk up the midfield.
Left-back Abidal is fearing another costly defeat, having already been beaten twice on international duty by Scotland in the past 13 months.
"I have played against Scotland for France and we have lost twice," said the 28-year-old former Lyon player.
"They play very aggressive football, it is much more physical."
Barcelona have ruled playmaker Deco out for five weeks, striker Samuel Eto'o is still sidelined, and Yaya Toure, Gianluca Zambrotta, Edmilson and Rafael Marquez will also miss Tuesday's Champions League Group E clash.
They could be light in midfield, in terms of a ball-winner, but Abidal said: "I am a defender, not a midfielder. I am not used to playing in midfield. To be honest, it's not a position I fancy very much. There are players that can cover that area and it is up to the boss to decide which of us will have to do that."
Deco admits Barcelona's players, who visited Scotland on a pre-season tour and played matches against Dundee United and Hearts, may have pushed themselves too hard and paid the price.
He said on www.fcbarcelona.com: "I am no doctor but when we put in a lot of effort and play lots of games you reach the point where your body has hit its limit and that's when injuries occur."
16 October 2007
Andy Webster has called his old manager Graham Rix as a key witness in his court battle with Hearts.
The former Jambos boss will take the stand at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland later this week.
Rix is finally set to spill the beans on his reign at Tynecastle after settling his claim for compensation against Vladimir Romanov on the steps of the Court of Session earlier this year.
The ex-Chelsea coach has never spoken about his five-month reign at Hearts, which ended with his dismissal last March after only 19 games in charge.
But that will change when Rix is quizzed about the relationship between Webster and the club's hierarchy.
Hearts accused Rix of breaching his contract by telling players before a game at Dundee United that club owner Romanov had picked the side.
For his part, Rix claimed his sacking was unjustified and demanded £445,000 for loss of earnings before the row was settled out of court in March.
Webster, now on loan at Rangers from Wigan, believes Rix will prove a key ally as he prepares for the courtroom showdown in Lausanne tomorrow and Thursday.
Webster was controversially benched for the match at Tannadice that led Rix to tell players before kick-off he did not have full control of team selection.
Webster had refused a new deal with Hearts at the time and went on to play only two more games for the club following Rix's departure.
Rix declined to comment last night, but Webster quit Hearts last summer with a year remaining on his contract, citing FIFA Article 17, and joined Wigan without a transfer fee being paid.
Earlier this year, FIFA ordered Webster and Wigan to jointly pay Hearts £625,000 and claimed the player broke his contract without due cause.
Webster has gone to the Court of Arbitration to argue that ruling was too severe. He claims Hearts should only have been paid his final-year salary of around £200,000.
For their part, Hearts are demanding at least £4million for the player and have tagged the court case the new Bosman.
Wigan, who loaned the player to Rangers in January, have also appealed and claim they're not liable for any part of the £625,000 compensation set by FIFA.
All three sides will make their representation in front of a three-man panel of lawyers with experience in sport and contract law.
The panel could release their findings as early as next month.
06 October 2007
Hibernian sprung a surprise with a 1-0 win away at Rangers to leapfrog the Old Firm side and go top of the SPL table.
Hibs' victory came courtesy of David Murphy who struck on the hour mark to give his side all three points and a place at the top.
Dundee United were 1-0 victors over Motherwell – a result which moves them up to fourth in the table.
The two sides started the day equal on points but The Tangerines are now three better off after Darren Dods hit the net with just over ten minutes remaining.
Hearts were the day's biggest victors after they beat Falkirk 4-2 at Tynecastle.
Andrius Ksanavicius, Marius Zaliukas, Andrius Velicka and Christian Nade gave the hosts a four-goal advantage but Graham Barrett and Pedro Moutinho both got their names on the scoresheet in the last five minutes to give the scoreline a degree of respectability.
Abime Koudou scored in the first minute of the 2-2 draw between Kilmarnock at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
A Simon Ford own goal pulled Inverness level but Colin Nish looked to have given the hosts the win before Don Cowie struck to give Falkirk a share of the spoils.
04 October 2007
West Ham United's Christian Dailly has been recalled to the Scotland squad for their forthcoming Euro 2008 Group B qualifiers against Ukraine and Georgia.
Christian Dailly has taken the place of Sunderland's Russell Anderson, who along with Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher is ruled out through injury, in Scotland manager Alex McLeish' squad for the upcoming Euro 2008 Group B qualifiers against Ukraine and Georgia.
Derby County striker Kenny Miller is back after missing the victories over Lithuania and France through a hamstring injury.
And Sheffield United full-back Gary Naysmith is also fit again after a knee ligament injury and included in the squad.
Dailly had been dropped from the squad for the matches against Lithuania and France but earns his recall because he is now playing more regular first-team football while on loan from West Ham to Championship side Southampton.
McLeish said he believes that Miller has benefitted from the move to the Premier League in England and has no fears about the striker's fitness. Miller scored on his Derby County debut against Newcastle following his transfer from Celtic, and was again on target in the 1-1 draw with Bolton at the weekend.
"Kenny is back playing again, which is good to see," said McLeish. "He has had a great start down there and it hasn't been a backwards step for him."
McLeish added: "Naysmith has had a wee tweak on his hamstring at the weekend, but our doctor has been in contact with the Sheffield United medical people and he should be okay. I spoke to Gary and he says, if selected, that he would be very much available. Experience is the keyword, he has great experience and that is what we need at this crucial stage of the competition."
While Dundee United captain Barry Robson and Derby defender Jay McEveley keep their places, overall, McLeish has stayed faithful to the players who have taken Scotland to the top of Group B.
Scotland welcome Ukraine to Hampden on 13th October, then travel to play Georgia four days later.
On the injured Fletcher, McLeish said: "To lose players of that calibre is always a loss, but we have shown that we can cope without key players."
Scotland squad:
Goalkeepers: Gordon (Sunderland), Marshall (Norwich), McGregor (Rangers)
Defenders: Alexander (Burnley), Caldwell (Celtic), Dailly (West Ham), Hutton (Rangers), McEveley (Derby), McManus (Celtic), Naysmith (Sheffield United), Weir (Rangers)
