Celtic FC: Well at least we won

Article by James Payne

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I was really looking forward to last Saturday's match with Aberdeen. After a two week break for the International matches and with the likelihood that some of the new players would be playing in the match I had been hoping for something that would confirm that the reshaping of Celtic's team under Ronny Deila was finally beginning to become obvious and that the fog that has enveloped Celtic for weeks had begun to lift.

'Well at least we won' was though the most expressed sentiment I heard on the way out of the stadium after the 2-1 win over Aberdeen. There is of course nothing wrong with winning but I always feel the 'Well at least...' line is a better one later in the season when the pitches are heavy, the skies are leaden and a failure to win could prove very costly. This early in the season I still go expecting more than the bare minimum in terms of objectives. I expect to be entertained.

For the first half hour I was entertained. It wasn't exactly Milan c1989 but the ball was passed efficiently, chances were created and a goal was scored. Callum McGregor looked lively and Kris Commons was looking sharper than at any time in the last 4 and a half months. Best of all Scott Brown- the club captain - was back. Broony is not everybody's cup of tea but I think Celtic plays better when he is playing and on Saturday until he tired after 50 odd minutes he was arguably Celtic's best player with midfield at last having some bite.

The atmosphere was, as it is usually is in these post-Green Brigade days, tepid and even the big travelling support from the North East was a fair bit quieter than they usually are though without them it would have been no noisier than a cricket match on the village green as old ladies cycle to evensong whilst drinking their warm beer. By half an hour the subdued atmosphere spread to the pitch and it all got a bit scrappy.

Celtic went two up after 24 seconds of the second half after Commons' shot was deflected by an Aberdeen defender and for a few minutes Celtic looked bright but after Commons hit the bar with a splendid strike Celtic sagged. Aberdeen scored on the hour mark and had a very good next 15-20 minutes when they could well have scored at least one more goal as Celtic got steadily worse.

Aberdeen did have a very good shout for a penalty in the closing minutes - the ball certainly did hit Commons' arm - but other than that the Dons didn't exactly batter the door and in fact Celtic had two very good chances to tie it up. A win is a win but this was not, mostly, a good display by Celtic with only Craig Gordon and Virgil Van Dijk playing well throughout the match. The policy of playing the left footed McGregor on the right looks increasingly pointless to me whilst Efe Ambrose at right back is more dangerous for my heart than a diet of éclairs.

Three of the new players made their debuts. Alexandr Tonev and Stefan Scepovic started with John Giudetti replacing the latter early in the second half. The jury isn't even close to hearing Counsels’ closing arguments far less meeting to reach its verdict on all three. Tonev looked the best before he was hooked but even he was hardly scintillating on the left wing whilst both strikers made very quiet debuts though I formed the impression that both could have done with playing with a nippy player playing beside him. The Serb Scepovic in particular got the ball several times in positions where he would have been looking to lay the ball off but instead he just passed it into the empty space he thought Commons would be in.

Tonev has unfortunately presented Celtic with a problem that they could have done without, when news broke that Aberdeen's right back Shay Logan had accused the Bulgar of racially abusing him early in the second half. Unless they can definitively prove that the loan signing from Aston Villa made no such remark then I would imagine that Celtic’s officials will be checking the contract to see if they can get shot of Tonev. Mud like this sticks, not just to the player but the club he plays for. I don't know what the basis of the allegations are but I would have to say that it is a strange thing for Logan to accuse Tonev of for no reason. This story has serious implications for Celtic and it has to be seen to get its response spot on with justice being seen to have being done- simply saying that it’s one player’s word against the other won’t do many people within the Celtic support as well as outwith it. I do not envy Peter Lawwell and Ronny Deila on this one. Or, if he is innocent, Tonev.

Celtic face FC Salzburg in Austria in their first Europa League group match. It is hard to be too optimistic on this one given Celtic's very disappointing start to the season. The Austrian champs had an eye catching 6-1 aggregate win over Ajax last season in the first knockout round of last season's tourney and have a solid enough record in Europe but like Celtic they hardly covered themselves in glory failing to qualify for this season’s Champions League proper. The 4-2 aggregate loss to Malmo suggests the side managed by Adolf Hutter may have slipped a bit I hope it's rather more than a bit.

Whatever happens many Celtic fans will for once not regard the Bhoys' match to be the big event of the day - and I do not mean East Enders either. I can only hope that Celtic aren't thinking that Thursday evening and Friday morning are good days to bury bad news.

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