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Sunday Papers; 28/09/08
Topic Started: Sep 27 2008, 10:43 PM (80 Views)
Jinty
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Sunday Herald


Strachan's fresh formula

CELTIC: Manager looks likely to adopt a new approach in a bid to end his club’s abysmal Champions League away record, writes Alan Campbell

THE CELTIC chairman, John Reid, had not long been appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when a curious sequence began in September 2001. Juventus beat Celtic 3-2 in Turin, establishing a pattern which has smothered the Glasgow club.

Whether under Martin O'Neill or Gordon Strachan, Celtic find it impossible to win away from home in the Champions League. Of 15 group stage matches, 14 have been lost and one drawn. Two more away fixtures in the last 16 round have been just as fruitless.

It's a record which draws weary looks when presented to Strachan and his players, but it is nevertheless hard to ignore. Nor is it an encouraging backdrop for the visit to the Madrigal on Tuesday night, when a very much in-form Villarreal lie in wait. After failing to seal the customary home win against Aalborg in the first round of matches at Parkhead, Celtic will have to eke out at least one away win in the remaining five matches to have any hope of reaching the last 16 for the third year in a row.

Sequences, though, are there to be broken and there is encouragement for Strachan's side in the fact that Olympiakos, who had previously gone 31 Champions League games without recording an away success, won two games on their travels during the group stage last season. Nor does sports psychologist Richard Cox believe that the current squad should be intimidated by the club's dismal away record.

"The sequence belongs to Celtic, not the 11 players who are going to take the park," he explained, when asked what Strachan could do to take this monkey off his players' backs. "People say this team is not as good as Celtic sides of the past - I would use that as a challenge and tell the players they could break a sequence that others couldn't."

Cox, who has worked across a range of sports, accepts that Celtic have a tough job on their hands on Tuesday. "Any analyst would predict a Villarreal win, so they go in as underdogs," he said. "If Gordon Strachan is well prepared, he can't do any more. If he hasn't got the players because he hasn't got the money to buy them, it's like playing with one arm tied behind your back."

Having failed to find a winning formula in the previous two seasons, Strachan hinted strongly at using the 4-5-1 formation which was tested in pre-season matches.

"You can call it one up front or three up front," the manager pointed out. "It's one up front when you're defending and three up front when you're attacking.

"You've got to try to change it anyway, because what we've tried over the last couple of years hasn't worked, that's for sure. We've got different players this year and different strengths.

"We've got more variation out of our attacking play at the moment, and more energy than we've had for a long time. The first team has loads of experience as well."

Assuming Strachan does go for a single striker, supported by two wide players in attack, the role will almost certainly be assigned to Georgios Samaras. The Greek has been promoted from the supporting cast to centre stage, and has rewarded his manager with nine goals already this season.

If Strachan was to take a gamble on playing both Shaun Maloney and Aiden McGeady on the flanks, Celtic would have plenty of pace and trickery with which to keep the mobile Samaras productively busy. The striker wasn't at his best against Aalborg, and still has to prove he can extend the goals outwith Scotland, but at the age of 23 he provides Strachan with energetic willingness and is clearly bang on form.

"He's just an unstoppable force at the moment - you let that roll," acknowledged Strachan. "He's a terrific guy to coach - a sponge for knowledge. There's one or two people in life you speak to who just look at you and aren't listening. His attitude is: give me more. He likes his team-mates, which is a great thing. His dad was a top footballer and brought him up well. You'd be proud of him if he was your son."

While happy with his Greek, Strachan is aware that Villarreal are festooned with South Americans who give the Spanish side an extra dimension. No fewer than nine are registered in the Champions League squad of 25 and the Celtic manager said: "They can go to that market - we can't, because of the situation with work permits. They will generate a lot of money from these players, and that money goes back into Spanish football. Everybody else seems to have that way of doing it, but we can't have it."

Villarreal continue to prosper under Manuel Pellegrini, the Chilean who was appointed manager in 2004. The 0-0 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford underlined their defensive qualities, and Celtic will have to strain every sinew on Tuesday night to squeeze even a point out of the game.

"Villarreal have been steadily building up to being one of Europe's top sides," Strachan agreed. "If we can get a draw there that would be great, but we'd love a win. Having said that, a draw takes points out of the section and lowers the total needed to get through."

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Sunday Herald


Friendly fire?

