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Celtic And Aberdeen Have Shown That Scottish Football Is Winning The Credibility War.

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Yesterday, when I wrote the Jonny Hayes article, I confidently predicted that Derek McInnes would leave Aberdeen on the back of interest from Sunderland. Why not? The English club has money. It has ambition. It can offer him a greater salary, and a hefty transfer budget. If you look at the way the Pittodrie club appears to be weakening the playing squad you wonder what possible reason there is to stay with them, with interest like that?

Yet McInnes surprised me and the sport odds and tips at OddsDigger. He turned down the move. And in that, I think, there’s an interesting trend developing, and one which we should ponder for a moment.

McInnes has turned down the lure of England, showing that the game isn’t all about money now. Whatever has happened at Aberdeen in the last week, something’s changed his view on their level of intent. They’ve just brought in a new director, a guy with serious financial weight. If he decides to make some of that money available to the club things just got interesting in the battle for that second spot in the league.

I don’t expect that to happen, by the way, and I hope it doesn’t. Aberdeen, propped up by sugar-daddy wealth, sounds like an interesting prospect but it would rule out that club supporting Financial Fair Play entirely. At least then their failure to insist on it would make some kind of sense, but it wouldn’t be welcomed. It would take the game backwards.

Even so, he will bring gravitas and a new level of intent and ambition to their board. He may well be taking a lead in funding their stadium building – spending on infrastructure doesn’t interfere with FFP regulations, it’s allowed under them – and if so then great; we do need Aberdeen as strong as possible, and making that challenge more likely.

Has he sold McInnes on that? Something has changed his mind, or made it up for him anyway, and he’s knocked the Sunderland move on the head. I don’t rate this guy – everyone knows that – but this decision clearly represents a major shift in his thinking. He has been sold on Aberdeen’s vision. He knows they are a bigger club than Sunderland.

And that’s important here. He has chosen to stay in the SPL, even knowing it’s a battle for second he’s involved in, rather than go south for the money. And he’s not the only person from Pittodrie who’s decided to stay in our league.

Jonny Hayes faced the same decision. There was interest from England, but he made it clear from the off that Celtic was his first choice. He realised that there’s no club down there but a handful at the very top, who can compete with us in terms of our size. The idea that he would choose Cardiff or Birmingham over us … it was laughable.

The same applies to rumours about Leigh Griffiths, which I didn’t even bother to cover in any detail because they were so ludicrous. Like he was going to choose to leave Celtic Park for Newcastle or – haha – West Brom. Not in this lifetime.

Brendan Rodgers was told Celtic was a step backwards. But Premiership clubs would bite our hands off if we were to make him available to talk with them. Southampton – currently without a boss – would have the contract ready for signing if he showed the slightest interest. More than one club would be willing to part company with their current manager if they thought he might be tempted to join them. But he signed a long term deal here instead.

Stuart Armstrong will be next to commit, although English interest in him is very real. The same applies to Jozo Simunovic, whose agent has told the press that he has admirers … but the player is committed to Celtic until Celtic tells him otherwise.

Certain players will still choose to make the journey to the English game; young Jason Cummings looks set to wind up at Notts Forest (who’s management team couldn’t wait to get out of Ibrox to head south; don’t forget that. Not every Scottish club is viewed with the same respect down there) when he’d have been far better staying at Hibs … but the overall picture is of a Scottish game in better health than it’s been in quite some time.

Today, Paul Brennan at CQN is saying that a deal for Roberts now looks unlikely at best; if it’s true, and Paul is usually spot on with this stuff, then it’s a blow, but one that reflects the insanity of English football. It’s more than likely that the stumbling block here is the transfer fee. City are reputedly asking for a fortune, and even with the best will in the world we can’t, and won’t, and shouldn’t, blow the budget on a single player.

But whilst money rules the game down there and many look at how to bet on football online, not everyone is buying what the English game is selling. Sinclair chose Scotland. Dembele chose Scotland. And yes, what those guys chose above and beyond Scottish football was Celtic … but don’t underestimate our national sport. It might be run by charlatans, but those who’ve played here know it’s no walk in the park in spite of what the muppets of TalkSport and elsewhere might think.

The game here is not the strongest in Europe; we know that. And whilst we’ll play second string to the clubs down south with megabucks, who can afford players none of our clubs can, yes even the Huddersfield’s of the world, we’re slowly, but surely, winning the credibility war. There will be setbacks – and if Roberts is staying in England that’s a big one – but what Armstrong, Dembele, McInnes and others have proved is that it’s not the only show in town.

And that’s all to the good for the Scottish game.

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