Dandy Dons are still on a high

You know what Aberdeen fans are like, bi-polar. After two wins at the start of their season, some fans were digging out their passport, so convinced were they that the Dandy Dons were assured of winning the league and heading for the Champions League.

Then Mark McGhee worked his magic on the side and the same fans were being refused entry to Superdrug to keep them away from the painkillers and razor blades. It’s a strange old world being an Aberdeen fan and this was shown again on Saturday.

A win in the Cup should always be celebrated but some of the fans remarks following the 6-0 drubbing dished out to East Fife went over the top! It’s good to see Craig Brown having a positive impact on Aberdeen and the fact that the Dons never exited to a lower league team was probably one of the cup shocks of the day!

It is likely that Aberdeen will face a tougher test in the 5th round of the Scottish Cup when they take on Montrose or Dunfermline Athletic. In saying that though, Aberdeen will be confident of winning the tie and with one of the big Glasgow lot out…who knows where this cup run may end.

The fifth round ties of the Scottish Cup are scheduled to take place the weekend of the 5th and 6th of February. These dates may change when the television companies start announcing their fixtures but at the moment…that’s the dates for the Cup!

With a League Cup semi-final already secured, are the Dandy Dons going to take up residency at Hampden this season?

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New young stopper at the Dons

Such is the way when a manager changes club that not only are his ex-players under target, so too are any scouted players he previously looked at. You get the feeling that Motherwell are cheesed off enough with Craig Brown and Aberdeen, so you wonder what they’ll make of the new Aberdeen signing.

Myles Anderson, a 19 year old centre half, has signed for Aberdeen after being previously looked at by Brown during his time at Fir Park. The free agent had a spell training in Lanarkshire during Brown’s reign as Motherwell boss and the new Dons boss has followed up this initial interest in the player.

Craig Brown managed to bring a few decent players to Scotland from down South and the future of Nick Blackman, who he enticed to Motherwell in the summer, is currently up for debate. Motherwell clearly like this way of getting players, it was one of the factors they were looking for in their new boss but it has alerted other clubs to the talent that is available.

Whether Anderson is able to make an impact on the Don’s defence this season is another matter but it’s another new face at the Dons and things are definitely looking brighter at Pittodrie than they have been previously this season.

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Referee does his best to take centre stage

It was a tense night but Paddy McCourt has ensured Celtic are top of the SPL as 2010 turns into 2011. McCourt has brightened up the season with a number of cracking goals this season and his first half strike was another great strike to add to the list.

By this point, Celtic should have been out of sight with a host of squandered chances but the usual failing of the Parkhead side yet again let them down. Unless Gary Hooper returns quickly or someone steps up to the plate, Neil Lennon needs to get a goal-scorer in during the January transfer window.

Motherwell got back into the game through a combination of digging deep and Celtic suffering an injury to Olivier Kapo which led to the introduction of Daryl Muphy, who is looking as far removed from a footballer as you will see in the SPL. Celtic switched to a 4-4-2 and lost all of their vigour and momentum and this continued until injury saw Murphy removed in the second half.

Neil Lennon has a lot to think about for Sunday but surely he must realise that some formation which sees 5 across the middle of the park, in whatever variation, will give his side the best chance of being solid at Ibrox.

The second half raged on with players on both sides losing the plot, all of which can be blamed on the man in the middle.

How Keith Laley remained on the park is a mystery which is unlikely to be solved and Stephen Craigan’s last minute challenge on Anthony Stokes was deserving of a yellow card, which would have seen him sent off.

The issue of Scott Brown’s second yellow will no doubt be the subject of much debate. First of all, Brown gave the referee the opportunity to send him off, which proves that he hasn’t learned a thing. There is a madness about Scott Brown and the player continually lets himself down by getting involved when he doesn’t need to and this has seen his club suffer on many occasions.

In saying that, that doesn’t appear to be the case this time as Brown does appear to have been unlucky with the decision.

After rushing into the challenge, Brown appears to attempt to pull out of the challenge but heyho, it was yet another decision in which the referee Finnie made which ensured he was the centre of attention.

Video footage of Scott Brown’s challenge can be seen at this page: Scott Brown second yellow Is it another honest mistake or did the referee have no option?