CELTIC: The Spanish are preparing a warm welcome for the Scots they regard as friends but, as Graham Hunter reports, that will come to a halt on the pitch

GIVEN THAT they are famously nicknamed "El Submarino Amarillo" it's a curiosity that the Villarreal fans don't actually chant a football version of the Beatles number all that often. But when Lennon and McCartney penned the line " and our friends are all aboard" in the third verse of Yellow Submarine they anticipated, albeit by around 40 years, the atmosphere down in the Mediterranean town in the build up to Celtic's visit this week.

And no, it's not because they think that the three points are arriving in green and white wrapping paper. In fact there is a prevailing feeling that Celtic's progress to the knock-out stages in each of the last two seasons, and the tenacity they showed before either AC Milan or Barcelona shook them off, is a sign that the fabled away win is probably within touching distance for Strachan and co.

"But it's not going to happen on our watch," was the heartfelt sentiment put forward to the Sunday Herald in Villarreal over the last couple of days. Yet if the Scottish champions are genuinely regarded as a potential banana skin by their hosts there is nonetheless an apparent anticipation of renewing friendships, an eagerness to savour "the Celtic experience" and an attitude that this is at least as big an occasion for the club as when the European champions come visiting on November 25.

Take Monsieur Robert Pires, for example. Always a player of touch and vision and control - not a guy you'd expect to enjoy seeing the ball lumped over his head in the general direction of Georgios Samaras. He also now, at nearly 35, has the crab-like shuffle you sometimes see in a 45-year-old trying to play five-a-side football with his son's mates. But Pires is like a schoolkid at 3.45pm on a Friday when he admits the level of anticipation he feels for this match. "The Madrigal is a bit of a fortress for us, or at least we try to make it that way" said the Frenchman. "But because it's small and atmospheric it's also a great ground when the away team brings a large support and that's what it will be like on Tuesday. Celtic's fans are famous and they'll be there, roaring on their team and shouting at us to try and put us off. The football, with all due respect, will be much faster and more furious than we get in La Liga I can't wait.

"British football is where I had my greatest years and that end-to-end, ebb and flow style is one that I love. I'm hugely looking forward to the game but I can promise that we are going to treat Celtic with total respect. They will win away from home sooner or later and I don't want it to be at our place".

The last time these two clubs met in European competition, four years ago, Pires was still lording it in north London. In fact he was part of the Arsenal side that stopped Villarreal reaching the Champions League final in what was their inaugural and, until now, only season at Europe's top table.

His departure from Arsenal was brutal, subbed after less than 20 minutes in the Paris final of 2006 so that Jens Lehmann's red card wouldn't affect Arsene Wenger's tactical shape. His arrival in Spain was equally testing. An almost instantaneous injury cost him most of the first season.

During the rehab he almost quit football. "Of course there were times when I wondered why, at my age, I was putting myself through all this but I truly felt that I owed a debt to the president here. People literally thought I'd been crazy to sign for this unknown club. But he had put faith in me, paid a big salary and I had this sense that the people in the community and around the club were watching me very, very closely. I had to prove myself and that was a great stimulus."

Pires' part in Villarreal's surge past Barcelona into second place, winning two penalties and scoring one goal in his team's 6-3 aggregate wins over the Catalans last season, was scintillating. He needs Celtic to remind him of past glories in British football. But Celtic need to prevent him reminding all of us how outstanding a footballer he has been.

Sentiment, too, plays a strong part in why the remarkable president of this Spanish club so warmly welcomes the return of Celtic. It's not economic - the prices haven't been hiked too much and the stadium doesn't have spare capacity to soak up like the Camp Nou does. Fernando Roig is a very singular man - devoted to making Villarreal a European great, rather than to making money out of football. He always wanted to inspire his community with great European nights at a time when he was fighting his way up from Spain's second division to the brink of the European Cup final two years ago.

Given his age it's a small surprise that he romanticises the Celtic image and feels that they have never lost the aura of 1967 and 1970. In fact he thinks that Celtic's attachment to winning with panache, the large and loud following and even the famous jerseys make him feel ever more uneasy with the way in which English football is developing.

"I have always believed that football is about sentiment, tradition and a belief in something rather than the cheque book," explains Roig. "Football, to me, is not business, it's about romance and winning and a community culture. I'm not naive, I don't think it's automatically a bad thing that so much money is now flooding into some clubs in England. I don't see players there failing to be paid their wages for example, as happens in this country. But I was inspired by the great clubs who won the European Cup when it was still a young competition and Spain dominated it. Villarreal's objective is not to keep on competing in the Champions League but to emulate the historic clubs. We want to win it."

