MATCH REPORT: CELTIC 0 HEARTS 1

PRE – MATCH COMMENT: The good news is that I don't have an hour round journey to see the game as Auntie is showing the game but the bad news is that I've never seen Celtic win watching in my daughter's home in Santa Maria!

ZALUSKA................6 Should have done better with the penalty but did well apart from that.

HINKEL...................6 There may have been a few times when his final ball could have been better but overall he had a good attacking game.

McMANUS..............4 Another game in which his inability to be be dominant in the air and his lack of pace show through so clearly. Just not good enough.

CALDWELL............5 This season he has spoiled the couple of reasonable games he has had by making some very poor passes/crosses at the critical times in the game. Until he re-signs there should be no more appearances.

FOX......................3 I was delighted to see him back in the team but I never thought I would have wished for Naylor in his place. Right from the beginning of the game he was awful and it was no co-incidence that he was involved in the penalty.

N'GUEMO............ 6 He would be a really good player if he could adjust to the fact that the clock ticks a lot quicker in Scotland and that he should cut out those lackadaisical passes.

CROSAS................6 He brought a slant to midfield which Celtic have been missing, i.e. a holding player who can pass the ball and remain cool in the heat of battle.

McGEADY............. 5 So,so infuriating! He never shirks from looking for the ball but he also rarely looks up to make the telling pass when it would have been the most productive. His two very good passes were far outweighed by the times he

MALONEY......... ....5 Was subbed at half time but I didn't think he had been poor rather more that a change was required.

ZHENG...................5 I'm sure that he is going to be a positive part of Celtic's success in 2010. Like N'Guemo he will have to get used to the aggressive tackling of proud country!

KILLEN...................5 He won more balls in the air than McDonald, he showed better ball control than McDonald but he slow of pace and slow of thought.

SUBS..................

SAMARAS............. 4 If he had taken one of his four good chances he would have been in for MOM but instead he contrived to miss them all.

McDONALD...........4 Brought nothing to the attack that hadn't been there in the first half.

McCOURT.............6 Showed what he can bring to a game even though we have to accept that he will not beat his man(men) all the time. Should have been on from the start.

REF ....................(Thompson) 6 He rightly awarded the penalty but his best decision was in showing our captain a red card for tackle that Woodburn would have been proud of.

GOAL............... 1. It actually started with Fox giving a poor pass to N'Guemo` and then being suckered into a rash tackle.

RATING: Quality: 4.9 (Av. 5.7)

POSSESSION:57%

COMMENTS:

1. I'll probably be in the minority in saying that, apart from the result and our players inability to put the ball in the net, I thought that was one of our best performances this season in terms of slick passing and moving forward. Once Celtic get a goalscorer the boos from "the best supporters in the world" will soon be muted.

2. Only 18,600 supporters turned up for this game and I read about so much delight being expressed about our rivals problems. We should be careful before any party is started.

3. TM should stop playing a 4 - 5 -1 role unless it's a European game in which we are defending a good lead. Our problem lies in not scoring enough goals and not keeping clean sheets.

MATCH REPORT: HAMILTON 1 CELTIC 2

PRE – MATCH COMMENT: 'The Ship' in Portal Nous managed to find the game on an Arabic channel and I was pleased to find that Zheng was on from the start, Brown was not and intrigued to see Zaluska between the posts. A must win game after Hibs had done so well the previous day.

ZALUSKA................7 MOM A very impressive SPL debut and a magnificent last minute stop to ensure the victory.

HINKEL...................6 Did well to set up the first goal but would have liked to have seen more of him in an attacking role.

McMANUS..............4 The game was going quite well for him until the last 20mins when Hamilton started to use the long ball and he was being out jumped all the time. He and Caldwell tried hard to gift the equalising goal. Just not good enough.

CALDWELL............5 A flash of Beckenbaur in the first half when he set up McGeady with a great pass, a steady defensive display until the last 20mins. Just not good enough.

NAYLOR.................5 Two moments in the first half highlighted the weaknesses in his play. Firstly he did a great move to run past the full back but then put the cross in the stand, then he gave the ball away whilst under no pressure. Just not good enough.

ROBSON................ 5 From a defensive point of view very steady but very little from a creative aspect.

ZHENG...................5 Was hoping for a more cultured display and surprised at how he was not more physical but it's early days.

McGEADY............. 5 Was correctly subbed as he was producing very little.

MALONEY......... ...6 A great goal (he doesn't do easy ones) and was much more dangerous than McGeady.

SAMARAS............. 6 Not a bad overall display. He put a lot more effort in and was the danger to the Hamilton defence.

McDONALD......... .5 Scored a poacher's goal but still not back to his best.

SUBS..................

CROSAS...............4 Looked for him to bring a bit of composure to the midfield but he didn't.

McGINN................4 No service ...... no impact.

McCOURT.............6 Got a little service but no impact.

REF ....................(Brines) 4

GOAL............... 1. A poor piece of play by the Hamilton defender allowed McDonald to play Hinkel in and he delivered a great cross to the far post, where it was met by a hitch kick from Maloney.