No matter what your take on Brown’s second yellow is, the referee’s performance was nothing short of farcical but this is totally in fitting with the season.

Let’s not forget that we are only a few days on from Nial McGinn being denied a stone-wall penalty when the score was 0-0 with minutes to go and the blunders keep coming. Tonight, the number of baffling decisions from the man in black was highly concerning, particularly an assault on Mark Wilson which wasn’t even considered a foul. If Neil Lennon has any consistency, he should be firing off a letter to the SFA asking for clarification if Finnie was handed the Celtic Park game after getting a whistle in his Christmas cracker.

Then again, Neil Lennon has dodged any flak by refusing to comment on the decision any more than stating that everyone saw the performance by the ref and they can make their own mind up.

So, Celtic are top on paper but the side still looks a long way off being a confident and complete side. Neil Lennon will be looking to strengthen in January but with the 2nd of January looming large, there may not be enough time for Lennon to gel his new team in time to remain on top at the turning of the year.

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Concerns building for Calderwood again

You get the impression Aberdeen are not likely to suffer any more 5-0 or 9-0 drubbings this season with the Craig Brown effect already taking place. The 2-1 win at Easter Road saw the Dons sit much deeper than they did under Mark McGhee but sensible defensive formations does not necessarily mean a defensive style of play.

Hitting on the break has become a more common feature in football these days and Yoann Folly grabbed the opener for the Dons after Scott Vernon scampered away and fed him. Things were level before half-time though as Derek Riordan rammed home a shot that Jamie Langfield was unable to hold.

At this point the game was up for grabs and commentators would have keen to stress the importance of grabbing the next goal. It was Aberdeen who grabbed the crucial third goal of the game and it proved to be the winner. Paul Hartley was the creator as Scott Vernon chested home to make this a much more pleasurable trip to the capital for Dons fans.

Hamilton now lie beneath Aberdeen, three points behind but the Accies do have two games in hand over Craig Brown’s team. One win certainly doesn’t make Aberdeen’s season but the boost that the Easter Road victory will have provided the Dons will see their fans feeling far more optimistic about the task ahead of them.

Colin Calderwood will be having strong concerns over his team though and the signs are that Hibs could be involved in the relegation dogfight this season. The Leith team have a great deal of quality in their side but if they lack the fighting spirit, they will find themselves in big trouble in 2011.

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Money, ambition, both or something else?

It shows you how things can change in a year. This time in 2009, Craig Brown was coming out of semi-retirement with Archie Knox to take over the helm at Motherwell after the sacking of Jim Gannon. It appeared to be a bold move by John Boyle and many fans questioned the appointment of the former Scotland manager.

A year on and after Brown solidified Motherwell at the back whilst harnessing their forward play, the manager has resigned and is all set to replace Mark McGhee at Aberdeen. Given that Brown would have been available when McGhee was appointed by the Dons, it has clearly been a big year for Brown and his CV.

A look at both teams would suggest that Brown has made a strange move so you wonder why he has made the move?

Firstly, finances have to pay a part and he and his backroom team are likely to be taking home a bigger wage with Aberdeen. Given that this may well be Brown’s last job in football, it is easy to see why that would be a huge incentive.

Perhaps Aberdeen have promised Brown a reasonable transfer kitty to improve the squad. Aberdeen may be lacking in numbers at the moment but there is also the feeling that they are lacking in quality. When Paul Hartley is the stand-out man in the squad, it doesn’t say a lot. There are a lot of promising youngsters that have the potential to come good and this is where Brown will likely make an impact but he needs to bring some players in.

Is it to do with the romance of the team? Does the idea of leading Aberdeen back to silverware and glory days appeal more than doing the same with Motherwell? It is easy to hark on about the Aberdeen team of the early 1980s but it has become a millstone around the neck of the club. Being the first Aberdeen boss to lift a trophy since the early 90s win over Dundee in the League Cup final would be a fitting end to Craig Brown’s career but is it likely?

Aberdeen are in the semi-final of the League Cup but so were Motherwell, so it is not as if Craig Brown is gaining anything in that respect. Given the comments that Craig Brown has made in recent days about the positions, it seems clear he has had a late change of heart.

