THERE have been a few grumbles about Celtic’s failure to land a striker in the transfer window.

But realistically I think you have to look at the business Celtic conducted and say that they did not do too badly.

Yes, they are a little light up front – but I think getting it right where strikers are concerned is the hardest task of all in football.

It is such a difficult position and those who make their name in that role come at a premium. It will be interesting to see, long-term, how Ryan Christie develops.

But with the exception of Gary Hooper, Celtic’s success in buying young talent, developing them and selling them on for profit has come in the middle to back areas of the pitch, including the goalkeepers.

Virgil van Dijk is the latest to fall into that pattern. There is no-one who expected to see the defender in a Hoops shirt at this stage of the season but the £13m fee that Celtic brought in for him is extraordinary and I do think you have to applaud the club on that level.

The business structure has been sound and although it may not appeal to supporters, I do think it is the only sensible and realistic way to operate.

We always hark back to it, but it is so difficult to compete economically when you are in a league that just does not command anywhere near the TV revenues that the big leagues do.

If you look at the forward players who have been brought in for decent money over recent seasons who just haven’t cut it – Teemu Pukki, Mo Bangurra, Stefan Scepovic, Derk Boerrigter – you can appreciate just how tough it is to find a player that you can predict will come in and get you goals.

It is the hardest job in football and it is why they always go for big money.

The likes of Steven Fletcher and Michu were always going to be out of reach for Celtic. That is the reality of the situation and I suspect that people can appreciate why when you see the terms they are on.

Domestically, the squad is strong and there is sufficient quality in there to think that Celtic will challenge again for a Treble while looking to make inroads into the Europa League. Going forward, I think they have looked decent – excuse Malmo where the entire team did not turn up – and defensively I think the outlay for Jozo Simunovic is significant.

It is where the bulk of the Van Dijk transfer fee went and you have to think that the youngster comes with a considerable pedigree as well as a good bit of experience because of the games he has played for Dinamo Zagreb already. It is the defensive stability that Celtic need most of all at the minute with a strong defensive partnership required to replace the successful combination of Van Dijk and Jason Denayer.

What I would also like to see over the next few months is Nadir Ciftci and Leigh Griffiths allowed the chance to play together. I think it would bring out the best in both of them and, particularly, I think it would be beneficial to Ciftci.

I don’t know if Ronny Deila might give consideration to giving them the chance to establish some kind of partnership in domestic home matches.

Griffiths has started the season well but I think playing with another out-and-out forward could give Celtic an attacking edge.

We all know the system that the manager prefers but I would like to see it tweaked in order to test how the two would tandem together.

As we all know, the bottom line for any Celtic striker is that you need to score goals. You are judged on that and that alone and in that regard I would say that Ciftci has to look to really hit the ground running.

He has served his six-game suspension and he needs a goal. The quicker he gets it, the quicker he can bed himself into the team. Given that he has been in and out the jury is still out on him and he needs time to prove himself, but it is important that he gets off the mark quickly.

And, given that Celtic do not have an abundance of attacking options at the minute, he needs to be told to keep the head. His indiscipline has cost him as he has had to sit out in the league this month and Deila’s side can ill-afford to be without him again because of a moment of madness.

Glasgow Times:

Fitting tribute for legendary Big Jock

JOCK STEIN was easily the greatest influence on my career so it is with some regret that I am missing this Sunday’s charity game at East End Park which marks the 30th anniversary of his death.

Jock is hugely appreciated by both Celtic and Dunfermline and carries legendary status within both clubs.

It was with Dunfermline that Jock cut his managerial teeth when he embarked on management in 1960 – and led them to the Scottish Cup the following season.

It was the beginning of a career that brought every success imaginable and I am sure that there will be a great turnout for game.

Funds raised will be distributed to charitable causes and I would imagine that there will be plenty of supporters of both teams who turn out to honour his memory.

Glasgow Times:

Result in Georgia should set us up for qualification

GORDON STRACHAN has succeeded in creating the camaraderie that you normally find within a club squad in the national team.

And I think tonight’s game against Georgia is absolutely huge in terms of whether or not Scotland ca qualify for a major international tournament for the first time since 1998.

Scotland have become a hard team to beat, they are playing with self-belief and you have to say that the players have all bought into Strachan’s strategy.

The closer the players get to qualification the more the pressure will build but that is something that you have to be able to cope with as a footballer.

I was part of the Scotland team who qualified for the 1974 World Cup – the first time Scotland had made it to the World Cup for 16 years – when we beat Czechoslovakia at Hampden so I can appreciate the tension that surrounds the games when you are within touching distance of qualification.

The best way to deal with pressure is to prepare yourself as well as you possibly can so you know what you are doing and what you are up against. Pressure is something that is always there if you want to play at the top level and you need to be able to cope with expectations of those around you without it becoming a distraction.

But I think Strachan will be able to get the players to retain their focus because if we can come away from tonight’s game with a positive results then it really would be a massive step towards securing a place at the European Championships.

It is a massive game and in many ways it is bigger than Monday night’s game against Germany. As a nation we always seem to be able to lift it for the games against the bigger nations. That game against Germany will take care of itself but if we can go into it on the back of a positive result from Georgia we could be in an ideal position go into the final stages of this qualification group.

Your question for Davie Hay

TONY NEVIN from Croy asked Davie: Is international success a cycle or a product of good youth development?

I think it is largely cyclical – and also hugely dependent on the kind of players you are producing. But a guy like Gareth Bale at Wales is a once in a generation thing. You cannot account for a talent like that coming through and players like that, who are playing at the very top level, make the difference to your national team.

I was fortunate to play with Kenny Dalglish and Dennis Law – these guys were the very best, the cream of their generation in any environment and that is largely down to pure talent. You can coach and help produce players but unearthing a superstar is extraordinarily rare.