Playing the long game

AFTER THREE days during which he had spent too long confined within MRI scanning machines, undergoing medicals at Charlton and Celtic, Steven Pressley admitted he had started to feel claustrophobic. But his official unveiling as a Celtic player had the immediate effect of widening his horizons.

No sooner was he in the door than he was talking about wanting to see out his career with Celtic and attempting to match his new manager's longevity. Since Gordon Strachan played until he was 40, the 33-year-old clearly believes he has plenty more years ahead of him. An 18-month contract may have been agreed, but the former Hearts captain already has his sights set on a far more extended tenure.

It may have taken him until Friday to decide that joining the Scottish champions was preferable than a more lucrative deal with Premiership strugglers Charlton, but the seeds had been sown a fortnight before when Strachan invited him to his house for a chat over - according to Pressley - a watery cup of tea. The banter on football, if not the brew itself, had impressed the Scotland international.

"I have the opportunity to play here for 18 months, but I'd certainly love to prove my worth and be able to extend it beyond that. The only way of doing that is by performing to the appropriate level and that's the challenge ahead," said the centre-half.

"When I met Gordon he spoke very positively about that. As a player at Coventry he was still playing at 40 and his fitness levels at the time were phenomenal. So you can play until that sort of age if you look after yourself and train in the correct manner. I do consider myself a late developer and I think my best years are now and still ahead of me. Would I like to finish my career here? Absolutely yes."

While the Celtic manager eulogised about the inspirational qualities Pressley would bring to his team, the man himself was recalling the days when he was the one who drew inspiration from Strachan. It is now more than 11 years since their paths crossed at Coventry City. The younger man had found his career stalling at the Premiership side, while Strachan had arrived as player-coach under Ron Atkinson.

"I just thought he was an inspiration for the younger players because of his professionalism and the way he looked after himself. I think if you want to prolong your career then certainly those are two key areas which must be addressed," stressed Pressley.

"He arrived in the last two or three months of my time at Coventry so I didn't get an opportunity to play under his guidance for a long period of time. I was very homesick at that moment in time because I'd gone to Coventry on the back of my father's death and I was down there on my own. So when the opportunity to return to Scotland presented itself I did that."

Three years at Dundee United followed for the young man once burdened with expectation of being tipped as Richard Gough's successor at Ibrox. But it was the eight-and-half-years at Hearts which really established his credentials as a player, and just as significantly, as a leader.

That all ended in dramatic fashion at the start of December when the club announced that there had been "an amicable agreement to part company" with their captain. However, never had the word amicable' been more disingenuously applied.

Pressley, whether he guessed it at the time or not, effectively signalled the end of his Hearts career the moment back in October when he went public about the significant unrest' in the dressing room over Vladimir Romanov's stewardship of the club.

The man who had borne the burden of keeping the team together during the managerial turmoil had hoped to play out his career at Tynecastle.

But his cautionary words, however thoughtfully delivered, were always likely to sound a professional death knell under such dictatorial ownership.

A confidentiality agreement - one of many gagging former Hearts employees - may prevent Pressley from saying what he really thinks, but his relief to be away from such fraught circumstances was palpable as he talked about his excitement at taking up a fresh challenge at Celtic. He acknowledged he had needed time and space to get what had happened at Hearts out of his system.

"I quite enjoyed the break to be perfectly honest," he admitted. "It took several weeks to get the fire back in my belly, maybe because of the circumstances in which I left. There had been a lot of scrutiny into the incident, but when I finally cleared my head I could see the attraction of coming here."

"I think there had been a lot of pressure for some time at the football club Hearts and I was very passionate about it, and when you are very passionate about it then it definitely affects you."

The SPL schedule has set up the intriguing prospect of Pressley returning to Tynecastle on league business in a fortnight, but given his pedigree - and Celtic's injury problems in defence - he is likely to make his debut before that; perhaps in Tuesday's home match against Kilmarnock or the weekend's Scottish Cup tie against Dumbarton.

In the summer he lifted the Scottish Cup as captain of Hearts. It increased his medal haul to four, since he picked up two league championships and a Scottish Cup medal during his time at Ibrox. It is the opportunity to win more medals at Celtic that was one of the main reasons he turned down Charlton.

"I had still hoped in the years ahead at Hearts that we would have continued to be challenging for silverware on a regular basis. But certainly, at this club, the history will tell you that, year on year, they are there or thereabouts and that is very attractive," he said.

December started with Hearts losing a popular captain. By the end of the month, Celtic had gained a leader. Neil Lennon - "an exceptional captain" according to Pressley - may still wear the armband, but Strachan knows he has recruited another influential figure his younger players can rally round.

"It is a natural part of my make up," said Pressley matter-of-factly. "But it is going to be nice to enjoy my football and concentrate solely on that now."

He intends to enjoy it for as long as possible. And ensure the first 18 months are just the start of his Celtic career.

Taken from the Sunday Herald