We may never know the full reasons for Brown’s resignation at Fir Park but whether he can transform Aberdeen in the same manner he did with Motherwell becomes the big question now.

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Can Celtic get back to bossing the midfield battle?

The team with the most upheaval over the transfer window has been Celtic so we’ve been having a look at their business and what shape they are in now.

We examined the goalkeeping and defensive positions here, with a conclusion of the goalkeeping position being weaker and cautiously saying the defence has improved.

We fully admit it’s a bit quick to be making judgements on many of the players and we got a bit of debate regarding one or two of the appraisals…which is fair enough.

Today we are going to look at the midfield and we expect it to get messy!

One of the issues is the variation in formations and shape Celtic could in from the middle of the park. The defence is always likely to be a flat back four, which makes it easier to dissect.

So we’ll do our best.

Midfield

Starting with the new acquisitions

Joe Ledley

Ledley arrived from Wales for free due to a contractual loophole and has looked steady without grabbing any game by the scruff of the neck so far.

That said, there have been many reasons for this.Ledley has been forced to play at left-back on occasions and when he does play in midfield, there is yet to be a consistency in his choice of partner.

We’ve seen enough of Ledley to suggest he’ll do fine this season.

A goal from left-back against St Mirren indicates he knows where the net is but 2nd half performances away to Caley and Motherwell suggest Ledley can control things in the middle of the park.

Efrain Juarez

An early favourite of the Celtic fans, the Mexican has provided a dose of energy and enthusiasm to the middle of the park, something lacking in recent years.

Like Ledley, Juarez has been used at right-back and is yet to start in midfield in the league. It’ll be interesting to see how Juarez performs there in the SPL.

Two goals in Europe suggests he knows how to get beyond the opponents defence, although there may not be the same room behind SPL defensive walls as Juarez found in Europe.

On pre-season and European performances, Juarez is likely to be an asset in Celtic defending much further up the field. This is definitely a positive for the club and should instill a bit more tempo in the team.

Biram Kayal

Two games at Celtic Park, two man of the match awards. That’s not bad going and a lot of it stems from the fact that Kayal can do the basics right. It shows how poorly the Celtic midfield has been when the ability to control and then pass the ball impresses so much.

Kayal is likely to be the conduit from back to front, effectively pushing the team up the park whilst maintaining possession. Kayal also doesn’t look as though he’ll be bullied to often either.

For balance, we have to add that Juarez and Kayal looked shocking away to Utrecht. The entire Celtic team did but given the way they had played previously, it was a surprise. Every player deserves a few chances and the early penalty awards threw all of a Celtic persuasion off guard so we’re not going to dwell on they showings but they both had off nights.

If Celtic went with a 4-3-3, there is an argument for including these three players in the middle but that overlooks captain Scott Brown.

We have been critical of Brown before, not because we think he is a bad player but because we think he should be doing better. A lot of this has been down to being asked to do a different role for Celtic against opposition laid out differently than he faced for Hibs and as he does for Scotland.

There has been a quiet resurgence of Brown of late though. His passing and control has looked sharper and he has seemed more focused. As mentioned for Joe Ledley, second half performances at Caley and Motherwell can rank amongst the strongest Brown has offered.

On this basis, we’d have to say Celtic have greatly strengthened in the middle of the park. Three new signings all showing potential and a marked improvement in the remaining player has to be a positive.

When looking at the players now in the middle, it’s hard to think of any reason for the inclusion of N’Guemo or Crosas so it’s a definite strengthening in the middle of the park.

Wide areas

The loss of Aiden McGeady and his 14 SPL assists has to be considered a loss. Even allowing for a dipping of form, McGeady was the creative outlet Celtic always looked to and was one of the few players to get fans excited.

Diomansay Kamara looked okay on loan without ever really excelling and Marc Antoine Fortune was often shoved out wide to varying degrees of success.

The wide positions have a number of players vying for position and hopefully this competition can inspire better performances from the wide men.

Jamie Forrest has burst onto the scene and been a revelation at times. With young players, you expect inconsistency and it will surely come from Forrest but so far he has looked good. An assist and goal versus St Mirren, an eye for goal in other games and a good level of work-rate has seen Forrest emerge with credit so far this season.

