Stubbs happy at the hub of Celtic's regeneration

David McKinney on the English defender who is hoping to stop Rangers creating Scottish history this season

Rangers started the revolution under Graeme Souness in 1986. Ten years on, Scottish football is still capable of attracting English players north of the border whether for financial gain or, in the case of Paul Gascoigne, as a means of accruing medals and other tangible souvenirs.

Alan Stubbs, the latest player to travel the high road, has been widely tipped to play for England. His decision to join Celtic in the summer, in a pounds 3.5m move from Bolton, will have raised a number of eyebrows. Stubbs, who helped Bolton reach the Premiership, was seen, along with Jason McAteer, as the power behind the club's successes, and he was at one time expected to join Liverpool with his team-mate.

Then there was interest from Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton and even Manchester United. To choose Celtic ahead of such clubs would be considered in some quarters as sufficient cause to be locked in secure accommodation. However, the player has no regrets about the decision he made the minute he laid eyes on the rebuilt Celtic Park in the East End of Glasgow.

"I only had to come here to make up my mind. Everything was so impressive and stadium-wise Celtic are in a new dimension altogether from what I was used to,'' he said. ``Celtic Park compares with any ground in Britain, only Manchester United and Liverpool come close, but this will be the biggest and most impressive when it's finished.

"I wanted to move from Bolton and was ready to speak to anybody who came in for me, but with the European Championships on the horizon English clubs seemed to be holding back and certainly no offers were made."

The speed and secrecy of the move surprised the football world and in particular Stubbs' team-mate, John McGinlay, who called his pal on his mobile phone as he was travelling to Celtic Park to be told the defender was opening a sports shop. It was not until the next day that McGinlay, a fanatical Celtic supporter, learned the truth.

"He was on the phone ranting and raving at me," Stubbs added. "But after a while he calmed down and asked me for tickets for the big games."

Immediately Stubbs has been thrown into an emotional maelstrom as Scottish football steels itself for its most explosive season for years. The volatile mix of Old Firm rivalry and history is threatening to boil over even before the season starts as Rangers look for a ninth title which would equal Celtic's record. The Rangers supporters are already talking in terms of 10 titles with the help of Gascoigne.

The level of expectation has been further heightened with Celtic now capable of mounting a serious challenge thanks to the regeneration of the club under Fergus McCann, their chief executive. The arrival of Stubbs came just weeks before Paolo di Canio was signed from Milan. Training sessions are attended by up to 2,000 supporters and the players have to wade through autograph hunters on their daily return to the ground. It is a lifestyle Stubbs is quickly getting used to.

"The nine in a row is a really big thing for the fans. It's their number one priority ahead of Cups or even the Uefa Cup and I'm getting to understand more and more what it means to them the more I talk to them. You can only wish for the support like we have. They love the club and for them it's a way of life. In England the supporters have feeling for their club but up here they're fanatical."

The Celtic support has risen dramatically in the last two years - from around 7,000 season tickets to almost 40,000 - lured by the promise of a seat at the new ``Paradise'' and of quality football. Team affairs are entrusted to Tommy Burns, the former Celtic player who has returned to take the club out of the wilderness. His influence was another factor in Stubbs' decision to sign.

"He made a big impression on me. He is softly spoken but his words carry weight. He is good with people and is still young to be a manager. I feel these times are as exciting for him as they are for us."

Burns has strengthened his side to ensure competition for places. Stubbs, who missed this week's European tie with Kosice, now faces a battle to get into the team but remains convinced his future at club and international level is in safe hands.

"I don't think coming here will harm my chances of international honours because I am playing with top players and hopefully will improve myself. My ambition is to play for England. I feel I have gone a step forward and going to Rangers didn't do any harm for Paul Gascoigne's chances."

The only cloud on the horizon for Stubbs is a pounds 28,000 fine imposed by Fifa who felt that Celtic used unlicensed agents in brokering the deal, but if the defender can bring success, that fine, as well as the pounds 40,000 imposed on the club, will seem insignificant.