Posts Tagged ‘Scottish Premier League’

Celtic 3-1 St Mirren

In reaching the top of the Scottish Premier League, Celtic, at times, appeared to be climbing a rickety ladder. It was not until Scott McDonald delivered the third goal in the second half – adding to a Chris Innes own goal, Georgios Samaras’s effort and St Mirren’s counter from Michael Higdon – that Tony Mowbray’s side shrugged off their uncertainty and began to look reasonably convincing. McDonald contrived to deny himself another by allowing Paul Gallacher to save his penalty in stoppage time after Innes had handled.

The two-goal burst from McDonald and Samaras late in the first half, however, provided a much-needed fillip for Celtic players who had spent the preceding 36 minutes as bland and unthreatening as they have been for much of this season. Even Rangers’ first defeat of the season, inflicted by Aberdeen earlier, seemed insufficient to inspire a home side that seem to take ever longer these days to establish pace, rhythm and incisiveness.

Instead, even opponents as unfancied as St Mirren are frequently allowed to settle into the kind of comfort zone that nourishes belief in their ability to frustrate their hosts and take away a souvenir of the party.

It is unlikely to have helped that Barry Robson, the midfielder widely recognised as Celtic’s most efficient player in their previous fixture, the defeat at Tannadice, was on the bench for this one. Robson’s absence may not have been entirely to blame – he would eventually replace Zheng Zhi in the 85th minute – but there was certainly a lack of cohesion and a general lopsidedness about the home side which, until the opener, seriously reduced their prospects of inflicting damage on the visitors’ goal.

When the strike came, it was simply worked. Samaras took a pass from Aiden McGeady and held the ball until his little partner scampered into position. The tall Greek rolled the ball into his path and McDonald, from the right side of the area, found the far corner with a shot that was deflected over the line by Innes.

The second goal was similar, McGeady on this occasion breaking through the middle before leaving Samaras with only Gallacher to beat and the striker drilled the ball low and far to the goalkeeper’s right.

Celtic, though, seem incapable of completing a game without at least one slip and it came right on the interval when Marc Crosas, from a cross by Billy Mehmet, stabbed the ball towards his goal, but palpably short, allowing the substitute Higdon to drive the ball past Lukasz Zaluska.

The two-goal advantage was restored when McDonald scored unaided during a period when the Celtic players produced some of their most pleasing football of the season and appeared, for a change, to be enjoying themselves. The execution of the goal was the hallmark of men happy in their work.

Gary Caldwell’s long pass out of defence fell from the sky and was brilliantly killed and moved on in one dazzling piece of skill by McGeady. As he moved to the dead ball line, McDonald bolted to the near post, put in a perfect cross and the Aussie striker had merely to stretch out his right foot to direct the ball past Gallacher from six yards.

McGeady’s unusually mature performance had much to do with Celtic’s overall impressiveness during the second half, the Republic of Ireland winger often finding team-mates with telling passes and crosses from the right. Such productivity has been a rarity with him over the years.

Scottish Premier League: Rangers 2-1 St Mirren

St Mirren supporters who had seen their team lose seven goals at Celtic Park earlier this year may have considered this latest visit to the other half of the Old Firm as relatively painless. They might also, however, have reflected on periods of a generally uninspiring 90 minutes when their team could have caused a serious shock. And this, despite the fact that Kris Boyd scored the first of his two goals after a mere 17 seconds, with substitute Stephen O’Donnell countering for the visitors late in the game.

At Ibrox these days, of course, even a goal as early as the prolific striker’s opener should not necessarily be viewed as the snowball that starts the avalanche. Indeed, given Rangers’ generally unconvincing form, it is more likely to prove to be the warning shot that triggers defiance, followed by retaliation, in the visitors.

St Mirren, admirably, complied with expectations by recovering well enough not only to have been level, but possibly ahead, by the interval. That they had achieved neither by the time Boyd scored again in the second half was attributable to an excellent save from Allan McGregor and a slice of bad luck for Garry Brady.