And then there is Paddy McCourt. We coined the term “part-time player, full-time genius” and it’s good to see he has lived up to that billing.

A brilliant 60 minutes versus Blackburn in a friendly earned McCourt a start at Caley where he had a virtually invisible hour. One cross-field pass was all he had to show until he got the ball wide and cut in and cut in and then whipped the ball home.

To ensure his cult status, he immediately picked up an injury when Shaun Maloney jumped on him!

Paddy also impressed away to Motherwell when he came on, changing the dynamics of Celtic’s play. McCourt can move at players, shifting the opposition defence backwards as they drop deeper to counteract his talent which should then create more space for Celtic to press onto them.

Depending on the formation being played, any one of Juarez, Brown or Ledley cound find themselves out wide. Celtic are also awaiting the return of Niall McGinn and can of course, utilise a few of their forwards in the wide position of an attacking position.

We’ll discuss the merits of Samaras and Maloney when we look at the forwards but they provide options here too.

The loss of McGeady means Celtic had a big gap to fill and perhaps wisely, the club has decided to not put all of their eggs in one basket. The wide position is very dependent on confidence so a flexibility to rotate until someone earns the starting place is not a bad tactic.

This may be something that causes disagreement but even with the loss of Aiden McGeady, we would say Celtic are not weaker in the wide positions. And if two players step up and show consistency over the season, we’d expect an overall improvement in this area of the field.

Again, another long one but we’d say Celtic look to be much improved in the middle of the park. There appears to be flexibility in the players to allow for a few shapes to be set out and there seems a greater tempo than Celtic have had in recent years.

We will round up our review by looking at the forward positions (hopefully on Friday) but tell us your thoughts on the Celtic midfield.

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13 midfielders but will it be enough?

With Celtic bringing in Israeli midfielder Beram Kayal, some fans have been wondering why the club have spent more money on another midfielder?

Even before Wednesday night’s capitulation in Braga, the Celtic backline and goalkeeping spot were under close scrutiny and they failed the first test of the new season. This means that the need to bring in centre halfs, a left back and even a goalkeeper should be pressing matters for the club.

This is why there has been some concern over the fact that another midfielder has been added to the squad but Celtic may not be as overburdened in that area as you would first think.

A look at the Celtic website suggests the club has 13 midfielders in their first team squad.

3 of these players are youngsters so you can overlook Simon Ferry, who appears to be on his way to Swindon Town anyway, as well as Ryan Conroy and Charlie Grant. This takes the number of midfielders down to 10.

Aiden McGeady is on the list as well and it would appear that he will be leaving the club shortly. The official line is that Aiden McGeady missed the Braga match because of an injury but many believe he was removed from the match squad to prevent him from being cup-tied.

This leaves the midfield with 9 players and it has to be said that Lennon doesn’t appear to fancy Marc Crosas, with the Catalan player only featuring in emergencies or when the game may not be the most important in the mind of the manager.

So that leaves the Celtic midfield down to 8 players.

Of these, it has to be said that wide men Shaun Maloney, Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn have all suffered injury problems and it would be a brave manager that put all his faith in them. This leaves you with a core of five players:

Efrain Juarez
Scott Brown
Joe Ledley
Ki Sung Yueng
And new signing Beram Kayal

There is every chance that Aiden McGeady will be replaced, the rumours about Liam Lawrence refuse to go away, or there may be a hope that one of the afore mentioned trio of McGinn, McCourt and Maloney can step up to the plate to replace the Republic of Ireland international.

However, if Celtic are planning to play a 4-5-1 (or 4-3-3) or whatever variant is popular this week, they may find themselves short of numbers if injuries and suspension kick in.

It has to be said that Celtic’s top priorities are the left back, centre half and striking position so there needs to be action on improving these positions.

However, thinking that the Celtic midfield is settled is not quite true either. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a few more changes in the middle of the park for Celtic as well as the other positions on the field.

How many more changes do you think Celtic need to make?

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Well…they had better be!

It hardly seems like days since the World Cup final and the last game of the 2009/10 campaign but already a Scottish representative is getting set to hit the field for competitive action. Motherwell have a new field at Fir Park and Icelandic opponents Breidablik will be the first foot for the 2010/11 season.