The odd sequence of results on Matchday One means that Celtic come to the east coast of Spain almost obliged not to lose. The fact that Aalborg took that draw from Parkhead and Villarreal achieved their third consecutive 0-0 performance against Manchester United means that Celtic would be staring down the barrel if they lose at the Madrigal and United roll over Bruce Rioch's side.

One of the numerous obstacles for Strachan's team to impose themselves and take material gain from this trip will be Marcos Senna. The real player of the tournament during Euro 2008, but Brazilian by birth and therefore pretty unlikely to be edged ahead of Xavi by the European technical judges, Senna is another who was chuffed when the August draw in Monte Carlo paired his team with Celtic once again. In fact he's just a fan of Scottish fans.

"I didn't have the experience of facing Celtic last time but we played Rangers in our Champions League campaign and the atmosphere in Glasgow was extraordinary. I'm told that we'll have thousands of noisy Celtic fans here this week. People say that Brazilian fans are passionate but I'll never forget the intensity of the Scottish atmosphere, and if that's what we face in the two matches against Celtic then I'm up for it. "

It's an attitude Strachan's players will have to share.

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The Observer


Celtic look to Samaras to lift away curse

The striker could fire his side to a first Champions League away win at Villareal
Patrick Glenn

Like toothache that refuses to clear up, Celtic's record in Champions League group matches away from home is a persistent, depressing discomfort. Even reports of the club's successes in Europe's premier tournament - such as reaching the last 16 in the past two seasons - are accompanied by the nagging ache of references to the need for improvement on their away results.

Gordon Strachan's side will be relieved on Tuesday if they can return unbeaten from the hazardous visit to Villarreal. Having failed to secure a widely expected victory at home to Aalborg in their opening Group E game - a lifeless display in a scoreless draw - a productive trip to Spain is no longer merely desirable, but imperative, if they are to retain a realistic hope of qualifying for the knockout phase.

It is also a formidable assignment against opponents whose recent standards make Celtic's objective appear near impossible. Having finished runners-up to Real Madrid in last season's championship (ahead of Barcelona), Villarreal climbed to the top of the league last week, their 2-0 victory over Racing Santander ensuring their best start to a campaign, with 10 points from their opening four games.

Squeezed into that impressive run was the 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford 11 days ago which suggests that they, rather than the current European champions, should be favourites to top the group.

Strachan spoke the other day of the strategy he used in close-season tours that brought away victories over Porto and Feyenoord, performances that encouraged the belief that his Celtic are better equipped than at any time to profit from their travels abroad since he succeeded Martin O'Neill three years ago.

But a reliance on reprising those performances in Portugal and Holland has undertones of a director staging a final rehearsal two months before opening night. The tactic used involved playing with a lone striker in a 4-5-1 that could quickly be transformed into a 4-3-3 as opportunities to move forward arose.

'We tried it in the summer,' said the Celtic manager, 'and it is, in essence, one up front when you're defending, but three up when you switch to attack. That worked well for us and we'll look at the possibility again. But I think everybody by now knows what a good side Villarreal are. They have progressed into a top European force.

'When you look through their squad, you see they have top-quality South American players they will have signed for next to nothing and some of whom, no doubt, will be sold on for big money. Because of work permit complications, that is a market we cannot get involved in, but the profits Villarreal make from moving these guys on just makes them stronger for the future.

'Obviously, we will have to take into account what they will be trying to do in the game and there will be times when it will be as much about trying to stop Villarreal as it will be about what we are trying to do ourselves. That draw they got at Old Trafford tells you a great deal about their quality.

'I think we'll have to be adaptable on the night, but I would say we have players in the squad now who have more variation than we've had in the past - and probably more energy as well. The first-team players here have also gathered a lot of experience, too, and that could be invaluable in a group like this.'

Villarreal's cosmopolitan squad - eight nationalities, including the former Arsenal players Robert Pires and Pascal Cygan - under the astute guidance of Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini - appear powerful enough to impose severe restrictions on Celtic's opportunities to switch to an aggressive 4-3-3. But Strachan is entitled to draw some optimism from the form of Georgios Samaras.

The tall Greece forward, having made his initial loan from Manchester City a permanent move in the summer, has looked an immeasurably more effective player in the opening weeks of the season than he did during his intermittent appearances between January and May. His pace, control and scoring rate - nine goals from the six matches preceding yesterday's meeting with Aberdeen - have made his £1.2m transfer fee look like a confidence trick.

'Big Sammy's unstoppable at the moment,' said Strachan, 'and when front players get like that, you leave them to get on with it, just let it roll. I'm really pleased for the lad, because he's such a great player to coach. He's a sponge for knowledge, he's only 23 and he just wants to learn more and more.'

