MATCH REPORT:   RANGERS  0   CELTIC  1

PRE-MATCH COMMENT: Will take a draw and go away happy but when I heard  that Rangers had not lost at home for all of 2008 I felt a little better as it often happens that the last game is the one that spoils it all.

BORUC ….……....7   His distribution was poor but he was back at his best when it came to defending his goal and he must have loved pulling off that save in front of the Rangers fans who were giving him the usual amount of abuse.

HINKEL...... …….3  Just awful!

CALDWELL......... 8  Back to his best position and back to his best form. He and McManus ensured that the Celtic defence stood firm whilst both full backs were giving no cover whatsoever.

McMANUS…. … ..7  It's games like these when McManus's strengths come to the fore. He broke down so many attacks by just putting himself into areas where he could get hurt. If only he could pass he would be a top European player.

NAYLOR...…. ……4  Played as badly as Hinkel did in the first 45 mins but after he was moved into a midfield role his game improved.

HARTLEY......... 7  He just went about his job quietly and efficiently but in the last 20 mins you saw how much this victory would mean to him

BROWN…..…......7  He was happy just to patrol the midfield area and ensure that the much vaunted Rangers midfield were anonymous. His work rate was just inspirational and he is another Celtic player who, if only he could pass the ball, would walk into any team down south.

ROBSON.... ……..6   A pretty ineffective first 45 mins but when he was moved inside in the second half his contribution became positive.  His real worth to Celtic is in that 'demolishing' midfield role.

MIZUNO..........5 He received very little service and got no support from Naylor but he did show enough class to to support the belief that he will be a very good player for Celtic.

SAMARAS..........4  It's not that he has lost his ability on the ball, it is more that he has lost his ability to think! He showed the least 'fire' of the Celtic players but he did take up some very good positions in the second half and he should have put the late header away. Did well to win the header that set up the goal.

McDONALD....... 9  MON His goal was superb and worthy of winning any game but where he really shone was in his total desire to do everything in his power to work his socks off for the cause..........he was everywhere causing disruption to the Rangers defence. It is no co-incidence that he his back at his best after losing those extra pounds that he was carrying.

SUBS:

WILSON ............5  Replaced Hinkel and was certainly an improvement.

O'DEA ............... 4 Brought more of a physical presence but how poor was his passing.

JVOH .................. 5 Nice to see him back even for only a few minutes.

REF…………...... (Thompson) 7  Was correct not to award a goal when Boruc was pushed and not award a penalty when the ball hit Caldwell's arm.

THE GAME ……5  Do not understand why Rangers watered the pitch just before kick off and this might have been a reason for such a poor display of passing from both sides. Tactically, I think it was a complete victory for Wee Gordon in both his use of substitutions and also how to defend a one goal lead.

GOALS ………. 1.One of many long balls out of defence by Caldwell saw Samaras win the header and flick the ball into McDonald who, with his back to the goal, swivelled around his marker whilst controlling the ball with both his chest and knee before smashing it into the top corner of the net................. an absolute belter!

                                 

COMMENTS ….. 1. It just highlights the lack of depth in the Rangers squad when they could not come up with any wide men to take advantage of Celtic's awful full backs and how much weaker are they going to be after their January clearance Sale?

                                       2. A difficult January looms but at least we are 7 pts ahead and with injured players coming back.

                                       3. GS and the Board deserve full marks for how the McGeady situation has been handled: 6pts, a squad which has rallied as a unit, a player who may now see that the Club matters more than any one individual. It could have all gone pear shaped.

                                      

MATCH REPORT:   FALKIRK  0 CELTIC  3 

PRE-MATCH COMMENT: Losing to-day at Falkirk might not mean that Celtic will still not be Champions but, if in the losing, the Club is torn apart as a result of the McGeady incident, then it will be a sad day. For that reason mainly, I just wish that the 3 pts are Celtic's at the end of the game, no matter how we have played.

BORUC ….……....6  Had very little to do but was beaten by the shot that came off the post.

HINKLE...... …….7 Was very impressive in the first half with his attacking runs and he also sent over some good crosses. 

LOOVENS......... 5  Not convinced about him as he is neither dominant in the air or pacy enough on the ground.

O'DEA…. … ..6  He is a player who is comfortable on the ball, uses his physique well to win tackles and has good positional sense but he is not dominant in the air and is slow. He did make a vital goaline clearance but he is either so calm or completely one footed as a right foot hoof would have saved quite a few hearts in the mouth

NAYLOR...…. ……6  He enjoyed the space that was created by Mizuno's clever play and I doubt if McGeady would released as often as Mizuno.

