There are some people who will say it must be one of the easiest jobs in the game being Celtic goalkeeper. I actually think it’s one of the toughest.
There are matches in Scotland where the man between the posts only gets called on two or three times in 90 minutes. Yet they better make sure they are 100 percent spot on with every time, otherwise the scrutiny is huge.
The slightest slip up can have massive consequences, so it takes a mentality and level of concentration you don’t see everywhere. That’s the scenario that’s likely to be ahead of Viljami Sinisalo this weekend and probably for the near future.
What a chance this is for the goalkeeper. It takes me back to my playing days when we had a young keeper who was thrust into the limelight – David Marshall. Sinisalo will probably come in to face Hearts and it’s a big game at a crucial stage of the season.
But it’s nothing compared to the pressure Marshall had when he got the call. He’s played the odd cup game here or there but it was a big moment when Rob Douglass got sent off at half-time against Barcelona at Parkhead in the UEFA Cup thanks to Bobo Balde going on the rampage.
Talk about an intense environment. Marshall coped brilliantly and we saw out the win – and everyone remembers his outstanding display at the Nou Camp when we put them out.
It’s funny, it seems there are hundreds of players on podcasts these days telling everyone how tough a dressing room it was for youngsters. Half of these guys I can’t even remember.
Yeah, we could be hard on them at times and the banter was ferocious. Let’s just say it was character building. But we also were supportive and we had Marshall’s back. He was only a teenager at the time and he was a quiet lad.
Yet he had a steel about him. He had the temperament you need to be a Celtic goalkeeper.
Marshall came in and made the position his own for a good while, and he had other memorable moments like the penalty save against Ronaldinho against Barca the following year.
He even up leaving after Artur Boruc came in but he went on to have a really good career.
That is all in front of Sinisalo right now – and it will be interesting to see how he copes this weekend. He arrived with a decent reputation and there has been talk he’s a no.1 of the future.
He will have experienced players around him to help but the goalkeeper position is very much an individual thing. This is his chance right now. Don’t get me wrong, Schmeichel will be a huge miss.
We might not watch the Denmark team in depth but the criticism he took in his homeland was way overboard. Schmeichel has been a brilliant servant for his country and didn’t deserve that nonsense.
All we can go on here is his Celtic performances and he’s been a superb signing.
I don’t think he had his best game against Rangers the other week but those displays have been rare. Look at the saves he made against Bayern Munich last month. He was incredible.
You look at Joe Hart and the impact he made at Celtic. There were huge gloves to fill when he retired but Schmeichel managed it.
They are different characters. Hart was more of a live wire in the dressing room while Schmeichel is more of a calm player. But both have huge presence. That comes with experience and ability and while Sinisalo might have the latter, the former is only built up over time.
This is a ruthless game and he should see this as a tremendous opportunity to stake his claim to be the first choice in the here and now, rather than at the end of next season.
It goes back to what I was saying though about the Celtic goalkeeper role being a tough gig.
All eyes will be on him, analysing how he deals with crosses, his shot stopping, how he does with the ball at his feet – which is a big part of the job at Celtic. There’s no room for error.
I know he played against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup but he didn’t have enough to do for anyone to make any kind of judgement.
It will be a different story against a Hearts team with plenty to play for this weekend. For Celtic, it’s about getting a bounce after the Rangers game. We know what it’s like in Scotland.
Brendan Rodgers’ team have lost just twice all season, they are 13 points clear and are favourites to go on and win a Treble.
But having lost to Rangers a fortnight ago, you’d think they were rubbish and in need of a total rebuild. Yes, they lost the derby, and all the talk is about how Rangers are back – yet again.
In reality though, at 2-2 there only looked one winner and it could quite easily have ended up a victory despite not playing their best.
Instead, Rangers went up and grabbed a goal of their own to get the bragging rights for a few weeks. Fair enough, that’s how it goes.
Some of the knee-jerking has been pretty laughable , but that’s how it works in these parts.
Celtic do need a response though as even though the title isn’t really a doubt, they won’t want to limp over the line.
There is still a lot to play for this season – and none more so for the man who could be taking over the gloves for the time being.