Strachan must hope that Samaras does not become the latest Celtic player to fall victim to the away curse that has brought 14 defeats and one draw from their five group campaigns.
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The Observer


Jan steals in at the last


Celtic 3 Vennegoor of Hesselink 14, McDonald 78, Vennegoor of Hesselink 90
Aberdeen 2 Mulgrew 57, Mulgrew 65

Patrick Glenn at Celtic Park

In a match that self-ignited after Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink had given Celtic an early lead, the champions prevented damage to their prospects of retaining their title only by coming back in impossibly dramatic circumstances. The Holland striker completed his double with the late winner after substitute Scott McDonald had delivered an equaliser that had seemed an unlikely requisite at half-time.

It became imperative when Charlie Mulgrew, rejected at Celtic Park, came off the bench to score a double of his own, putting Aberdeen level and then ahead on a day that may be remembered at the end of the season as the one on which Gordon Strachan's side seemed destined for further glory.

That first goal from Vennegoor of Hesselink at least put an end to the humdrum 13 minutes that preceded it. Aberdeen, previously careful to the point of parsimony, were enlivened by the need to redress the balance, while Celtic's appetite, at least for a while, seemed to have been sharpened rather than sated.

The resultant contest was much more competitive, but, if the visitors appeared to lose some of their combativeness in midfield through the injury-enforced removal of their captain, Scott Severin, his replacement, Mulgrew, would offer handsome compensation. The substitute's first action was to take a 25-yard free-kick, which eluded the defensive wall but was comfortably held by Artur Boruc. It may have been merely a 'sighter' for the goals he would deliver after the interval.

The Poland keeper had been more troubled by earlier efforts from Aberdeen, most notably when he required Marc Crosas, the young Spanish midfielder, to clear a header by Zander Diamond off the line. The home side's defending in that moment certainly made a contrast with the uncertainty that invaded the visitors when Vennegoor of Hesselink opened the scoring. Georgios Samaras, Celtic's other towering striker, had forced his way into the area, giving a couple of opponents opportunities to make the telling challenge, which they failed to exploit.

The ball then broke to Scott Brown, who stabbed it back to Vennegoor of Hesselink. From 12 yards out and slightly to the right of goal, the Holland forward calmly and deliberately placed the ball with the inside of his left foot low into the far corner of the net.

The difference in the fortunes of the teams during a well balanced first half was that finish from Vennegoor of Hesselink. When, for example, some dilatory defending from the home side allowed Lee Miller to break into the penalty area on his own, the Aberdeen striker, almost certainly distracted by the advancing bulk of Boruc, hurried his scoring attempt high and wide.

Mulgrew would redefine the difference with his equaliser and then by completing his double, but not before Jamie Langfield had made an excellent save from Samaras that prevented the extension of the home side's advantage to two. Samaras took a pass from Shaun Maloney on the left and drifted inside, past two opponents, to create the opening for a low, right-foot shot that forced the Aberdeen goalkeeper to sprawl to his left to push the ball wide.

The equaliser was the product of some neat work on the right between Darren Mackie and Jared Hodgkiss before the latter's low centre was allowed to run to the far side of the box. From there, the unchallenged Mulgrew sent his left-foot volley low into the far corner.

It was after Glenn Loovens fouled Miller that Mulgrew demonstrated his expertise with the dead ball. From 25 yards, his left foot sent the free-kick high to the left of Boruc.

Strachan, who had already replaced Maloney with McGeady, responded by summoning a third striker, McDonald, in place of Crosas. It was from McGeady's cross from the right that his fellow substitute provided the equaliser, knocking the ball over the line from close range. McGeady also produced the cross from which Vennegoor of Hesselink also slipped the ball home for his second from only three yards.
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The Scotsman


Celtic 3 - 2 Aberdeen: Celtic show off title credentials

By Tom English at Celtic Park

CHAMPIONSHIPS are won on days like this, a day when Celtic found themselves in mortal danger, trailing 2-1 to two sudden and delicious sweeps of Charlie Mulgrew's left foot, the second a free-kick of Nakamura-esque quality, a free-kick that shook the ground under Gordon Strachan's feet. The cavalry appeared in an instant, Aiden McGeady and Scott McDonald galloping into the fray, Strachan, as shell-shocked a figure as one of the near-60,000, watching on.