CALDWELL......... 6  Playing midfield again but fortunately this time his team won! Played well but still trying the difficult pass when the  simpler pass would have sufficed.

BROWN…..…......6  His best work was again in the breaking down aspect.

NAKA....... ……..6   A cold, wet windy day and Naka just don't go well to-gether. He tried but that little bit extra wasn't there to-day. Did supply McDonald with a great pass to set up his goal and of course made the 'dream'pass to Mizuno.

MIZUNO..........8 Taking into account that this was his first start and the weather conditions, I thought he had a great game. He's fast, he's committed, he hardly wasted a ball and scored an excellent goal. He had said in an interview recently that his dream was to score a goal for Celtic after receiving a pass from Naka..............he must be a very happy guy to-night.

SAMARAS..........4  He might have scored the important opening goal and could easily have scored a hat-trick but overall he was so disappointing.

McDONALD....... 8  MON There is no doubting that he is a more complete footballer this season. His touch is better, he links play better and his commitment is still as high. He worked non - stop for the team setting up Samaras for his goal and everyone would have been delighted that he stopped his 'goal drought' with a good goal. A good omen  for Ibrox.

SUBS:

SHERIDAN ............5  On for Samaras.

REF…………...... (Smith) 6  Didn't really notice him until he decided to book Mizuno for celebrating with his own fans.

THE GAME ……6  The conditions meant that it was never going to be great spectacle

GOALS ………. 1.McDonald actually was involved at the very beginning by forcing the goalkeeper to kick his clearance for a shy. He then made himself available for the shy, turned the defender and hooked the ball across the goal where Samaras re-acted well to head in.

                                 2. Naka played a lovely pass which allowed Mizuno to show that he has a good burst of pace and a bit of strength which took him past the defender and ever so coolly put the ball in the corner of the net.

                                 3. Another Naka pass, this time releasing McDonald who had to take the ball wide of the goalkeeper before slamming the ball home.

COMMENTS ….. 1. For me, apart from the 3pts, the most pleasing aspect was the vocal support given by the away fans with nomention of you know who!

                                       2. I would be concerned if this was our central defence against Rangers as they were so weak in the air and so slow to turn.

                                       3. With the present economic downturn it was a perfect time to deliver a 'new' Naka. I'm sure that the Japaneses media will have Koki's goal all over the screens/front pages. This will re-generate all sort of interest in Celtic. 

                                      4. The last 4 mins will have given our team and support a great lift before the trip across the river.

                                      5. Trivia question: When before has there been a 'longer haired' Celtic team? I give you Loovens, Mizuno, Naka and Samaras.

MATCH REPORT:   CELTIC  1  HEARTS  1

PRE-MATCH COMMENT: Enjoyed the comment made going to the match "Setanta should not force Rangers to play on a Sat before Celtic..............it isnae fair!"

BORUC ….……....6  Pulled off a good save after having had no chance with the opening goal and genrally eas sound.

HINKEL...... ……5 The concerns I have had about his defensive play were highlighted unfortunately by the roasting that Driver gave him. He'll have to work hard on this aspect if he is to balance his ability when  attacking.

CALDWELL......... 5  Was completely off his normal standard with regards to his passing, it was pretty poor.

McMANUS…. … ..5 Once again his inability to build attacks from defence proved frustrating. He did show his indominitable spirit when scoring the equaliser.

WILSON...…. ……5  Will nver be our regular left back

HARTLEY........... 7 MOM He played like a guy who wants his contract to be extended (only has 6 months left). He tried to drive the team forward but they just did not respond.

BROWN…..…......4  He really will have to do something about his passing. As last week it was his poor pass which led to a goal. He never seems to underhit a pass!

NAKA....... ……..6   Naka at least tried physically to affect the game but his touch and vision were not at the level of Wednesday. He did send over the cross for the goal.

MALONEY.........5 Had to go off early in the first half with a pulled hamstring.

McGEADY..........5  He received no protection from the ref and I do feel that this eventually affected his performance. 

McDONALD....... 3 Totally ineffective! Had one shot on goal.

SUBS 

SAMARAS..........3   O.K. he headed back the ball for McManus to score but that apart he was just awful.

NAYLOR........…. 5 Tried to bring an attacking element to the game but he failed.

REF…………...... (McDonald) 4  There were two things he should have done:

 a) given McGeady protection

b) yellow carded Kingston for his tackle on McGeady.

THE GAME ……5  Hearts played well and tactically won the battle with a good performance but Celtic were bereft of any constructive ideas and deserved no more than a draw.

