‘Leagues are not always won with champagne football,’ David Potter

NOT the best Celtic performance, but not the worst either, and in the words of yesterday’s birthday boy “Facts are chiels that winnae ding” which means that you cannot get away from the fact that Celtic won 3-0 and are 5 points ahead of the Rangers this morning.

The weather was colder than of late and there was a distinct lack of sunshine. There was also, one would have to say, a lack of warmth in the entertainment on the field, at least in the first half.

Two things struck me – one was that Celtic tried to find an aerial route when they had no-one up front renowned for his heading ability, and the other was that Celtic looked very vulnerable to a route one ball.

Fortunately a combination of defenders eventually getting there on time, some good saves from Fraser Forster and some inept finishing from the Dingwall men ensured that we stayed at 0-0 until the penalty correctly given by Kevin Clancy and expertly sunk by Callum McGregor.

It was not that Celtic weren’t playing well, it was simply that we lacked what is called the “cutting edge”, and of course we must give a certain amount of credit to Ross County’s defenders as well.

The second half was different. Saying that Leigh Griffiths was substituted and five minutes later his replacement had scored twice does not appear to reflect well on Griffiths. But it also is a little unfair.

Griffiths had worked hard without too much obvious success, but Edouard brought something different. His first goal was a good one, but his second one was exquisite, showing yet again a delicate touch which had been so lacking before Christmas. It is well worth seeing again, and from them on, Celtic were in easy street.

The game was a typical example of the “grinding out” of results, so necessary for a team with League winning aspirations. Leagues are not always won with champagne football; they are more often won in games like this on grim winter days like this one.

Today’s result was all the more creditable when one or two players were having off days. Jonny Hayes, for example, made a few mistakes, but he did try to rectify them, and no-one can criticise Jonny for not giving enough effort. He covered more or less every blade of grass, and those who seem to dislike him must remember that he was not playing in his best position.

We had a good opportunity today to see Moritz Bauer in detail. He was quite impressive, and, although he is not the no.1 choice for the right back position, we need not worry about not being able to rely on him. I noticed that he got The Celtic Star’s Man of the Match in yesterday’s match report.

Mikey Johnston is still learning, and I would have loved to have seen him scoring a goal. He came very close near the end. Nice to see James Forrest again! By no means his best game, but some fine runs, and Callum McGregor, Scott Brown and Olivier Ntcham were all good enough without being outstanding.

Of the two central defenders, Christoper Jullien was the better of the two, but both were capable of being caught out of position now and again.

Ross County are always a club that I have admired, and although they never really looked like pulling off a shock, they proved stuffy and difficult to break down.

Referee Kevin Clancy got a few minor decisions wrong (I was not totally convinced of the “hand ball” claim in the first half and look forward to see it again) but kept control well and got the main decision correct about the penalty. It was never a difficult game to control.

Highlights? Simply being back in Paradise for the first time since that awful day before the New Year, the third goal and the sight of Karamoko Dembele who looks about the same size of Jimmy Johnstone. He looked worth another game.

Four away games in a row now await us. We can only take them one at a time, and next up is St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. Just win it, Celtic! Oh, and come away the Jambos today! They will certainly not “lie down” to Rangers, as they have often been accused of doing in the past.

They need every point they can get this year.

David Potter

SUPPORT CELTIC, SUPPORT CELTIC POOLS

Help raise money for Celtic Youth Development by joining the £1 weekly lottery and you could win up to £25,000 – just click on any one of the photographs below to join. Lots of our readers have already done so and they’re now doing their bit to help fund Celtic Youth Development that can deliver the stars of tomorrow and beyond. And you might even win a few bob too!

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

Comments are closed.