Celtic 2 Aberdeen 0
It used to be that a visit from Aberdeen prompted a little trepidation in the mind of Tims across the land. For part of the 80s I'd go as far to say it was trepidation bordering on outright bricking ourselves. But that was the 80's. As that decade passed, and a new one began, our Wooly brethren from the North became less and less of a force in Scottish football - even to the point that they were worse than us. God forbid.
And so it was until that until about 18 months ago we could rely on giving Aberdeen a bit of a horsing whenever they were kind enough to pop their collective fleeces out of the Celtic Park dressing rooms. Five, Six, even Seven goals at a time. Usually with a Henrik Hat-trick thrown in for good measure. But no more. Those days are gone. Two 3-2 defeats, and all that confidence we'd spent so long building up vanished as quickly as a Rangers fan when Hibs second goal goes in.
Yesterday, I must admit, I felt a little trepidation once again. Not so much trepidation of the opposition - this Aberdeen team are still a shadow of their former selves. Rather, trepidation of Celtic, and how we would perform. I'm still not convinced about this Celtic team. Not by a long way. Progress has certainly been made, of that there can be no question. But the horrors of Bratislava will take a long time to be forgotten.
As it turned out, those worries were unfounded. Celtic dominated the match for ninety minutes - so much so that Artur Boruc in the Celtic goal only had one save to make the entire game. And that was to stop Bobo heading into his own net.
As chronicled elsewhere, Saturday was about more than just a game of football. A rousing minute long display of appreciation to celebrate the life of the great Jock Stein kicked proceeding off. Great credit must go to the Aberdeen fans in the away section. To a man (and woman) they stood and applauded with the home support. one group had brought with them a banner which simply read "RIP Jock Stein". It was a nice gesture, and one that was appreciated by the home support. And when the image of the man who's life we were there to celebrate flashed up onto the screens, I'm sure there were a few tears in a few eyes all round the ground.
The match itself never quite lived up to the memory of the football Stein was renowned for. But we're getting there, slowly. Some of the football on display was a joy to watch, with quick one touch passing, some fine movement off the ball, and a few blistering attacks that sliced open the Aberdeen defence with ease. The progress we've made since that night in Bratislava is there for all to see.
Celtic could have taken the lead as early as the fifth minute. An Alan Thompson free kick was whipped into the box with pace, only for the ball to skid off the one remaining hair on the top of John Hartsons head. But we weren't to be denied for long. Only seven minutes later Celtic had the lead.
A cultured ball out of defence from Bobo (no, seriously) was chested into the path of Zurawski by Hartson. The Pole knocked it straight back to Hartson who flicked a delicate little ball into the right channel for Magic to run onto. The defence was breached, Magic sped into the box and fired a blistering shot into the keepers top left hand corner. A fitting goal for the occasion.
The guy who does the tannoy at Celtic Park, always one for a theme song, then treated us to a quick blast of Magic by Pilot. Let's hope it's something we hear alot more of in the coming years. Never thought i'd say those words.
What followed was a controlled display by the Hoops. The only danger, barring errant Bobo headers, was to the guys who happened to sit in the stands behind the goals whenever Neil Lennon lined up a shot. One of these days he'll rifle one into the top corner from 25 yards. That day wasn't Saturday.
At Half Time we were treated to a montage of Jock Stein memories. Clips from the training ground, goals from the glory days, they all melted together to the tune of Live Forever by Oasis. It was a nice touch, and received a good round of applause when it had finished.
The second half was more of the same. Celtic domination, Aberdeen not contributing much, Neil Lennon hitting row Z, etc. One glorious chance came and went, when our Japanese superstar turned the Aberdeen defence inside out, before curling a beautiful cross right onto the head of Alan Thompson. But with the goal gaping, the Englishman put the header wide.
Celtic, however, were not to be denied a second goal. Just after the hour mark Zurawski showed great tenacity in chasing down a high ball into the box. As he was forced wide, the chance had seemingly gone. But the Pole showed great composure in holding off his defender on the bye-line, before turning and laying the ball across the front of the goal to Petrov. A quick turn and shot, and the ball was in the back of the net. The game was won.
