Celtic 1 theRangers 1
It wasn’t the best result, but it was good enough. It is a step in the right direction, and although we would not have taken a draw before the start, we were mighty glad to hear the final whistle, for there was little doubt that we had the worse of the second half. We were the better side in the first half, but once again we had the disturbing sight of Celtic finishing the game looking tired and frequently getting to the ball second.
Some players, it has to be said, have shaded, and seem to believe what the BBC and Sky Sports tell them about how good our opponents are. It was no accident that our three Japanese players had to be substituted with Hatate in particular looking nothing like what he was in that game in February.
Maeda played an important part in the goal and should have himself scored once or twice as well, but he began to fade in the second half. And in this particular game, Giakoumakis should have been on in place of Kyogu at the start, one feels. And someone might care to have a word with Kyogu about the offside law!
Callum McGregor who has been splendid all season, also seems to have shaded a little, and generally speaking we lacked any control in the midfield, as a result. Rogic was used correctly today by Ange, and he might have engineered the winning goal with a bit of luck, but he is very much a second half player. O’Riley doesn’t always do it for me, although he is a player of great potential. My man of the match was Jota, not just because of his goal, but because he was a constant menace.
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Joe Hart saved us near the end but we really have to persuade him and some other defenders NOT to plaster about with the ball. No-one will criticise a defender for the big hoof up the park, and it is often quite effective. So far, we have not yet had a major catastrophe because of careless defensive play like his, but we may not always get off with it.
The atmosphere at the ground was goose bump inducing, but the tension in the second half was very noticeable as well. As these games go, it wasn’t all that bad as far as tackles were concerned, and although Mr Beaton made a few errors of judgement, shall we say, his contribution wasn’t decisive.
But having said all that, it was actually not a bad day. It was better for us than it was for them, and we now need only four points, although in practice, three will probably do, and a win over Hearts on Saturday should see us over the line.
David Potter
Great to be able to critique while enjoying viewing the league table and remaining fixtures.
Last 2 games vOld Firm have shown we are far from the finished article.
Ange has done a tremendous job but tasking his defence to play out from the back at all times a flaw in his game plan.
Agreed , a hoof up the pitch at times not only relieves the on pitch pressure but keeps us oldies blood pressure from boiling over.
The £40m will help the Ange project to increase and multiply.
Adh mor