Summer's no breeze for Tony Mowbray

Well, the close season comes, birds twitter, summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine...



... and blogs are neglected.

Which is sort of a shame because there has been no proper welcome on here for Tony Mowbray, Mark Venus and Peter Grant. By all that's right and holy, Mogga & co's credentials shouldn't have got them near the interview stage at a club like Celtic but that's by the by. I like who we have in charge and I believe that they can do an excellent job for us.

That task isn't helped by having to fly to the Antipodes to play some exhibition football when they should really be preparing a squad for Champions League qualification. But then in “pursuing sources of revenue“ … “we don''t get Premiership money“ … blah, blah, Celtic always have some sort of excuse.

The truth is, of course, that all these commitments – like the Peace Cup – were made when it was believed that Celtic would win the SPL. The mere matter of adequately improving the squad to make sure that we could play in that nonsensical tournament and travel to the other end of the world without wrecking our chances of playing in the Champions League was surely a technicality.

That's in the past, of course, but not forgotten – and nor should it be.

Tony has made a bright start, attempting to re-awaken that passion and loyalty to the team and manager that disregards the intrigues of the boardroom suits. His job has not been made easier.

The departure of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink inspires mixed feelings. He was very effective for a time but when the last remnants of pace left his legs, watching him proved to be torture. Personally, I never fully forgave him for stupidly getting sent off as we were going down to an improbable defeat against the R-word at Celtic Park. At that stage, we could still have won the match and Jan's idiocy – with the wry smile that followed – was costly and unbecoming of a Celtic player.

Shunsuke Nakamura was a marvellous footballer, who seems to have been allowed to leave without even being asked to speak to the new manager. He was, after all, quoted as saying he would stay at Celtic “as long as Peter wants me“. We must presume that Peter Lawwell had no further use for him.

Tony himself made the decision to let Paul Hartley go and while it may have been the correct decision in the long term, Paul's professionalism will be missed. I often wonder how large a figure in Celtic's history Paul might have been had he been signed a few years earlier. He has exceptional qualities and Bristol City are fortunate to have him.
So with those three and Bobo gone, “salary-trimming“ is in full swing.

And now we have Marc-Antoine Fortuné, whose signing is a bold move. Most of us are in no position to make judgements on him and the coaches have high praise for a forward they worked with at West Bromwich Albion. However, strikers who score very few goals are an immense risk.

The coaching staff point to the overall scoring rate of the team in matches he plays in. Are they perhaps overlooking the phenomenon of Celtic strikers being penalised when they challenge for the ball? Since certain blue-minded zealots campaigned for special treatment allowing centre-halfs impunity when challenged by Chris Sutton, there has been a constant theme of referees favouring defenders against our strikers.

In part, this accounted for the ineffectiveness of Jan and, unless there is a serious change of culture, Marc-Antoine faces the challenge of his life. We should be patient with him as the Jacksons and Broadfoots of the world are surely waiting to compare him unfavourably to Kyle Lafferty.

We await much-needed further signings and suspect that more players will be asset-managed out of the door. In these circumstances, if Tony Mowbray takes us into the Champions League proper, he will already deserve legendary status.






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Time for recriminations? Damned right!

As the improbable became the inevitable, Celtic's capitulation to arguably the worst team ever to be Scottish champions presents a clear case for a change of personnel. That starts with the manager.

For three and a half seasons, this blog supported Gordon Strachan. Recent months, however, have raised questions about his attitude to the job, his ability to field a winning team and, frankly, his loyalty.

That Strachan was not accepted by a section of Celtic supporters is old news. In that, he was often a victim of fans' ridiculous petulance. But he also occasionally fed the critics through gross immaturity.

Few Celtic supporters had any sympathy for the journalists he sent packing with fleas in their ears – we know they revel in criticising all things Celtic. But Strachan failed to grasp the fact that he was also addressing the fans. Snippy one-liners directed at hacks may be well and good if he was communicating with the supporters elsewhere – for example through Celtic's website. Failure to do so seemed to indicate a lack of respect for the people who, for good or ill, make Celtic what it is.

The closing of ranks between manager and players might also be admirable in its own way if it was accompanied by acceptable results and performances. Unfortunately, though, that was not the case. Continually defending players after draws and defeats leads a club perilously close to accepting second-best. Not good enough for Celtic.