GOALS ………. 1.Brown gave the ball away, he was then nut-megged by Kingston who then managed to slice his shot into Drivers' path who then cooly slotted the ball into the corner.

                                 2. Celtic had obviously decided to play the high ball and it kept on being dealt with by the Hearts defence until Naka lobbed the ball in, Samaras won the challenge and McManus headed the ball in.

COMMENTS ….. 1. Didn't think that GS would have gone with the same team as Wednesday and the biggest change was taking Naka out of the midfield and starting off with him on the right.

2. If Celtic have a problem it is not in defence or midfield, it is in our forwards inability to score enough goals. Oh for some brawn and skill a la Sutton or Larsson or Hartson.

MATCH REPORT:   CELTIC  2  VILLAREAL  0

PRE-MATCH COMMENT: Can't remember having so little enthusiasm for a C.L. game at home. However, the knowledge that 500e, co-eff points and allowing Rangers to hang on their title of the worst performing Scottish team in C.L. history (only achieved 3pts one season) did ad a little spice for the walk to the stadium.

BORUC ….……....7  Whatever he was asked to do he did with his old, confident style and it was great to hear the support he got from the fans.

HINKEL...... ……7 Really enjoyed the freedom he was given to attack and used the opportunity to show how comfortable he can be on the ball.

CALDWELL......... 7  Back where he performs best (central defence), he used his physique and ball playing ability to show that he is the commanding force of the two man defence.

McMANUS…. … ..5 It's in games like these when he is up against fast, quick thinking players that you realise that 'Big Mick' is at his best in the rough and tumble of the SPL.

WILSON...…. ……6  Had a good game and supplied the cross for the first goal but he was starved of the ball for most of the second half.

HARTLEY........... 7 His performance could have gone unnoticed but he played a very important part in the teams' performance by closing down the opposition and niggling away for the whole game.

BROWN…..…......8  He was outstanding in the areas he excels in (strength, harrying, quick feet and surging runs) and just kept on the right side of not getting himself booked. It is no co-incidence that he was playing in a central midfield role.

NAKA....... ……..8  MOM  It may well be his last appearance in the Hoops as far as European football is concerned but how he grabbed the opportunity to show us all how much he will be missed. He played mostly in the middle of the park but obviously had the freedom to where he wished and some of his touches were just superb. He also turned in a performance which included some great defensive work.

MALONEY............. 7 Scored the opening goal with a header! Supplied a great ball which Samaras should have scored from and gave a fully committed display.

McGEADY..............7  His first half display was top class and just highlighted how much we have missed his talent. Scored a great goal but his lack of fitness told in the second half.

SAMARAS..........4   He's unfortunately back to the old faint hearted displays of last season. His casualness was in danger of turning the crowd against him and he must re-discover his early form soon.

SUBS 

McGOWAN………....5  Replaced McGeady and had a golden chance to score with a header but missed the target. I think he's a talented young player but will succeed somewhere else.

McDONALD........…. 4 Once again good Celtic moves came to nothing because of his inability to stay onside.

REF…………...... (Swiss) 6  A pernickety ref but overall good. It was one of the softest sending offs I've seen.

THE GAME ……7  In the first half our central defence were too often unsettled by the quick moving opposition but the longer the game went on the more solid they became. Villareal were up for the game and they showed how talented they are but Celtic matched them and with their determination it all made for a good game.

GOALS ………. 1.A series of quick one touch passing allowed Wilson to surge forward and pick the ball near the bye-line before sending over a hard cross which the keeper spilled and Maloney 'rose' above the defence to score with a header.

                                 2. A move that started off in our penalty box involving a lovely touch by Naka saw McGeady surge forward from the half way line in a very determined run in which he had only one thing in mind, i.e. score! This he did with a hard accurate shot into the corner of the net.

COMMENTS ….. 1. My earlier disinterest vanished when I saw the team line up. This is what the Celtic support look for, an attack minded formation including all of our talented footballers and they served up a treat. If Samaras had played his part it would have been an absolutely wonderful night. Will GS be brave enough to play the same team against Hearts?

