THE wise of words of Tommy Burns were ringing in the ears of former Celtic defender Derek Whyte as he saw modern day counterpart Jack Hendry give the ball away to allow Rosenborg to take the lead at Celtic Park.
They were resonating even more during last week’s first leg Champions League qualifier when, despite his error, Hendry then showed the confidence to continue to accept the ball from team-mates and play passes, contributing to Celtic’s 3-1 comeback triumph.
“Always be open to take a pass – Tommy Burns used to say that to me all the time,” remembers Whyte of his former team-mate, the late, great Celt who passed away in May 2008.
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“He’d say even if you make a mistake – and then make another mistake – always be available to take a pass and be confident on the ball. Believe in your ability.”
Whyte knows what it’s like to experience personal highs and lows during big European nights at Celtic Park while being a young defender. He scored the winner in a first-leg UEFA Cup 2-1 victory against Borussia Dortmund just weeks after his 19th birthday in 1987.
“I swivelled on a six-pence and put it in like a proper centre-forward!” he laughs, adding “everybody knows how special European nights are at Celtic Park. To score on a European night, what a feeling. I was as high as a kite after the game.”
He also, however, remembers “a big mistake” against Partizan Belgrade at Parkhead two years later that contributed to a goal and Celtic falling out of the European Cup Winners’ Cup on away goals despite wining a crazy game 5-4.
“You’ll make mistakes – even when you’re experienced,” says Whyte, who won two league championships and two Scottish Cups during his seven-year stint at Celtic, including the double during the club’s much-celebrated centenary season.
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“It’s how you recover from it. Don’t shy away. Always be available.”
Whyte, who lives and works in Dubai, has no doubt the subsequent performance of Hendry, 23, last Wednesday has shown he has already put last week’s error behind him. He also has no doubt that Hendry and centre-half partner Kristoffer Ajer, just 20, will have enough resolve tonight in Norway to guide Celtic through to the next stage of Champions League qualification.
While both the Scotsman and Norwegian are hailed as tall, ball-playing defenders, comfortable bringing the ball from the back, Whyte believes there is another area of their game that should be recognised too.
“It’s not easy for them because it’s a crucial area of the pitch,” says former Scotland international Whyte. “It’s a strength of character.
“Part of my game was playing the ball, but part of my game was also recovery because I was probably one of the quickest in Scotland. I’d fancy my chances against anybody if they knocked the ball past me. Maybe that was my biggest strength – but these guys are also quick and athletic, they can get back. It’s about being brave and being available for the ball. That’s what they need to keep in their head. They have one of the best coaches in the world guiding them, and if Brendan [Rodgers] didn’t trust them anyway, they wouldn’t be in the game.”
Whyte, however, admits Celtic will need more experience at the back the more their European progress continues.
“You’re coming up against an extremely good level of footballer,” says Whyte. “That’s when experience counts.
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“They’ve good positional sense but when they come up against the cuter players, that’s when it might be a test for them.”
Whyte was tested at Celtic while having Pat Bonner behind him and the likes of Roy Aitken, Mick McCarthy and Paul Elliott alongside him in defence. And he believes that in the meantime Hendry and Ajer will benefit hugely from having Celtic’s tried and tested to lean on for support.
“The beauty is that you have a very experienced goalkeeper behind you in Craig Gordon and a very experienced player, Scott Brown, one of the best, in front of you,” says Whyte. “They can protect and guide them.”
Much like Whyte was also fortunate to have with Burns.
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