The Rangers goalkeeper had dived right to deny Andy Dorman, the midfielder having taken a through pass from John Potter before sending a powerful drive towards the corner from 25 yards. But when Dorman supplied Brady on the left side of the area and the latter beat the goalkeeper with a well-judged chip, the ball came back off the inside of the far post.

The visitors were, as a consequence, denied their due from a period of play in which they had largely matched Rangers in all areas and had created more opportunities. The home side’s only threat during that spell had come once again from John Fleck and Boyd, who had driven wide after goalkeeper Paul Gallacher beat Fleck’s left-foot drive down to the feet of the striker.

This was almost a replica of the goal that had given the champions the lead. On that occasion, Gallacher’s failure to hold Fleck’s drive had allowed Nacho Novo the chance, but the ball had bounced off his shin and, fortunately, straight to Boyd, who volleyed it over the line from three yards.

It was an enforced change that gave Rangers a more dangerous look and led to the second goal. Steven Whittaker, a pre-match doubt, remained indoors for the second half and Steve Davis was moved to right-back, from where he appeared much more threatening than he had in midfield.

It was Davis’s low centre after a good run that caused Potter inadvertently to deflect the ball on to the top of his own crossbar, conceding the corner kick from which the ball eventually reached Nacho Novo. The forward’s attempted shot was miscued, but the ball ran straight to Boyd, who had merely to tap it home from two yards.

Boyd should have completed his hat-trick when Steven Naismith ended a powerful run through midfield by slipping the ball to the striker, leaving him on the left side of the area with only Gallacher to pass. The goalkeeper made a competent job of denying Boyd space and deflected the shot wide, but it would be construed by the majority of fans as a miss.

The goal was enough effectively to end St Mirren’s prospects of taking anything from the match and their spirits seemed to dip accordingly. Even so, there was a last act of defiance from O’Donnell, who took fellow sub Billy Mehmet’s pass, chested the ball down and drove it past McGregor from close range.

Moyes backs Old Firm move to England

• Moyes believes Celtic and Rangers would flourish in England
• Everton manager claims move would boost attendances

The Everton manager, David Moyes, would favour Rangers and Celtic playing in the Premier League.

The Scottish former Celtic player sees many virtues in the two-tier Premier League that is set to be proposed to the English football authorities south of the border, and has no doubts the Glasgow clubs would be a major boost to the English game.

Moyes said: “I’d like to see a two-tier Premier League because I am a Scotsman; it would be great for everybody to see Celtic and Rangers initially in a Premier League Two.

“I’m sure they would very quickly move into Premier League One. I feel it would be of great benefit for everybody.

“TV would be interested, the media would be interested and, undoubtedly, the support and crowds would increase at every ground in the country.

“Both Celtic and Rangers have as big a support as any team in England. From that point of view, it would help the game in England if we needed a boost in revenue.

“Maybe if crowds have dropped a little, or the TV revenue drops, this would be a way to address that situation.”

He added: “It would have a detrimental effect on the game in Scotland, but if there was the chance for the rest of the Scottish teams to maybe be in a play-off with an English team to win the Premier League Two, something like that would be workable.

“I would rather this than an Atlantic league, or some other European league. We have Welsh teams playing in English football so why not Scottish? The Scottish teams are really, really big clubs and I feel it would be good for everyone.

“I am sure it would work, even if it would open a can of worms over other nations, say Belgian and Holland, for example, joining forces. But it is something worth looking at in England.”

Rain thwarts Rangers at Dundee United

• Rangers were leading 1-0 when match was called off
• Leaders Celtic have four-point gap over arch-rivals

Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, had no complaints about referee Mike Tumilty’s decision to abandon their Premier League game against Dundee United this afternoon.

The match at Tannadice was halted at half-time after the match official and his assistants assessed the playing surface during the interval as torrential rain worsened.