2. Just the tonic the Celtic support needed before the difficult December games.

3. http://villarreal.theoffside.com/villarreal-team-news/celtic-fc-2-villarreal-0.html

4. CELTIC are ready to make a cut-price £5million move for West Ham striker Craig Bellamy. 

"Gordon Strachan has been eyeing the player since the Londoners’ current cash problems developed. 
And the Hoops boss means to be first in the queue as a host of clubs cast their eyes over the Hammers’ prize assets. 
Bellamy, who spent four months on loan at Celtic Park under Martin O’Neill in 2005, is likely to be released in the New Year because of the Hammers’ financial difficulties. 
And he would jump at the chance of a return to the Scottish champions, where he became a crowd hero during his loan spell. 
Bellamy, 29, has cost £31m in transfer fees since Strachan took him to Coventry from Norwich for £6.5m in August 2000. But the player’s reputation is not a worry. 
A Celtic source revealed: “Gordon is desperate to land him. He isn’t concerned by his reputation, having handled the younger version and others like Noel Whelan. 
“Bellers was a huge hit when he was on loan up here and, at around £5m, the signing would be good business.”

5. We will have the opportunity to be involved in the European stage after all! With the 2009/10 Scottish Champions requiring Scotalnd to hold onto their 12th place to ensure automatic Group qualification we must hope that both the Greek teams lose every game and similar for Belgium and Denmark.

2	Scotland	4.750	4.250	6.750	10.250	1.875	27.875	4
13	Greece	6.166	3.333	4.666	7.500	5.750	27.415	2/ 4
14	Switzerland	2.625	9.375	4.100	6.250	2.900	25.250	5
15	Belgium	6.125	5.500	4.700	4.500	4.250	25.075	2/ 4
16	Denmark	1.500	3.500	6.125	5.125	6.400	22.650	2/ 5

MATCH REPORT:   HIBS  2  CELTIC  0

PRE-MATCH COMMENT: Being the sort of superstitous guy I am the fact that this is Celtic's chance to make it 13 conseutive victorys makes me slightly nervous. However Hibs have not kept a clean sheet at home this season. Other thoughts, Boruc will want to attain for his awful display of last year, find it hard to accept that Sheridan is leading the line after his last two performances, disappointed there is not more creativity in the team.

Prediction: Hibs 1 Celtic 2

BORUC ….……....3  I mentioned last week my concerns about his state of mind after reading his comments in a Polish magasine and to-days performance clearly highlights that we have a troubled mind in goal. His mistake was as bad as the ones Frank Haffey used to make and his distribution was almost as poor. The other worrying aspect of his current demise is that his asset value is shrinking by the day.

HINKEL...... …….. 5 Was a threat going forward but to often failed to capitalise by his poor crossing. 

LOOVENS......... 5  He did not really make any mistakes but he just does not look like an acclomplished defender.

McMANUS…. … ..6 Fletcher will trouble most central defenders but McManus was quietly sound.

WILSON...…. ……6  MOM  Don't think he'll ever make it in either full back position but he was not to blame for the defeat and in the second half he did try to inject some threat down his wing.

CALDWELL........ ……..6  Played in midfield and managed alright but he does try and play the most difficult passes too often.

HARTLEY........... 5 Steady enough but strangely not put under too much trouble.

BROWN…..….....4  His performance last week was poor but this was worse. He looked good for the first 15 mins and then faded right out of the game.

MALONEY............. 5 Another player who did not play poorly but neither did he produce the standard we grew used to when he was performing two years ago.

SHERIDAN.. .........3  Should never have been selected. He has done his bit for Celtic but is now washed out. Hutchinson should have beeen in his place.

McDONALD..........4   Muscled out of the game by Bamba and Jones and failed to do any effective link up play.

SUBS 

SAMARAS………....5  Did more in the first 5 mins than Sheridan did in the 60 mins but still seems rather lethargic.

McGEADY........…. 5 Good to see him back and he looked dangerous on a couple of runs.

REF…………...... (McDonald) 7  He can't be blamed for anything.

THE GAME ……5 A game so similar to the others this season in which we have dominated early possession and yet have found it so difficult to score. Hibs were much more effective than us in their closing down play.

GOALS ………. 1.A shocker! When Brown made the poor pass I was disappointed but when Rankin shot from 40 yds I had no worries at all. It was not even a hard shot that Boruc had to deal with but he made a complete fool of himself with his attempt.

                                 2. A good fast break down the left wing but the ball should have been dealt with. Boruc again did not cover himself with glory by rushing out from goal and being stranded.

COMMENTS ….. 1. The odd thing was that it was not as though celtic had so many poor players, it was really the fact that they had too few who could produce the sort of magic to unlock a good defense. Naka was badly missed.

2. Afetr his ill-advised walkout on Friday, Sunday was not any better a day for him. He picked the wrong team and was too slow in changing the personnel.

3. This result has been coming. Celtic have won too many games recently without playing particuarly well and the real problem is in the striking dept. Since Samaras went on international duty our fast attacking style of football has disappeared. We are fortunate that Hearts produced the result last week.