Well yesterday in Dundee, the game finished “Icy Cold Wind 0 Celtic FC 0, “this was a game where the conditions seemed more like Siberia than Scotland, I can honestly say, I’ve never felt so cold at a game as I did yesterday. The tactics employed by Dundee Utd were exactly the same as when Jim Goodwin was at Aberdeen and St Mirren, deep defence, and hope to score from a set piece. I like Big Jim, he never hides the fact he’s a Celtic Supporter, he is regularly at Celtic Park with his son, who is always decked out in his Celtic Scarf, but his tactics against us are depressing.
Having said all that, we created enough chances to win the game, we had almost total control of the ball, but we lacked quality in the forward areas, that showed when we missed several decent chances. We were sound enough at the back, without three of our first pick defenders, our problems were in the middle to forward positions. I don’t criticise Celtic players, but it’s clear we need at least a couple more in to strengthen the squad, we now have two home matches before the New Year, so should be ok until then. We definitely missed the speed and creativity of Nicolas Kuhn, and to be honest, we could have done with James Forrest as well, you don’t have to be Einstein to work out what that means.
The weather didn’t help our normal fast moving football, and neither did referee David Dickenson, following on from John Beaton’s display last week, Dickenson stopped us a few times from taking quick free kicks, that seems to be tactic used by our match officials in Scotland, maybe they are scared to give decisions to Celtic, in case it is forensically examined by the Scottish Media. It’s strange in Scotland, when a certain team get penalties in almost every game, but never seem to concede a penalty, it is classed as normal, when a dubious penalty is denied that team, it’s an “International Incident”.
If someone had said at the start of the season we would be nine points ahead after sixteen games. You would be delighted, so I’m more than happy with that. Although the downside of that is, we should be on maximum points, the game yesterday, and the one versus Aberdeen should have been won. We have also been scoring freely and conceding few, with forty-four goals scored, and only four conceded, to give us a plus forty goal difference, that’s top class in any League in the World. Add to that our Champions League form, and it’s been a brilliant start. If we repeat that form after the New Year we will most certainly be Champions again, and with the League Cup already in the Parkhead Trophy Cabinet, the Treble is definitely on.
Let me take the time to wish everyone in the Celtic Family a Happy and Healthy Christmas, and a Champion New Year.
Glasgow’s still Green & White. “Snow is Falling, all around us, Celtic’s playing, having fun”