Soon afterwards we were treated to the usual double act of Beattie and Maloney coming off the bench. The pace and drive injected into the game by these two is a blessed relief. Quite frankly, they put Hartsons workrate to shame. Had it not been for a couple of dodgy looking offside decisions, they could quite easily have contributed a couple of goals or assists. The link up play between the two of them and Zurawski was exceptional at times.
As the game ran out, Celtic were denied what looked to be a stonewall penalty when Beattie - having Magic'd an Aberdeen player out on the touchline - appeared to be bundled over in the box. From this Tims perspective, it looked as certain a penalty as you'll ever see.
Anger at the decision was short lived, though, as news slowly worked its way through the ground of an equaliser for mighty Falkirk against the Orcs. A chorus of Let's all laugh at Rangers greeted news of the final whistle at Falkirk.
And in the dying minutes of our own match, the day was made complete with the first sighting, this season, of the lesser-spotted Pearson. His first touch was greeted with a little cheer. Nice to see the boy back.
All in all, a good performance by Celtic. Our back line was pretty solid for once. Bobo seemed to cut out the lapses of concentration, and he seemed to enjoy stepping out of defence whenever the chance arose. At one point we had him bursting down the right wing before winning a corner.
His defensive partner, McManus, also had a good game. He won everything in the air, and didn't give much away at all. Telfer was his usual consistent self. His lung bursting overlaps are a welcome sight. I don't think we've seen anything like that since Jackie Mac in the Jansen year. On the other side Camara also had a decent game, although there are still Tebily-esque moments that need to be sorted out before I'll have any real confidence in him. The idea of him being left on his own at the halfway line while the rest of the defence go up for a corner is particularly worrying.
Onto the midfield. Neil Lennon was his usual self, strolling casualy about the middle of the park, keeping the ball moving this way and that. He's always at his most effective just sweeping up the loose balls and passing it on. A little more time spent in shooting practice wouldn't go amiss though.
Stan Petrov was immense. His box to box play was truly exceptional, as was his link up play with those around him. Personally, I would have given him man of the match. As for Alan Thompson, I thought he had a good game. I was surprised to see him in the starting lineup, but he put in some of the crosses we expect from him, and threaded quite a few decent balls through for Zurawski to run on to. If Thompson can get back to the type of form we know he is capable of, then we could have an interesting partnership there.
Nakamura had another of those games playing on the fringes. When he did get involved, though, he made it count. His touch is sublime, his movement intelligent, and his ability to go past players with a little drop of the shoulders will pay dividends over the season. I'm not convinced he's a wide player. Play him right behind the front two, let's see what he can produce.
Up front Zurawski had an outstanding game. His movement and running off the ball is incredible, and it was a finely finished goal. Very Larsson-esque. The guy is going to be a star. I can't praise his performance highly enough.
Meanwhile, John Hartson continues to frustrate. We know he can score goals, but aside from that, he contributes little. Great play in the run up to Zurawski's goal, but apart from that? Pretty much nothing. Ol' Lead boots is back. Perhaps a spell on the bench is needed. Give Beattie a run out, let's see how the Beatts and Magic line up.
Overall, it was a good day all round. Three points in the bag, and the Huns slip up. We are making progress. Of that there can be no doubt. I still think we're a bit short in the midfield, but if we can avoid injury to Lennon and Petrov, things may turn out to be not quite so bad as many people thought it was going to be after Bratislava.
Always the Hoops
And so it was until that until about 18 months ago we could rely on giving Aberdeen a bit of a horsing whenever they were kind enough to pop their collective fleeces out of the Celtic Park dressing rooms. Five, Six, even Seven goals at a time. Usually with a Henrik Hat-trick thrown in for good measure. But no more. Those days are gone. Two 3-2 defeats, and all that confidence we'd spent so long building up vanished as quickly as a Rangers fan when Hibs second goal goes in.