RATING: Quality: 5.8 (Av. 5.9)

POSSESSION:52%

COMMENTS:

1. Only getting the 3 pts mattered and we got them but it would have been nice to have done it with a bit of style. Everyone watching the game must have had the same feeling the longer the game went on..............."Celtic are going to give away a goal" but it was the way we could not defend nor hold the midfield which was shocking.

2. The Hearts game is next and it would be nice to see Fox and Fortune back.

CELTIC 0 HAMBURG 1

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PRE – MATCH COMMENT: Maybe it was my good fortune that I had been unable to either attend the last two games or watch them on t.v. but I sat down here in Mallorca with some hope that Celtic could produce a performance which would re-ignite my faith in the team.

BORUC....................6 It was too much, once again, to hope that he would have consecutive clean sheets and had no chance with the goal.

WILSON...................5 Was very surprised that he was preferred to Hinkel and although he battled away I just do not think that he has the quality that is required to represent our club.

McMANUS..............4 He has had worse performances but he is another player who just does not have the class to command one of the central defensive positions.

CALDWELL............4 Tony Mowbray is at fault for persevering with a player who is having a serious dispute with the Club. Caldwell was Celtic's player of the year last season but has suddenly become one of their poorest.........................the two facts are not unrelated. He should not start again until the dispute is resolved or he is transferred.

NAYLOR.................5 This is the best type of performance Naylor can produce but it is not good enough. I am amazed that he is still at the Club.

ROBSON................ 5 Can't fault his commitment but I do question if he has the necessary skill level for the Celtic we should be watching.

N’GUEMO..............5 There are times when you think that he is a quality player but other times he appears out of his depth. there is always a casual poor pass waiting to bring pressure to his team. I would not splash out the £1.5m to sign him.

McGEADY............. 7 MOM He gave his all and put over some good balls but was closely marked by the best player on the park.

MALONEY......... ...4 It's not that he doesn't try, he does but his lack of confidence/skill in front of goal is proving very expensive.

BROWN................ 4 He was played out of position but never brought to the game what Celtic is missing the most, i.e. quality.

McDONALD......... 4 He was played up front on his own and had no impact on the game. His future must be in doubt.

SUBS..................

SAMARAS.............6 Made a difference when he came on causing more problems than Skippy had caused but he always want too much time on the ball.

McGINN................4 No real impact.

McCOURT..........6 Brought a sparkle as soon as he was on the ball. Was unlucky with a great shot. TM will be a brave man if he does not start him on Sunday.

REF ....................7

GOAL............... 1. A nice short period of possession by Celtic at the back was cut short when Wilson could not make a pass, N'Guemo could not recover it, Caldwell could not defend it properly and the Bayern player finished it superbly.

RATING: Quality: 5.8 (Av. 6)

POSSESSION:?

COMMENTS:

1. Celtic should not want to progress in this competition, they should recognise that they just do not have the quality to progress, they may not have the footballing intelligence so they should have as their sole aim, the winning back of the Championship. The team I watched to-night did not lack spirit, they did not even lack chances, they just do not have a player in the midfield who has the ability to control the ball, dictate the pace of the game and release the telling pass (the ability to score a few goals would help!). They do not have a big, strong, fast striker.

2. It is said that this is the worst start to a season that Celtic have had since the 1940's which might be a bit hard as there were no European games in those early days but that still does not explain the awful start that Celtic have had.

3. I3. Tony Mowbray is magnifying his own problems by visibly showing that he does not know his best team and as a result he leaves himself open to strong criticism.

4. TM does not believe in 'must win' games but he better realise that the game against Ham Accies must be won!

MATCH REPORT: CELTIC 0 BAYERN MUNICH 1

PRE – MATCH COMMENT: Maybe it was my good fortune that I had been unable to either attend the last two games or watch them on t.v. but I sat down here in Mallorca with some hope that Celtic could produce a performance which would re-ignite my faith in the team.

BORUC....................6 It was too much, once again, to hope that he would have consecutive clean sheets and had no chance with the goal.

WILSON...................5 Was very surprised that he was preferred to Hinkel and although he battled away I just do not think that he has the quality that is required to represent our club.

McMANUS..............4 He has had worse performances but he is another player who just does not have the class to command one of the central defensive positions.

CALDWELL............4 Tony Mowbray is at fault for persevering with a player who is having a serious dispute with the Club. Caldwell was Celtic's player of the year last season but has suddenly become one of their poorest.........................the two facts are not unrelated. He should not start again until the dispute is resolved or he is transferred.

NAYLOR.................5 This is the best type of performance Naylor can produce and again it is not good enough. I am amazed that he is still at the Club.

ROBSON................ 5 Can't fault his commitment but I do question if he has the necessary skill level for the Celtic we should be watching.

N’GUEMO..............5 There are times when you think that he is a quality player but other times he appears out of his depth. there is always a casual poor pass waiting to bring pressure to his team. I would not splash out the £1.5m to sign him.