Furthermore, there were some absurd decisions over the past season. Squad rotation of middleweight players was an abject failure. Keeping faith with the talented but increasingly out of his depth Marc Crosas was as ill advised as was the bizarre decision to play Gary Caldwell in midfield. Dropping Aiden McGeady in favour of Shaun Maloney (whose return has been shown to be a mistake) at Ibrox was just one more unfathomable move that was an utter failure.

Even yesterday, needing a goal for some semblance of respectability, he replaced Scott McDonald with Maloney, one of the most absurd decisions of his managerial reign before he reached for Willo Flood, a move that was symbolic of a man who had run out of ideas long ago.

True, he was badly let down by directors and a Chief Executive, who were too damned smart for their own good in trying to keep Celtic a hair's breadth ahead of an abysmal Rangers team. Peter Lawwell, Dermot Desmond, John Reid and all their apologists fully deserve every bit of the abuse that will assuredly be hurled in their direction. Their briefings to certain supporters' websites in a transparent attempt to manage information have represented an underhand tactic that insults the intelligence of Celtic fans. They have failed the club and would do us all a favour by moving on to pastures new.

But there comes a point where the manager must stop meekly accepting under-investment because of his great friendship with Peter Lawwell and demand the best for the club. The world and his wife could see that we needed another striker and a left-back yet we spent an entire season with the most ineffective front line we have had since we were relying on the likes of Tommy Coyne and Andy Paton for goals. Still, he loaned out Cillian Sheridan though he has no time for Ben Hutcheson, leaving us with hopelessly inept forwards. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink has shown that his race is run as a footballer while Georgious Samaras would be better taking up a career on the catwalk where his aimless strutting would be more appropriate. Scott McDonald found some form but far too late for the campaign as a whole.

It was naïve to say the least to rely on friendship with Lawwell, who would cheerfully hang Strachan out to dry if it made his life easier (and there is good reason to believe he was using at least one of those supporters' websites to do just that). Lawwell is a survivor and such people rarely reciprocate loyalty when their neck is on the line.

The country will now be represented in Europe by a club known as Scotland's Shame and one which is a national embarrassment. Finishing second to such garbage makes Strachan's position untenable.






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Steps forward 2 - 4 Steps backwards

How can you account for a team that has won the league championship three years in succession getting turned over on its own ground by a side with some talent but which is also peppered with mediocre footballers?

Bad luck? Bad refereeing?

No.

The answer is bad planning and inexcusable errors from individuals.

First, to the defence. Yet again, Celtic have been exposed as a team that is uneven in its distribution of personnel. We have at least six talented midfielders but still only one left-back. (The “versatile”, injured and invisible Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe can hardly be counted.)

It has been apparent since, 12 months ago, Vladimir Bystrov raced past Lee Naylor like a Ferrari overtaking a Skoda with a caravan in tow that we needed another left-back. We didn’t sign one. What are we left with? A good right-back putting in an abysmal performance in the left and being skinned by the likes of Kirk Broadfoot.

Gordon Strachan, who often mentions the duty of full-backs to protect their centre halves, would do well occasionally to remind the men in the middle of small consideration such as cover, when players like Daniel Cousin are tearing down the wings with only one option in the penalty box.

Wilson was bad – really bad – but the experienced pairing of Gary Caldwell and Stephen McManus far too often watched play developing around them, perhaps because of the clever zonal marking system that Celtic execute so brilliantly.

Then there is Artur Boruc. Let’s mention the elephant in the room: Boruc is a great goalkeeper – probably the best in the world – but has started the season in the manner of a man whose priorities are seriously distorted. Two disciplinary incidents since the summer, a visible belly and a casual demeanour do nothing to engender confidence after a display that would have embarrassed Henty “Drop the Ball” Smith.

Then there is our most experienced international striker, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. A game is not lost at 3-1 with 20 minutes to go, especially when your opponents have just had a man sent off.

To aim idiotic kicks at opponents off-the-ball and then leave the pitch with a wry smile when quite correctly shown a red card is inexcusable and unworthy of a Celtic player. Jan has been an exceptional player for us and has suffered a serious injury. Hopefully the manager will demonstrate to him forcibly that as a senior Celtic player, he is expected to be professional at all times.

How frustrating this must have been for the players who were performing well. Scott Brown and Paul Hartley worked hard to be productive for the attackers, Georgios Samaras was dangerous throughout and Aiden McGeady, Shaun Maloney and Shunsuke Nakamura looked capable of producing more openings. Ben Hutchinson faced an unenviable introduction to the derby fixture but should now be in third place in the strikers' pecking order.

However, it was a wasted effort when let down by such unprofessional, juvenile displays elsewhere.