McGeady and McDonald joined Georgios Samaras and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in the front-line. Heavy duty strike-force now. The heaviest Celtic can muster. Too heavy for Aberdeen as it turned out. McGeady was the catalyst for a huge win, sprinting away down the right to set up McDonald for the equaliser with a dozen minutes to go and repeating the trick for Vennegoor of Hesselink to grab the winner (and his second) in injury time. All the while, Jimmy Calderwood was having kittens on the touchline. Poor Jimmy, he suffered like hell. Even at 3-2 Aberdeen could have levelled it when Darren Mackie was through a desperately weak Celtic defence. One-on-one with Artur Boruc, Mackie put it wide. Oh, the pain in the Aberdeen dugout.

"Enthralling" and "awesome" were the first words out of Strachan's mouth later on. "From a coaching point of view, it was not easy," said the Celtic manager, "but for the fans, we try to entertain and we try to win and we achieved both of those things. Aberdeen, unfortunately, didn't achieve one but achieved the other by playing football the right way."

Calderwood felt his team didn't deserve to lose and he was right. When you're lying seventh in the league, drained of confidence and feeling sorry for yourself, you don't really want to come to Celtic Park. When you're lying seventh in the league and you've just been hit by four first-half Kilmarnock goals in midweek, you could think of better grounds to visit than Parkhead. When you're lying seventh in the league and the natives are getting restless, getting to thinking that maybe there's no way out of it for you this time, the east end of Glasgow is not where you want to be. During the week, Calderwood talked up the land-of-opportunity aspects of a trip to Celtic but he looked as if he needed this fixture like a man hanging off the edge of a cliff needs an itchy nose.

But Aberdeen made it hard for them. Dug in and almost dogged it out. Enterprising going forward, Celtic were heavily vulnerable at the back. Glen Loovens is a decent defender but the authority of his Cardiff days has not yet been transported to Scotland. Stephen McManus was no great rock beside him either. Villarreal won't need a roadmap to figure out the route to glory in Tuesday night's Champions League tie.

They'll think about Celtic's attack as well, though. Nothing wrong it, nothing at all. They were ahead after 14 minutes when Aberdeen gave the ball away cheaply and Samaras ran through two rapidly retreating Dons. That was the beginning of it. In the penalty area now, the ball broke free, Scott Brown seizing on it before turning his pass into Vennegoor of Hesselink. A shot off the outside of the boot, past Jamie Langfield and cue Calderwood on the touchline holding his head in his hands and a big angry expression on his face. Cue furious pointing and shouting and general thunder from the Aberdeen manager. Cue haunting memories of Rugby Park.

Aberdeen responded well, some bite entering their performance. Samaras remained a menace but they bottled up Shaun Maloney well and Shunsuke Nakamura wasn't exactly a dominant figure either. Until he got the winner, Vennegoor of Hesselink was quiet.

The visitors had bits and pieces in front of the Celtic goal. Trying to be too elaborate in the beginning, they learned and became a tad more direct. Their tactic so nearly brought them an equaliser midway through the first half when Zander Diamond had a header kicked off the line by Marc Crosas. Shortly after, Lee Miller scurried away on goal with Boruc forced to come out to meet him. The Pole won the day but the visiting support had a modicum of hope all the same. No need to give up the ghost just yet.

A substitution was forced on Calderwood in the 27th minute, Scott Severin leaving the field and Mulgrew taking his place. At the time it seemed like another blow to the cause, the departure of a midfield leader they could well have done without. How spectacularly wrong that assessment was, how outrageously successful Mulgrew proved to be.

The remainder of the first half ambled along with Celtic having most of the ball but not creating a huge amount. Aberdeen had gotten a foot-hold. Save for the odd moment of Samaras danger, they had stability. What they needed now was a threat down the other end. That looked to be where the challenge was going to fall down.

Enter Mulgrew. When a Jared Hodgkiss cross swung its way into the Celtic box nobody in the home defence took responsibility for it. They left it to come and watched as it landed at Mulgrew's feet, alone to the left side of Boruc's goal. Mulgrew had a cut, a precise cut that eluded Boruc and nestled in the net behind him. Wonder of wonders, the Dons were level.

And eight minutes later, wonder of wonders, the Dons were ahead. Loovens fouled Miller outside the Celtic area and up stepped cheeky Charlie to take the free-kick. He's got form with a dead ball, this guy. He's no Nakamura but he's got a history of scoring from this range. And he did it again. A beauty that had Boruc at full stretch, a dive that did nothing to stop the shot but a lot to add to its aesthetic.

