I think the phrase is “winning ugly”. This was really a rather unsatisfactory performance, in fact, with French Eddy being the worst of them all. Until he got that extraordinarily late goal, he was clumsy, couldn’t turn, had no real reading of the game and allowed himself to be out-muscled far too often by the big Dundee defenders.
But he did score at the end, and he suddenly became the hero! Funny that! I remember saying to a chap on the bus going up “1-0 would suit me” and that “I never have any guilty conscience about a 1-0 win,” right enough, that is what wins trophies, I suppose!
Celtic’s best spell of the game was early on, and we really should have put the game to bed there and then, but as the game went on, we began to run out of ideas.
The relentless pumping in of high balls throughout the second half was little more than heading practice for the Dundee defence, and it was obvious to me that a goal would have to come along the ground (as indeed it did) or else we would need the munificence of Mr Madden to give us a penalty, and that was not likely to happen!
But we never gave up and duly got our reward, although I did feel that 6 minutes was a little generous from Mr Madden, even though there were at least three injuries in the second half.
So we got off with one here. In a funny way, it was a wake-up call, and that seems odd in the context of a team which has just gone 10 points ahead with only 8 League games to play. The next game is of course the visit of Rangers, and we really must show a great deal more creativity and imagination than we did today, although it was really only the play in the last third that was deficient.
Good reports are to be handed out to Scott Bain, Kristoffer Ajer and Mikael Lustig. (Lustig’s deployment as a centre half did not meet with total supporter approval, let us say, but he did not look out of place).
In midfield, Scott Brown was hard-working and competitive as ever, but I felt that neither Kieran Tierney nor Callum McGregor are as yet back to their best. James Forrest always looked most likely to produce a goal (as indeed he did), but Scott Sinclair was sadly back to anonymity. Mikey Johnston remains promising, but he has a little to learn yet. Jeremy Toljan, I am still not sure about. Yet, it would all have been so different if we had got an early goal!
Dundee may yet avoid relegation. I was almost sorry for them. They were certainly well-organised in defence, and might even have sneaked a goal themselves. Now that would have been an outrage!
A curious, “venerable old lady” of a stadium with that funny shaped stand that has been there since 1922. Pity it was so empty! I can remember when Gilzean and Ure played there. Games v Celtic were really something back then! But their support seems to have disappeared. Little wonder with all the crazy things that have happened up there over the years!
However, back to Celtic. A good three points at the end of the day (and it was indeed at the very end of the day this time!) but things will have to improve, for we have to play Rangers twice yet, and Aberdeen twice as well before the end of the season.
One can understand a certain disorientation following the departure of King Rat three weeks ago, but that excuse is beginning to look more and more threadbare as the weeks go by.
International break now (pardon me for yawning!) and then who do we have after that? Oh my goodness! Yes, things will have to improve!
David Potter