Yesterday, I must admit, I felt a little trepidation once again. Not so much trepidation of the opposition - this Aberdeen team are still a shadow of their former selves. Rather, trepidation of Celtic, and how we would perform. I'm still not convinced about this Celtic team. Not by a long way. Progress has certainly been made, of that there can be no question. But the horrors of Bratislava will take a long time to be forgotten.
As it turned out, those worries were unfounded. Celtic dominated the match for ninety minutes - so much so that Artur Boruc in the Celtic goal only had one save to make the entire game. And that was to stop Bobo heading into his own net.
As chronicled elsewhere, Saturday was about more than just a game of football. A rousing minute long display of appreciation to celebrate the life of the great Jock Stein kicked proceeding off. Great credit must go to the Aberdeen fans in the away section. To a man (and woman) they stood and applauded with the home support. one group had brought with them a banner which simply read "RIP Jock Stein". It was a nice gesture, and one that was appreciated by the home support. And when the image of the man who's life we were there to celebrate flashed up onto the screens, I'm sure there were a few tears in a few eyes all round the ground.
The match itself never quite lived up to the memory of the football Stein was renowned for. But we're getting there, slowly. Some of the football on display was a joy to watch, with quick one touch passing, some fine movement off the ball, and a few blistering attacks that sliced open the Aberdeen defence with ease. The progress we've made since that night in Bratislava is there for all to see.
Celtic could have taken the lead as early as the fifth minute. An Alan Thompson free kick was whipped into the box with pace, only for the ball to skid off the one remaining hair on the top of John Hartsons head. But we weren't to be denied for long. Only seven minutes later Celtic had the lead.
A cultured ball out of defence from Bobo (no, seriously) was chested into the path of Zurawski by Hartson. The Pole knocked it straight back to Hartson who flicked a delicate little ball into the right channel for Magic to run onto. The defence was breached, Magic sped into the box and fired a blistering shot into the keepers top left hand corner. A fitting goal for the occasion.
The guy who does the tannoy at Celtic Park, always one for a theme song, then treated us to a quick blast of Magic by Pilot. Let's hope it's something we hear alot more of in the coming years. Never thought i'd say those words.
What followed was a controlled display by the Hoops. The only danger, barring errant Bobo headers, was to the guys who happened to sit in the stands behind the goals whenever Neil Lennon lined up a shot. One of these days he'll rifle one into the top corner from 25 yards. That day wasn't Saturday.
At Half Time we were treated to a montage of Jock Stein memories. Clips from the training ground, goals from the glory days, they all melted together to the tune of Live Forever by Oasis. It was a nice touch, and received a good round of applause when it had finished.
The second half was more of the same. Celtic domination, Aberdeen not contributing much, Neil Lennon hitting row Z, etc. One glorious chance came and went, when our Japanese superstar turned the Aberdeen defence inside out, before curling a beautiful cross right onto the head of Alan Thompson. But with the goal gaping, the Englishman put the header wide.
Celtic, however, were not to be denied a second goal. Just after the hour mark Zurawski showed great tenacity in chasing down a high ball into the box. As he was forced wide, the chance had seemingly gone. But the Pole showed great composure in holding off his defender on the bye-line, before turning and laying the ball across the front of the goal to Petrov. A quick turn and shot, and the ball was in the back of the net. The game was won.
Soon afterwards we were treated to the usual double act of Beattie and Maloney coming off the bench. The pace and drive injected into the game by these two is a blessed relief. Quite frankly, they put Hartsons workrate to shame. Had it not been for a couple of dodgy looking offside decisions, they could quite easily have contributed a couple of goals or assists. The link up play between the two of them and Zurawski was exceptional at times.
As the game ran out, Celtic were denied what looked to be a stonewall penalty when Beattie - having Magic'd an Aberdeen player out on the touchline - appeared to be bundled over in the box. From this Tims perspective, it looked as certain a penalty as you'll ever see.
Anger at the decision was short lived, though, as news slowly worked its way through the ground of an equaliser for mighty Falkirk against the Orcs. A chorus of Let's all laugh at Rangers greeted news of the final whistle at Falkirk.