Champions will be champions, though. Strachan brought on McGeady and he brought on McDonald and the game turned on its head. With 12 minutes left, McGeady scampered up the right wing, saw McDonald scampering towards the back post and picked him out for a tap-in. Calderwood saw his dream day diluted. And then destroyed. McGeady again, catching Mulgrew on the hop, and up the right and into the box with the cross. A desperate, sliding Don trying to hook it away but failing. A big hulking Vennegoor of Hesselink back-heeling it in. Calderwood in pain now. And Calderwood on his knees at the end, when Mackie failed to convert the last chance.




OVERVIEW

MAN OF THE MATCH

Officially, Georgios Samaras but in terms of game-turning power it had to be Aiden McGeady, even though he only played little more than half an hour. Played the key pass for the Celtic equaliser and for the winner. They'd have been beaten without him.

QUICK FACT

Charlie Mulgrew spent his boyhood years as a Celtic player but this was the first time he'd ever scored at Celtic Park. Two crackers but, sadly, to no avail.

TALKING POINT

Jimmy Calderwood's been having a nightmare and the drums are beating for him. Does this admirable performance ease the pressure on him or will the knives remain out?


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The Scotsman


Defence will hear Strachan's case for prosecution

By Tom English

SOMETIME in the next 24 hours Gordon Strachan is going to have some choice words for his defence. The Celtic manager was not happy with his back four in the aftermath of this absorbing victory, not willing to discuss their shortcomings in public, but giving enough away to indicate that a Strachan thunderclap is in the offing. It's fair to say that if Celtic defend at Villarreal on Tuesday the way they did against Aberdeen then the Spaniards, going like a train in Serie A, are in for a cosy night.

"We didn't defend well," said Strachan, "but I'll speak to the players about it before talking to the media. We'll analyse it as a group. It wouldn't be fair for them to go home and then hear me saying later what went wrong. It's best to get a clear ADVERTISEMENThead, watch the game again, analyse it, talk about it. Doing it after a game is not right because players are excited, they're hyper, sometimes they're angry. But, no, we didn't defend all that great."

There will be a change for Tuesday night. Gary Caldwell, suspended for this game, will replace Glen Loovens, who was far too jumpy against Aberdeen. Andreas Hinkel was absent yesterday and his thigh strain will keep him out of the Villarreal match. Barry Robson is also a doubt given that he got an injection in his groin on Friday which "I don't think he liked," said Strachan.

At least Celtic will travel to Spain on the back of a victory, something that was very much in doubt when Darren Mackie was presented with a fantastic opportunity to make it 3-3 deep into injury time. Asked how he felt when the ball left Mackie's boot and drifted past Boruc's out-stretched hand, Strachan replied: "Numb. It was a long wait from the time he kicked it to the time it went wide. It was only a few seconds but it seemed like 20 minutes. It was typical of us. We're one goal ahead and there's 15 seconds to go and we decide to play crossfield passes.You can't stop them sometimes."

Strachan spoke about the marvellous quality of his game-saving bench on the day, a sentiment that Calderwood could only agree with. What the people of Villarreal made of it all is another question.

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The Independent


Celtic 3 Aberdeen 2: Jan the man for Celtic as changes pay off in the end


By Phil Gordon at Celtic Park

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink chose the perfect time to end his barren campaign, finding the net twiceyesterday and conjuring up the dramatic winner in stoppage time that completed a remarkable comeback for Celtic.

The Scottish champions looked as if they would be haunted by their former player Charlie Mulgrew, who scored two spectacular goals for Aberdeen to overhaul Vennegoor's first-half strike, but Scott McDonald equalised before the Dutchman applied the killer blow to lift Celtic ahead of their Champions' League mission in Spain against Villarreal.

Gordon Strachan's rotation policyin recent weeks has created a hunger in the Celtic dressing-room, with players such as Aiden McGeady and McDonald, the heroes of last season's title triumph, forced to take a back seat.

Vennegoor could empathise with that pair. The Dutch striker has watched as his place was usurped by Georgios Samaras, but this time they were the striking partnership and dovetailed perfectly in the 14th minute to allow Vennegoor to break his duck for the season.

Vennegoor began the move with a chest-down to Samaras midway into Aberdeen's half, and the Greek playerembarked on a surging ran that carried him into the Aberdeen box. In panic, the visiting defender Ricky Foster could only hack the ball to Scott Brown, whose lay-off was swept beyond the goalkeeper, Jamie Langfield, by the boot of Vennegoor from 14 yards.

