WILL Martin O'Neill be able to channel Craig Bellamy's passion and aggression productively? Who did the better in the transfer market, Rangers or Celtic? Has the return of Barry Ferguson lifted the Scottish game? And what league is "crap"? All is answered below as the great and good of football give their views on the transfer window
STEVIE CHALMERS Scored the winning goal for Celtic in the European Cup final in 1967 Everybody has heard about Bellamy's reputation but maybe Martin O'Neill won't rub him up the same way as some of his other managers have done. He'll do just fine.The fans will make it very nice for him to play here so he won't have any problems there
ERIC BLACK Birmingham City assistant manager I have absolutely no doubt that Bellamy will be a huge success under O'Neill. His personality won't be a problem. We were very keen to sign him just last week and we would have been delighted if he had agreed to the move. He had been away a couple of seasons by the time I arrived at Coventry but his reputation as a top player was intact at the club. There was nothing negative to be said about him.
Both Celtic and Rangers have done exceptionally well. To get Ferguson away from the Premiership is a magnificent coup for Rangers
CRAIG BROWN Former Scotland manager, now at Fulham I think Rangers and Celtic have done equally well. I saw Barry Ferguson at close quarters when Preston played them in pre-season and then against Everton a few months ago. Both times he was first class, particularly when he was up against Thomas Gravesen. I don't know how fit [Stephane] Henchoz is, but he's a very fine player. Bellamy will be a very good player for Celtic
KEVIN KEEGAN Manchester City manager Graeme Souness has been decisive and sent a message out, so it has been good management. Sometimes you have to forsake a good player to get the better out of others
JOHN HARTSON Celtic striker and Bellamy's international partner Craig has to be careful where he eats, drinks and mixes. I've been here four years now and you simply cannot afford to go around like he does and say the things he does. I'll be having a word. He's now 25 and just needs to take stock of things. He is a great footballer with undoubted talent and if I was a Rangers supporter, I'd be worried.
IAN McCALL Dundee United manager Having Barry back is great for Scottish football because you want to have the captain of the national side playing in this country. Once Celtic signed Bellamy we knew Rangers would go that extra few yards to get Barry in the door. It was a certainty. You find with Rangers and Celtic over the years that they try to combat each other's signings, and so it proved once again
JOHN HENDRIE Former Barnsley manager It's a good loan signing for Celtic, but I've never seen a reaction from a player like that when he went on television to criticise his manager, who I feel was left with no option but to take the stance he did
GRAEME SOUNESS Newcastle manager I stand by everything I said. I think I'm like anybody else in this world - there are certain things you can forgive and some things you can forget. But I'm also experienced enough in this business to know that if I'd been seen to be weak in this situation there was no future for me with the players in the Newcastle dressing room or any job that I go after after Newcastle United, so I was put in an extremely difficult position. I wasn't directly involved in any of the transfer talk that went on, so I've just been doing my job
MARK HUGHES Blackburn Rovers manager I spoke to Barry before the weekend and I was a little disappointed with what I got back, so on reflection I thought it was best for Barry and ourselves if we all moved on.Once Rangers got to a proper and right level in regards to the transfer fee, I recommended to the board that they should let him go.Barry is a good player but I have got other very, very good midfield players
PAULINE PERKINS
Who?
Secretary of the Blackburn Rovers' Supporters' Club, that's who Most of the people here seem quite happy for him to go. I don't know what it was with Barry - whether he couldn't hack the Premiership or whether he was just homesick. There is no quibble - as long as the club didn't lose any money. Put it this way, there is not the same feeling of loss as to when we lost Alan Shearer to Newcastle or when Chris Sutton went to Chelsea
LAST WORD . . .
Craig Bellamy didn't come to Birmingham because we were not big enough for him. Celtic are a bigger club than us - but they play in a crap league.
Most of Celtic's matches are totally meaningless and they've even been knocked out of Europe this season
DAVID SULLIVAN Birmingham City's not-bitter-at-all chairman
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