And in the dying minutes of our own match, the day was made complete with the first sighting, this season, of the lesser-spotted Pearson. His first touch was greeted with a little cheer. Nice to see the boy back.
All in all, a good performance by Celtic. Our back line was pretty solid for once. Bobo seemed to cut out the lapses of concentration, and he seemed to enjoy stepping out of defence whenever the chance arose. At one point we had him bursting down the right wing before winning a corner.
His defensive partner, McManus, also had a good game. He won everything in the air, and didn't give much away at all. Telfer was his usual consistent self. His lung bursting overlaps are a welcome sight. I don't think we've seen anything like that since Jackie Mac in the Jansen year. On the other side Camara also had a decent game, although there are still Tebily-esque moments that need to be sorted out before I'll have any real confidence in him. The idea of him being left on his own at the halfway line while the rest of the defence go up for a corner is particularly worrying.
Onto the midfield. Neil Lennon was his usual self, strolling casualy about the middle of the park, keeping the ball moving this way and that. He's always at his most effective just sweeping up the loose balls and passing it on. A little more time spent in shooting practice wouldn't go amiss though.
Stan Petrov was immense. His box to box play was truly exceptional, as was his link up play with those around him. Personally, I would have given him man of the match. As for Alan Thompson, I thought he had a good game. I was surprised to see him in the starting lineup, but he put in some of the crosses we expect from him, and threaded quite a few decent balls through for Zurawski to run on to. If Thompson can get back to the type of form we know he is capable of, then we could have an interesting partnership there.
Nakamura had another of those games playing on the fringes. When he did get involved, though, he made it count. His touch is sublime, his movement intelligent, and his ability to go past players with a little drop of the shoulders will pay dividends over the season. I'm not convinced he's a wide player. Play him right behind the front two, let's see what he can produce.
Up front Zurawski had an outstanding game. His movement and running off the ball is incredible, and it was a finely finished goal. Very Larsson-esque. The guy is going to be a star. I can't praise his performance highly enough.
Meanwhile, John Hartson continues to frustrate. We know he can score goals, but aside from that, he contributes little. Great play in the run up to Zurawski's goal, but apart from that? Pretty much nothing. Ol' Lead boots is back. Perhaps a spell on the bench is needed. Give Beattie a run out, let's see how the Beatts and Magic line up.
Overall, it was a good day all round. Three points in the bag, and the Huns slip up. We are making progress. Of that there can be no doubt. I still think we're a bit short in the midfield, but if we can avoid injury to Lennon and Petrov, things may turn out to be not quite so bad as many people thought it was going to be after Bratislava.
Always the Hoops
posted by Moravcik67 @ 11:51 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Spot on with your comments, Mr Paranoia.
Things are slowly but surely fitting into place and the one-off freakshow that was the Artmedia 1st leg tie is now becoming a distant,although still painful, memory.
As you stated in you report a massive thank you to the Aberdeen fans for respectfully saluting the memory of a true martyr.
What with ra gers result a great day all round.
It is always nice to see when reading reports on Timdom some in depth analysis.
Yourself and Johnbhoy on celticfc blog are a credit to Bhoys everywhere for your time and effort.
We at LOTW try to make our reports brief and as we cant match yours.
Think we do it well, Though and will try and look at the games differently from yourself.
Still think our team have a long way to go before we are the finished article, but a agree with your assesment.
Still think the team lacks a spine, we need a ball playing centre half, a quicker midfield in both mind and movement and a target man that actually does something.
Midfield Thommo is lucky Lenny will be out for a spell as his jacket is on a shaky peg, well with me anyway.
Still for me if we are to improve Lenny and Thommo need to be replaced to allow Wee Gordies brand of football to fully take shape.
Up front Hartson needs a wee spell sitting on the bench. Sutty should be fit for Sunday and should walk into the main striker role.
I was happy with the team and the result on Saturday, in the short term, long term there is still work to be done.
As with the huns result, we can't gloat quite yet as we are more than capable of getting turned over at Easter Road on Sunday
Hail Hail
www.thelordofthewing.blogspot.com
Post a Comment
<< Home