Aberdeen might have restored parity six minutes later when Lee Miller crept in behind the Celtic defence but Artur Boruc came out to block the shot. However, it was Strachan's side who monopolised the threat in the first half, with Vennegoor's header drawing a save from Langfield and Shunsuke Nakamura watching his effort parried after another deft Samaras link-up.

Aberdeen had been forced into a change when their captain, Scott Severin, was injured midway through the first period but his replacement, Mulgrew, rewarded Jimmy Calderwood's faith in him. The former Celtic left-back equalised in the 56th minute when he finished off a sublime Aberdeen move that saw Jared Hodgkiss whip a cross to the back that was volleyed beyond Boruc by Mulgrew.

Nine minutes later, Mulgrew struck again. This time Glenn Loovens fouled Miller and allowed Mulgrew to curl a 28-yard free-kick over the wall and past Boruc's dive to silence Celtic Park, apart from raucous pocket of 1,000 Aberdeen fans.

However, Strachan did not flinch. The Celtic manager sent on McGeady and then McDonald and his switch to 4-3-3 paid off. McDonald equalised in the 76th minute when McGeady delivered a low ball across the face of goal and the Australian met it at the back post with a predatory header.

Celtic then went for the jugular and netted the winner in the 90th minute. McGeady robbed Mulgrew with a crunching tackle and clipped in a low cross that was backheeled into the net by Vennegoor. Celtic Park erupted.
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Sunday Times

Aberdeen sunk by subs

Celtic 3 Aberdeen 2 - Douglas Alexander at Celtic Park

CELTIC are currently chronicling and celebrating their past, with a 400-minute DVD and £1,700 opus, yet their present provides shorter and cheaper thrills for supporters. This oscillating match, full of errors and thereby drama, was as close as you come to value for money in the grossly-overpriced Premier League.

If there was a certain inevitability about the way in which Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink snatched it at the death for Celtic, then it did not obscure what had gone before. Nor could you ignore the delicious sub-plot provided by two players who each had their reasons for performing well in front of Gordon Strachan. Charlie Mulgrew’s Celtic career never really recovered from some poor timekeeping on a preseason tour to Poland in 2006. He had a point to prove when he came on in the 27th minute for the injured Scott Severin, and did so by scoring two goals to put Aberdeen ahead midway through the second half. The latter was a sumptuous free-kick which Shunsuke Nakamura would have been proud of.

It was then a case of enter stage right for another player whose attitude has been questioned recently by Strachan, at least within the club. Aiden McGeady provided two crosses from that flank, for Scott McDonald to nod Celtic level and then Vennegoor of Hesselink to backheel their winner. Mulgrew was perhaps still in a fond reverie about his free-kick when McGeady charged down his attempted pass and then slid the ball to the near post 15 seconds into stoppage-time. McDonald and Vennegoor of Hesselink both went for it, but the Dutchman got the decisive touch.

Aberdeen might still have taken the point Jimmy Calderwood, their manager, felt they deserved in the dregs of the extra minutes when Sone Aluko’s incisive pass sent Dar-ren Mackie scampering clear on the advancing Artur Boruc. The Aberdeen player got there first but pulled his finish just wide with the whole stadium holding its breath as the ball veered like a putt which had not quite been plotted perfectly.

It was an afternoon in which the comic caricature of Calderwood, his hands fiddling away in his pockets, was extremely apt. If the first half could be captured in one gesture, though, it was the Aberdeen manager turning away from his players in exasperated disgust. Celtic’s goal hardly eased his agitation. Aberdeen were so spooked by one of those bursts of pace which Georgios Samaras specialises in, they conceded in a ghastly fashion. Richard Foster got in front of the Greek but then promptly ran into Mark Kerr deep into his own box instead of clearing decisively. Scott Brown seized on the wreck of this collision to lay the ball back to Vennegoor of Hesselink, who eagerly claimed his first goal of his season with his left foot.

The last thing Calderwood needed now, given the pressure building for his removal from a significant section of the Aberdeen support, was for his team to fold. To their credit their defending improved as they made it to the interval without conceding again, despite the attempts of Marc Crosas and Nakamura to pull them apart with their passes.

This process was maintained into the second half, with Jamie Langfield dealing with a Samaras shot and a Nakamura free-kick. Then Jared Hodgkiss broke off from his diligent defending to throw over a cross from the right which Lee Miller flicked on and exposed a gaping corridor of space for Mulgrew to stroll into and finish calmly. Celtic were still coming to terms with his equaliser when he scored again, his free kick leaving Boruc groping at air after the toiling Glenn Loovens fouled Miller.