Rangers deserved their win and congratulations to them on an excellent display. Some Celtic players should seriously consider issuing an apology.





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Happiness, happiness, the greatest gift that we possess...

The glow of our third consecutive SPL title under Gordon Strachan is enduring. Everywhere you look, there are relaxed, contented, smiling Celtic fans still talking about that perfect Thursday evening.

And that sense of the wellbeing of our club seems to be felt by our players too. Leo Beenhaker has already revealed that he had to “cleanse the minds” of Artur Boruc and other players of distractions during Poland’s Euro 2008 preparations. In Artur’s case, according to Beenhaker, that was the high he was still feeling after our dramatic title win. Let’s hope he is here for number four.

As for other Euro 2008 players, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink has moved quickly to dismiss rumours that he will leave for Feyenoord or Werder Bremen and stated categorically that he will be a Celtic player next season.

Often misunderstood and under-appreciated by some fans and a few pundits, Jan has scored some tremendously important goals and is just the sort of player that every other Scottish team’s defence would love to see plying his trade anywhere outside of Scotland.

It is a mark of Jan’s ability that his critics often highlight similarities with John Hartson, who also found that you just can’t convince some people that there is more than one kind of striker. In reality they are very different players but our Dutch international has the eye for goal to match his aerial power and has made a huge contribution to our success.

His winner against Dundee Utd was a fitting reward for his efforts through the season and no fan of Celtic – or especially Rangers – will need reminding of his last-minute strike against Glasgow’s second club at Celtic Park. For many, that was the moment the race turned. There was much football still to be played but the momentum and sense of destiny seemed to be with Celtic.

Good strikers are on the spot when they are most needed and Jan has delivered for us time after time.

• By contrast, the latest Rangers coup is signing Kenny Miller, who worked hard for Celtic but simply was unable to score enough goals. Having gone to Derby where he was part of the worst-ever Premiership team only to return to Ibrox, we need hardly be full of trepidation at his return. However, he will likely continue to play well and deliver little end product. We should wish him well – it’s more than the Rangers support seem capable of doing.

Pride and praise due

Celtic 2 – 1 Rangers
Celtic: Nakamura 20, Vennegoor of Hesselink 90 +4
Rangers: Novo, 55

After what seemed like an interminable wait, Celtic finally became lions when it mattered most, triumphing in what will be remembered as one of the great games between Glasgow’s top sides.

Buoyed by a home crowd hungry for victory and desperate for heroes to establish, even for one night, the rightful order of merit, Celtic’s men tore at Rangers, scornful of the plaudits showered upon the light blues, irked by four consecutive reverses and exuding the courage and craft that has shaped great Celtic sides of old.

Gordon Strachan’s team selection answered every Celtic fan’s prayer – obvious though it may have been to return the men who had responded so strongly to the home disappointment against Motherwell with their stylish, emphatic win. The captain Stephen McManus stepped up to his task, firing his men with rallying shouts.

Even before the kick-off, some Rangers players were gazing around the Celtic Park arena, looking for all the world as if their house had just crash-landed in Oz. Their initial onslaught was unexpected by most, hoping to catch Celtic cold and winning an early corner. Artur Boruc, in the Celtic goal was unperturbed.

But early on Jean-Claude Darcheville, who has enjoyed reasonable success since his move to Ibrox, looked like a man who could think of a hundred places he would rather be.

The sheer impact of the crowd’s audible volume, the loneliness of the amphitheatre where thousands of Rangers supporters became a muted irrelevance and, perhaps, the realisation that being a lone striker on one of Scotland’s biggest pitches was a task last appreciated by Captain Robert Falcon Scott gave the industrious Frenchman the haunted look of a defeated soldier whose only opportunity for salute would be in surrendering his weapons. He did just that before long, preferring to tie his boot lace off the field while his captain took a corner.

In Celtic’s ranks, was a midfield engine that might, given a chance, evoke memories of Bobby Murdoch and Bertie Auld. Certainly, in the absence of Scott Brown, whose multitude of tackles for the Celtic cause saw him suspended, Barry Robson played a role familiar to him – and on another sense stirred memories of many a fine Celtic player of the past.

Once a boy who might have played for Rangers, Robson is now a mature professional blessed with an almost irresistible combination of all-round skill, athleticism, and the accentuated desire that is so often the hallmark of the player whose chance came after it appeared lost. He, more than any other, set the tone for the match – battering Christian Dailly, whose prolonged shrieks to the referee hinted that his fellow Tannadice former pupil had articulated his point in a way that a thousand words could only talk around.