His decision was a blow for the Scottish champions, who had headed into the interval a goal ahead thanks to a 29th-minute Steven Davis strike.

But Smith was far from surprised by the referee’s decision, admitting: “I thought there was a possibility it would be called off when I watched from the stand in the first half.

“The water was starting to gather and I thought it would be a decision the referee would have to take. I don’t think we can complain, although we are disappointed after working hard to get 1-0 up. I don’t think I can argue with the referee’s decision, I think he was quite right.”

Asked whether the match should have been called off before the start, Smith replied: “It was just one of those circumstances that happened. He was right to abandon the game and he was also right to play the game because I don’t think it would have been justified to put the game off at the start.

“In fact, I thought the referee handled the game well today despite the circumstances.”

Some Rangers fans were clearly unhappy with the referee’s decision and, although disappointed himself, Smith refused to lay any blame with Tumilty.

He said: “Everybody wants to play but we have to accept the decision and I stress again that it was the right decision. The referee didn’t want to put the game off either so it’s just one of those things that we have to accept.”

Rangers 1-1 Hibernian

Late equaliser by Anthony Stokes further dampens the League leaders’ spirits after their miserable week

Rangers remained at the top of the Scottish Premier League, but not even their most committed supporter could argue with the contention that it was an appropriately depressing end to a thoroughly miserable week.

Curiously, the match itself was certainly the most entertaining and intriguing at Ibrox this season, one that deserved more goals than the early leader from Kris Boyd and the second-half equaliser from Anthony Stokes.

Misgivings would have been more plentiful than expectations among a home support rendered fearful by the humiliating defeat from Unirea in the Champions League four days earlier. But the identity of the opposition should have offered a fair measure of reassurance of an open, eventful match.

Hibs let nobody down, threatening to open the scoring with less than a minute played and to concede one at the other end less than sixty seconds after that. With the boys from Leith, matches are rarely incident-free.

Even after falling behind to Boyd’s goal, the visitors adhered to their patient, passing game and continued to give Allan McGregor, the Rangers goalkeeper, abundant opportunities to distinguish himself. That opening chance came to Derek Riordan, the result of a precisely-lobbed pass from Liam Miller out to the left. Riordan drove inside and, unusually for a player normally reliable in these situations, slid his low shot wide of the far post.

Rangers’ first opportunity came to Boyd, who should have taken advantage of his smart turn past two defenders, but pulled his left-foot shot wide from inside the penalty area. He scored with his next chance because it was basically unmissable.

Steven Whittaker crossed long and deep from the right, Kyle Lafferty was isolated at the far post and immediately sent his header across to Boyd, who had only to volley the ball over the line from four yards.

Merouane Zemmama, producing some incisive skill throughout, and Stokes would have given Hibs the lead between them but for two exceptional saves from McGregor. But Boyd and Lafferty should also have scored another two for the home side, the first thwarted by the outstretched leg of Graham Stack, the second shooting weakly straight at the goalkeeper after he had been released into the area.

Almost typical of the way Rangers’ misfortunes had been piling up through the week – injuries to influential players had accompanied the defeat in Europe – they lost the lead at a time in the second half when they appeared emphatically the better team and by far the likelier to score the next goal.

John Fleck, the teenage midfielder, had replaced the injured Lee McCulloch just before half-time and he took control of his area with vision, precision and a mature appreciation of his position. It was his perceptive flick through the middle that allowed Miller a clear scoring chance, the striker’s powerful drive palmed away once more by the alert Stack.

The Hibs goalkeeper would repeat the good work with another vital save from a ferocious left-foot drive from Sasa Papac from around 30 yards before Stokes delivered the Hibs goal.

It was from a forward pass by Miller that the striker chested the ball down and then played keepy-uppy between Papac and David Weir before turning away from them and lobbing the volley left-footed over McGreegor. It was a goal to which the visitors could have added twice during the last ten minutes.