Aberdeen 1-2 Celtic – Time for Some Definitive Ratings

CALMAC – 6/10 – I thought he looked leggy. Definitely a toll taken by Sunday’s Herculean comeback effort because at 1-0, with them on the ropes, the game was made for Calmac to take control and orchestrate a ceremonial sheep burial. But he didn’t, or couldn’t. Soon as they got some intensity in midfield and their numbers swamped our playmakers, with their press fully-functional, Calmac lost dominance and spent half the time in a slugfest for possession and space. However, he did manage to pick them off as they faded mid second period and that ten minute spell of ball superiority was enough to find the openings, a goal, and secure the win.

HAKUNA HATATE – 6/10 – Looked good for an opening span where Reo was in cruise control beside the skipper. But that also got lost in a torrid contest when Aberdeen got gallus. To his credit, Reo stuck in when we’ve seen him chuck it this season, and played his part in wrangling the victory with a relentless intent to get hold of the ball and play some football as the surface cut up and legs tired.

HIGHLAND TOFFEE – 5/10 – Another good start from Luke, but… Luke, the game’s 90 minutes. If he’s not getting the damage done, his fade costs him a yard and makes all the difference because his silky style relies on peak sharpness. Also takes a corner worse than Ayrton Senna.

TUTANKHAMUN – 6/10 – Did okay for a midweek Mikey J expedition to the Frozen North. If you’re Tunisian it would feel like a polar bear hunt, but he ignored the unintelligible abuse off the stands full of what he though must be eskimos, and put in a display which, while frustratingly impotent when it came to a final ball, still deserves recognition for the workrate and willingness to play for the team effort.

CARAVAN – 5.5/10 – Nearly, but nope. Gave as good as he got against a dirty beast of an opponent who did take a card, but also did what the hell he liked whenever the ball got in range of the big streak of green and white. That said, a Celtic centre-forward needs the little extra to nullify Sunday League eccentricities (Ah, the nipple-twist whilst running past off the ball… The oxter-hair tug at corners…The sudden, startling, full-kiss right on the lips as they square up to you… Happy days…) and have the quality to punish them. As yet, the big ghuy hasn’t proved he’s got that.

YING – 5.5/10 – Mr 100th game. And if you’d asked me to guess – and I watch every  kick of every ball – I’d have estimated around thirty, lol. And that kind of maybees-aye, maybees-naw anonymity again tonight sort of summed up his Celtic tenure. 100 games and we still don’t know quite what we’ve got, or if it’s worth keeping.

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