McGEADY............. 7 MOM He gave his all and put over some good balls but was closely marked by the best player on the park.

MALONEY......... ...4 It's not that he doesn't try, he does but his lack of confidence/skill in front of goal is proving very expensive.

BROWN................ 4 He was played out of position but never brought to the game what Celtic is missing the most, i.e. quality.

McDONALD......... 4 He was played up front on his own and had no impact on the game. His future must be in doubt.

SUBS..................

SAMARAS.............6 Made a difference when he came on causing more problems than Skippy had caused but he always want too much time on the ball.

McGINN................4 No real impact.

McCOURT..........6 Brought a sparkle as soon as he was on the ball. Was unlucky with a great shot. TM will be a brave man if he does not start him on Sunday.

REF ....................7

GOAL............... 1. A nice short period of possession by Celtic at the back was cut short when Wilson could not make a pass, N'Guemo could not recover it, Caldwell could not defend it properly and the Bayern player finished it superbly.

RATING: Quality: 5.8 (Av. 6)

POSSESSION:?

COMMENTS:

1. 1. Celtic should not want to progress in this competition, they should recognise that they just do not have the quality to progress, they may not have the footballing intelligence so they should have as their sole aim, the winning back of the Championship. The team I watched to-night did not lack spirit, they did not even lack chances, they just do not have a player in the midfield who has the ability to control the ball, dictate the pace of the game and release the telling pass (the ability to score a few goals would help!). They do not have a big, strong, fast striker.

2 T 2 It is said that this is the worst start to a season that Celtic have had since the 1940's which might be a bit hard as there were no European games in those early days but that still does not explain the awful start that Celtic have had.

3. I3. Tony Mowbray is magnifying his own problems by visibly showing that he does not know his best team and as a result he leaves himself open to strong criticism.

4. 4. TM does not believe in 'must win' games but he better realise that the game against Ham Accies must be won!

4

4.

MATCH REPORT: CELTIC 1 RAPID VIENNA 1

PRE – MATCH COMMENT: Not really expecting too much from Celtic in terms of a result but hoping for revenge!

BORUC....................6 It was toomuch to hope that he would have consecutive clean sheets!

WILSON...................5 Only hissecond start of the season and it showed the longer the game went on.................he was knackered. Made some good tackles but on this showing will not displace Hinkel. Surprised Cadis wasn't given the chance.

McMANUS..............5 It doesn't really matter that he played very solidly for 89 mins, his abberation within 3 mins is just another indicator that he is just not good enough for to be first pick in a good Celtic team.

CALDWELL............6 Steady enough in a defensive role but he wan't to play the playmaker's role and it is so infuriating to watch. Had a great chance to win the game in the last minute but put his unchallenged headre way over the bar.

FOX.........................5 Hope he recovers his sharpness for Sunday's game. His crossing wasn't as good as it should have been and his passing at times sloppy.

BROWN................ 7 Encouraging to see a better performance from him and if he plays like this against Rangers it will have a big impact on the result.

N’GUEMO..............7 MOM A couple of poor passes shouldn't take away his commitment and good use of the ball.

McGEADY............. 5 Never got going and failed to create the moves that we were all hoping for although he was marked by 3 players anytime he was on the ball.

MALONEY......... ...7 Would have been MOM if it hadn't been for a terrible miss in the second half but he was the one who raised the tempo of the game after their goal. A repeat performance would be a big help in getting the result on Sunday.

McDONALD......... 7 You can forgive his poor control when he scores the type of goal that we saw to-night. A better prformance than of late.

SAMARAS.............6 One or two nice touches but he is a most frustrating, talented player.

SUBS..................

KILLEN.............5 A physical presence but notb a skillful one.

McGINN............5 Didn't get any service but was a bit disappointed that he did not force himself more into the action.

ROBSON..........5 Was o.k. but won't displace either Brown or N'Guemo

REF ..................5 Never stamped his authority on the game.

GOALS.............. 1. McManus does the difficult thing well, i.e. bringing the ball down with his chest but then does the easy thing so badly, i.e. passing the ball straight to the opposition who then countered attacked and scored with a good goal.

2. McDonald chased a lost ball, rode a tough tackle and then shot from a difficult angle across the goalkeeper into the far corner.

RATING: Quality: 5.8 (Av. 6)

POSSESSION:?

COMMENTS:

1. 1. Celtic coped well against a team that arrived with a good reputation and after the sticky start took control and would have deserved the victory if one of those chances had been taken.

2 T 2 History was made in sofar as there was an extra official behind each goal. They made no contribution.

3. I don't really feel that a run in Europe is that important to Celtic this season, what is vital is that we win the league and allow T.M. the time to pick the players who will be able to play to his style.

4. I'm going to miss the game on Sunday but I do think that if both teams play to their capabilities Celtic will win but it will need a concentrated performance.

5. The Rapid supporters gave their team the best support I've witnessed from an away team.