SPL Wednesday October 27th

Celtic 2

Aberdeen 3

0:1 Mackie 5
0:2 Pasquinelli 6
1:2 Hartson 45
2:2 Hartson 69
2:3 Stewart 90

Att: 57,151

MIB: Willie Young

Celtic: Marshall Agathe Balde Varga McNamara Petrov Lennon Juninho Wallace Sutton Hartson
subs
McGeady for Juninho 59
Sylla for Sutton 59

Calamity, debacle, farce... oh where to begin with our defence these days? Individuals have been singled out but the fact is that football is a team game and if Bobo Balde has the ball in his own half it would be advisable for at least one of his team mates to try and make themselves available for a pass. Only good manners really. As it was for most of this game his team mates were content to stand and watch as he was closed down time and time again.

We could do worse than sit Juninho down in front of some Paul McStay videos. Top class midfielders take the ball from the defence and start moves from there. They don't stand in a knot of players in the middle of park and wait to see what will happen; someone has to have 'a word' with the wee man because he isn't doing a hell of a lot to inspire right now.

After Livi MON described our alleged defending as 'schoolboy'. Our efforts tonight defy description in a family magazine. Two down in five minutes says it all really.

The players at least showed spirit though (we didn't lose through a lack of heart, that's the one positive thing). Hartson pulled one back before the break and things looked up, but the real blow arrived in the second half with the departure of Sutton. Without him we lose a lot, not only in ability but in attitude. His performances this season really should see him picking up player of the year again. The real shock was the identity if his replacement, not centre forward and pre-season slayer of the premiership Craig Beattie, but Momo Sylla, the player of no fixed position. With cruel predictability this switch was a disaster. Sylla spent the rest of the game running around like a dizzy duck to no great effect, unlike our other substitute. McGeady replaced the ineffectual Juninho and made an immediate impact, demanding the ball from the Celtic defence, running at the Aberdeen back line and showing some exquisite dribbling skills. Why he hasn't been worth a start recently remains a mystery.

The equaliser arrived after a neatly flighted cross was met perfectly by BBJ. Game on and the way we reacted to equalising suggested that we had the heart to go and win the game, but we stalled and as it appeared to be heading for a stalemate, with only seconds to go Varga took the ball from Marshall. He had two options; the easy, obvious, sensible ball wide to Agathe in acres of space or a speculative punt in the general direction of the Aberdeen goal. Stan chose option two and fell way short with his kick, Aberdeen promptly raced up the pitch and scored the winner.

Calamity, debacle ... oh you know the rest.