It was now that Strachan turned to his bench. The inhabitants had probably been giving him daggers at their exclusions, yet were also handy weapons to now be used against the opposition. McDonald’s introduction, in place of the fading Crosas, saw Celtic switch to a game-saving 4-3-3. He and Samaras flanked Vennegoor of Hesselink, while McGeady and Nakamura were like old-fashioned inside-for-wards either side of Brown.

Aberdeen braced themselves for a siege and Celtic did not disappoint them. McGeady’s delivery from the right, on his favoured foot, looked far better than it does from the left and McDonald accepted the invitation of a low cross which Aberdeen could not intercept, before further geeing-up the stadium with his vibrant celebrations.

Each attack thereafter brought more hollering expectation of a winner. Just when it seemed all the sound and fury would come to naught, McGeady took advantage of Mulgrew’s dallying to satisfy Celtic Park’s craving for yet another late win. “It is a wonderful game but it can be cruel at times,” said Calderwood. Strachan, meanwhile, was “numb” as he watched Mackie’s late chance trickle wide. It was a game which was almost as draining for those watching as those playing.

CELTIC:Boruc 6, Wilson 6, Loovens 5, McManus 6, Naylor 5, Nakamura 6, Crosas 6 (McDonald 72min), Brown 7, Maloney 6 (McGeady 59min, 7), Samaras 7 (Hartley 90min), Vennegoor of Hesselink 6

ABERDEEN:Langfield 6, Hodgkiss 7 (Aluko 90min), Diamond 7, Mair 7, Foster 7, Young 6, Kerr 6, Severin 5 (Mulgrew 27min, 8), Duff 6, Mackie 6, Miller 7 (Wright 86min)


Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.

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Strachan knows his side for Villarreal showdown

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan says he already knows his team for Tuesday's crucial Champions League match away to Villarreal.

Strachan's side had a last-minute Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink goal to thank for a 3-2 win against Aberdeen on Saturday in the Scottish Premier League.

But he said he would not be influenced by individual players' performances in the match and would stick to the side he and his coaching staff had decided in advance of the Aberdeen game for the match against Villarreal.

And the Hoops gaffer said the tough test his players had faced against the Dons had been good preparation for Tuesday's match in Spain.

"I would have liked it to easier in the last 20 minutes that's for sure and the players would have liked it to be easier. But Aberdeen didn't make it easy for them," Strachan said.

"No-one has played their way into the side as I already know my team for Tuesday.

"Whatever the players did against Aberdeen I appreciate it and thank them for the game and for the three points. But if I've got a plan then I've got a plan."

Villarreal, who finished second behind Real Madrid in La Liga last season, will be tough opposition for Celtic after they picked up a point in their opening match at Old Trafford against Manchester United.

But Strachan added he had no new injury worries for the match and knows picking up at least a point at the Madrigal Stadium is vital following his side's 0-0 draw at home to Aalborg in their first match.

Strachan said: "Barry Robson had a wee injection in his groin on Friday which I don't think he liked and I don't think Andreas Hinkel will be fit either as he has a thigh strain.

"We sat down a couple of days ago and tried to get two teams for the games against Aberdeen and Villareal and I think because there are no new injuries we will be able to carry on with what I think is right for Tuesday."

On Saturday Celtic left it late to go top of the Scottish Premier League with a last-minute Vennegoor of Hesselink goal giving them a 3-2 win against Aberdeen at Parkhead. The Dutchman had opened the scoring after 10 minutes.

Georgios Samaras went on a mazy run through the Aberdeen defence and was surrounded by red jerseys but the ball broke to Scott Brown who teed up Vennegoor of Hesselink to side-foot it past Jamie Langfield.

Aberdeen equalised with the first real chance of the second-half after 56 minutes. Darren Mackie played Jared Hodgkiss down the right-wing and his cross was flicked on by Lee Miller to former Celtic youth player Charlie Mulgrew who volleyed it past the helpless Boruc.

Mulgrew got his second to give the Dons the lead after 65 minutes. Miller won a free-kick 20 yards out following a push from Glen Loovens and Mulgrew curled his effort high past Boruc in goal.

Substitute Scott McDonald equalised for Celtic in the 77th minute. Fellow sub Aiden McGeady fired in a cross from the right that evaded everyone but the Australian striker, who headed in at the far post.

There were chances galore for both sides before Vennegoor of Hesselink got his second when he capitalised on some horrendous Aberdeen defending to bundle the ball over the line.

Mackie could have equalised moments later but his effort trundled wide of the post and Celtic hung on for the win.



Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.

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