It should be said that the challenge was unfair, according to the rules, but it fired Celtic fans with the belief that this team would fight, as well as containing an acknowledgement that the early physical assertiveness that is so often a hallmark of the Rangers game can, like most things, be done better in green-and-white hoops.

Partnering Robson, was Paul Hartley who has an intuitive understanding of the “late bloomer” footballer psyche and might well have endured status as a Rangers player had Gordon Strachan not offered him salvation. Before long the two were combining their myriad talents, collective years of frustrations and differing early perspectives to form a unit that would rubbish an opposition superior in numbers but blessed with only one exceptional talent in the shape of their captain.

North and south of the central area would be two players diverse in culture and experience but well-matched in rebounding against vile abuse from their antagonists. The hands of Giovanni Trapatonni will have been raised high in praise of Irish international Aiden McGeady’s dissection of Kirk Broadfoot and Steven Whittaker, whose joint attentions served only to prompt Celtic mirth and leave acres of untended pasture for Lee Naylor, who has recaptured much of his verve.

Nakamura had the support of Andreas Hinkel, rich in attacking skill and speed of passing, but the Japanese star was in an ethereal world of his own when he scored one of the great Glasgow derby goals. Picking up a beautiful inside pass from Gary Caldwell 30 yards out, Nakamura’s predatory instincts took him forward before unleashing a strike of such viperous venom and coil that Allan McGregor in the Rangers goal could only move left and look right in horror as the movement of the ball left him stranded.

Wrecking the plans of Walter Smith who had hitherto effectively used ten of his men as a defensive unit, the goal, beautiful as it was, was scant reward for Celtic’s first-half domination.

In the second period, two substitutes would come to the fore. Mark Wilson replaced the injured Naylor with Nacho Novo disappointing home fans, in denying them another 45 minutes of entertainment from Broadfoot. Nevertheless, Novo is one of those nettle-like players who you may not want in your own back yard all the time but who often irritates the neighbours.

Celtic fans know that to utterly dominate a first half and lead by less than two is to prepare for an ill-deserved equaliser. Novo duly obliged, giving Rangers a goal for their eight second-half minutes of inspiration after a full half of perspiration. A foul by Dailly was missed by referee Kenny Clark before Wilson, lacking match sharpness, committed to a tackle and missed, leaving a gap for Novo to exploit and level the scores.

If that single goal was more than Rangers deserved, it almost discouraged Celtic for a few minutes; passes that were too heavy (or too light) resulting in lost possession or extraneous toil.

And then arose Nakamura. A model of composure as the visitors’ heavy defence crowded out Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Scott McDonald, the Japanese star had delivered a lesson in control, vision and use of the ball that suggested a man calibrated on a different time continuum from his near neighbours.

But while his colleagues struggled to create opportunities, a shift, a step and a strike from Nakamura looked set to claim this as HIS derby. Cynical cheating and the worst form of bad sportsmanship by Clydesdale Bank’s player of the season saw Carlos Cuellar sent off for using his hand to deny the midfielder.

That advantage should have been enough for Celtic, especially given that Scotland’s top goalscorer would have a penalty against an injured McGregor in the Rangers goal. In truth, McDonald looked to be wary of the task and struck the ball too close to McGregor, prompting fears of another injustice.

The drama had further acts.

McGregor, who had been hurt saving a McDonald shot, decided his race was nearly run but, clearly determined to spend as much of the remaining minutes not playing football, demanded extended treatment on the pitch. In the meantime, January signing Neil Alexander was summoned and dismissed as Walter Smith demonstrated the extent of his faith in the club’s substitute goalkeeper.

Now Rangers wanted only to stop and stand, to play football for as little time as possible, to see time wasted with bickering and spats.

And then the great gamble. Facing ten men and desperate for a goal, Gordon Strachan replaced Robson, the anger of many fans a vocal demonstration of the high esteem in which Robson is already held. But others have been crying out for just such a move – embrace the task in hand with three strikers.

The former group no doubt include those who can see no merit in Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, a Dutch international who has scored 19 goals this season. Adding Georgios Samaras to the attack at least made one emphatic statement: Strachan is willing to act with courage at the most crucial moments.

The result was salvation: Gary Caldwell, having his best game for Celtic delivered a pass across the field to McDonald whose header back and across goal found Vennegoor of Hesselink at his determined and clinical best.

The match was won, and the tortuous strain on the losers evident in undignified scrapping after the final whistle.

Has life been breathed into Celtic’s challenge? We may have found a pulse.