Its a tough task for Motherwell as their opponents are well into their season and after 11 games are top of the Icelandic Premier League. This mixture of confidence and fitness means that a tricky night is definitely in store for the Lanarkshire club but Craig Brown is not taking a lack of action as an excuse for whatever happens on Thursday night.

Last year’s Europa League qualifiers showed that John Ruddy could be trusted between the sticks for Motherwell and new goalkeeper Darren Rudolph will be hoping to start the season off well. A clean sheet will give Motherwell plenty of confidence, and another week of fitness, to take to Iceland in their attempt to progress in the competition.

Motherwell have had just the three pre-season friendlies behind them before this match but the players have known this match was looming since the moment their participation in the tournament was confirmed. This happened when Dundee United triumphed in the Scottish Cup final over Ross County so the Well management team and players can’t say this was a surprise.

Depending on the result at Fir Park tomorrow night, the debate and discussion about summer time football is sure to kick off again and we must admit that we aren’t adverse to it. We like the current situation, its what we’ve always known but if by altering the calendar we give our team a better chance of progressing in Europe, it has to be considered.

Mind you, if anyone advocates the benefit of “summer football”, they should be dragged outside and left to stand in the pouring rain for an hour and tell us all about the high points of summer football!

Can Well get through this round?

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Games are running out for Pressley’s safety guarantee

Falkirk know that the second bottom club Kilmarnock are not playing until Sunday so they really have to get something from Fir Park to turn the pressure up on them. The Killie v Aberdeen game could go either way so a loss today for Falkirk could see the club slip even further behind in the battle to stay up.

A win though….well, it’s very much up for grabs.

Steven Pressley has been moaning this week about clubs spending more than what their budget entails but we all know that’s football and at the moment, it is within the rules. Okay, perhaps it is impossible for a club like Falkirk to do this at the moment but they have in the past and the Bairns are as guilty as any other Scottish football club for at times living beyond their means.

Pressley is a strange character, a lot of people speak highly about him and the leadership skills he brings but he seems so wooden to us. Upon getting the Falkirk job, Pressley guaranteed Falkirk would not be relegated. It’s time to start proving that Steven or you’ll be remembered as someone who is unable to keep his promises, amongst other things.

If you would like the chance to win a Scottish football t-shirt, follow us on Twitter. Yes, on the 1st of May we will select a Twitter follower at random and give them a t-shirt with the design of their choice. All you have to do to be in with a chance is follow us on Twitter.

Motherwell suffered a bad reversal last weekend against Dundee United but with United also thrashing Hibs in midweek, the Lanarkshire club are still on the trail of fourth place. A home win today will see Motherwell leapfrog Hibs, who do not play until tomorrow.

Motherwell travel to Celtic Park in their final pre-split game so three points today would be most welcome for Craig Brown to shove Motherwell up the table.

It may seem as though there is not a lot for Motherwell to play for but with every league position worth additional cash, the difference between fourth and fifth could have an impact on Motherwell’s budget for next season.

The Well players may not has as much to play for as the Falkirk players but you still fancy their chances of taking the points today.

Bairns, is it beginning to look as though you are doomed?

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At least McDonald would have got to see it this time

Well, according to the Celtic website, the decision to send off Scott Brown was one that seemed to mystify most observers but that has held no sway with Dougie McDonald and the SFA.

McDonald was unable to get a clear view of the incident on Sunday as he was looking through a crowd of players but he wasted no time in brandishing a red card to the Celtic captain. Given the swiftness of movement and decisive action that McDonald took, it was probably unlikely that he would be willing to accept he made a mistake.

Even one that may have been made in a honest manner.

The thing is, with a Celtic source casting doubt over the credibility of referee’s against the club, was there any chance a grade one official was going to come out and say that they made a bad decision against the club?

Anyways, back to the facts as opposed to opinions which some will agree with, others will disagree with.

Brown has been given a three match ban and will miss:
Away to Falkirk
Home to St Johnstone
Away to St Mirren

With the league race virtually over, Brown’s absence may not be a crucial loss to the club, some may even say Celtic’s midfield could improve, however, Tony Mowbray won’t be pleased at losing his captain for three matches.

Who will come in for Brown?

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