The concept of squad rotation is not entirely to everyone’s taste.

At Chelsea, Claudio Ranieri’s obsession with juggling his resources earned him the nickname ‘ The Tinkerman’.

Later, at Liverpool, Rafa Benitez became a cause celebre for the chattering classes when he dared to chop and change his star names.

Gordon Strachan is backing his Celtic rotation policy

When the Anfield side won games, it was down to an astute use of his ample resources.

When they lost, the Spaniard was guilty of upsetting team harmony with his inconsistent selections.

For Gordon Strachan, then, finding 100 different ways to answer the same questions on a weekly basis is about to become an irritating pastime.

Rotation policies have a habit of overshadowing almost every other aspect of a team as media men seek new ways to fill pages and buzzing airwaves.

The search for cracks in the dressing room and signs of unhappiness becomes all encompassing, the danger to team spirit and fragile egos palpable.

And yet, Strachan still believes the players he leaves out in the coming games will, one day, come to thank him for the respite precious few of them either want or believe they need.

The manager once played 114 consecutive games for Coventry and Leeds — and has a replacement hip to show for it.

‘We didn’t have the squad to rotate when I played, ’observed Strachan.

‘We had 13 or 14 players and that was it.‘

'The word rotate virtually didn’t exist.

'The way it is now —with so many players— you need to keep trying to give them a game. It’s hard to keep them on the bench or in the reserves.

‘It’s about keeping everyone fresh.

'It’s different from when I played, when Willie (Miller) and big Alex (McLeish) played 73 and 72 games in the one season at Aberdeen.

‘The year Leeds won the title, I played 114 games on the trot.

'I’ve had my hip problems since then —among other things — but I  think the way the game is now with sports scientists, your body is protected more.

‘We were never really protected in those days.

'We were just told “go”and you never dared complained of tiredness, that’s for sure.

‘I think the players here will thank me in years to come if they win things.

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan's new rotation plan could see more of his first-team squad given a chance

'Honestly, nobody has complained about missing games— they understand what’s going on.

‘I think back to then and I enjoyed every minute of my time playing.

'I was in a team that was winning trophies. I was also the captain and he doesn’t tend to be left out.

‘I was around 34 or 35 but I think when you’re enjoying something as much as I did, it’s fine.

'Winning definitely helps.’

On Tuesday, only four of the Celtic players who had started against Kilmarnock in the league game last week began the Co-operative Insurance Cup tie against Livingston.

Of those, perhaps only five are certain to start against Aberdeen at Parkhead on Saturday.

In contrast with last season, when it seemed that some players were bomb proof in Strachan’s line-up, managerial favourites are now no such thing.

The suspended Gary Caldwell drops out through suspension and the inclusion of Glenn Loovens throws up a high degree of intrigue ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League tie at Villarreal.

Loovens is unlikely to make the mistake of believing that a goal and an assist against Livingston offers any kind of guarantee of a Champions League starting slot.

Another solid performance in his first Parkhead appearance,however, would offer the Dutchman an even chance of playing in the Madrigal Stadium on Tuesday.

Asked if he was the only man in green and white privately happy to see Caldwell dismissed last week, Loovens shook his head, saying: ‘I have an opportunity to show what I’ve got but I don’t want anyone to get sent off.

'I just want to play because the manager chooses me.

‘The only thing I can do is my be stand, hopefully, get a few minutes on Tuesday but that’s for the manager to decide.

'With every opportunity, I have to show what I’ve got and make the most of my chance.

‘Champions League football is something special and you want to be a part of big games.

Bhoys defender Glenn Loovens is in line for his first Parkhead appearance when Celtic host Aberdeen

‘You have to get used to the players in the team and the two in the defence right now have done well for Celtic and for Scotland, so it’s hard to break up their partnership.'

Aberdeen arrive in Glasgow in a fraught state of mind.

Manager Jimmy Calderwood finds himself under pressure as his team continue to haemorrhage goals, yet Strachan declined to offer any words likely to be construed as condescension.

Neither does Loovens expect his first taste of playing at Parkhead to rival the intensity of his first visit to the vast arena.‘The first time I went to Celtic Park was for an Old Firm game and that was incredible.

'My old Cardif fteam-mate Stephen McPhail is a Celtic fan and he invited me along.

'I went to see how it was and it made a big impression.

‘When Celtic came in for me during the transfer window, my mind was clear and that was a quick decision for me.’

If he can break up the partnership of McManus and Caldwell — and there exists every indication he might — then that decision will be fully vindicated.

‘Yes, Glenn can give me a decision to make,’ Strachan conceded.

‘If he keeps doing what he’s doing. We have other centre -halves, so everyone has to be kept on their toes.’

Under the new-look and much discussed Celtic rotation policy, you wouldn’t expect the manager to say anything else.