Post by dreamy on Feb 18, 2009 2:52:32 GMT 10
Celtic 0 - 0 Rangers: Honours even as Celtic and Rangers play it safe
Published Date: 16 February 2009
By Glenn Gibbons
at Celtic Park
ON A day when both clubs appeared to take precisely what they wanted, Celtic and Rangers produced the kind of match that could prompt a search for suspicious betting patterns. The bulk of the crowd who filed almost silently out of the great stadium would be suffused with the overwhelming impression that the result had been pre-arranged.
Celtic's two-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League remained intact, and even Walter Smith's team seemed to be happy with that. Rangers, having spent the first half basically throwing a blanket over the game, emerged a little more ambitiously in the second, but total commitment to victory seemed, overall, to be an alien concept to both sides. A blandness from which there were only fleeting escapes would turn the self-styled world's greatest derby into a virtually valueless selling plate.
Referee Calum Murray contrived to issue eight yellow cards in a match in which there was hardly a tackle. Several, however, would be the result of the match official's own series of bizarre decisions. He would get it wrong, as he did too often, and a player would be booked for telling him so. It has always seemed to be a most curious form of 'justice'.
Perhaps the most depressing aspect of the entire affair is that, to anyone who had been paying attention throughout this season, it would be perfectly predictable. Mediocrity had brought the Old Firm together at the head of the league table and it was very unlikely that either would head unbridled into the fray in the rampaging manner of teams secure in their own sense of superiority.
In the circumstances, few would have expected anything other than the largely tentative probing that was evident for so much of the match. Long before the event, there had been unmistakable signs of a mutual readiness to settle for the avoidance of defeat and take their chances in fixtures against the others in the SPL.
With Rangers playing a lone striker, Kyle Lafferty, at one end of the field and a defensive midfielder, Lee McCulloch, at the other, the natural consequence would be an almost constant denial of space in which to work in forward areas. This was especially true for Lafferty for lengthy periods, the tall Irishman consistently outnumbered on those occasions when the ball entered his neighbourhood.
The Celtic pair, Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, were also closely policed, with McCulloch operating virtually as an auxiliary defender. This tended to give the home side dominion in midfield, especially during a first half in which the visitors' emphasis on carefulness was clearly the more pronounced.
The rarity of genuine opportunities, therefore, made McDonald's profligacy in the 17th minute appear potentially much more significant than usual. For the first and only time in the opening 45 minutes, a chance was created which left the Rangers defence helpless and required only proper execution to give the home team the lead.
It started with Vennegoor of Hesselink's pass to Shunsuke Nakamura, the Japanese midfielder holding the ball just long enough to allow Willo Flood to take up a position on the right. Flood, making his debut for Celtic in place of Aiden McGeady – who would come on later – feinted past Sasa Papac and delivered a cross to McDonald that was simply unimprovable.
The little striker had only to make proper contact with his head to send the ball over the line from six yards. Instead, the header was almost tangential, very slightly deflecting it wide of Allan McGregor's right-hand post. The squandering of the chance would be the more frustrating for the home fans for the recollection of the extraordinary goal with which he won the last derby at Ibrox and for the scarcity of its occurrence in this mainly uneventful renewal.
During the same period, Rangers' only serious push had come as early as the fourth minute, when some neat passing between Pedro Mendes and Barry Ferguson left the teenager, John Fleck, free on the left. His was a deep and dangerous cross, causing Artur Boruc to leap and stretch to fingertip the ball away from danger. The moment seemed to have a giddying effect on the visitors, however, as they spent the remainder of the half well away from such excitements.
Even Smith must have found his team's performance tedious, as they seemed to be armed with new instruction in the second half, their ambition to go forward finally awakened. This impression was reinforced when the manager removed young Fleck and replaced him with Kenny Miller, bringing something more like a two-man attack.
But that was not before Boruc had rescued Celtic from calamity with an exceptional save from his captain, Stephen McManus, the defender glancing his defensive header goalwards after Madjid Bougherra had squeezed past Lee Naylor and Nakamura on the right and crossed waist-high.
Strachan's changes saw McGeady replace Flood and Samaras take over from Vennegoor of Hesselink. The big Greek, more skilful, would be expected to hold the ball when it was played forward, but it was Rangers who produced the bulk of the attacking in that second half.
There were opportunities, too, notably when Lafferty headed David Weir's long forward ball down to Ferguson and the midfielder sliced his shot high and wide. Miller's, however, was eminently more convertible when Davis back-heeled the pass from the dead-ball line and gave the striker a clear look at his target. His left-foot shot, however, was wildly sliced, almost hitting the corner flag.
Later, Weir would send a powerful header towards the roof of the Celtic net from Mendes's corner kick on the right and Boruc would distinguish himself once again with a crucial save. The last authentic scoring attempt would be left to Nakamura, whose 25-yard free kick forced McGregor to save low to his right and then spill the ball. Unsurprisingly, there was nobody in a position to cure the barrenness.
How the Old Firm showdown unfolded
3 minutes: John Fleck, Rangers' highly-rated teenager, whips a teasing ball across the face of goal early on but Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc swipes to safety before Kyle Lafferty can connect.
8: Scott Brown is fortunate to escape an early booking for a clumsy, late challenge on Steven Davis.
14: The best chance of the game so far falls to the hosts when Australian striker Scott McDonald meets a Willo Flood cross from the right only to glance his header across goal and wide from close range.
27: Rangers central defender Madjid Bougherra blasts high and wide.
36: Allan McGregor gathers from a Lee Naylor cross with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink loitering. The striker earns the first yellow card for a tussle with the goalkeeper and David Weir is also booked for getting involved in the incident.
46: Paul Hartley tries his luck with a snap-shot within seconds of the restart but the Celtic and Scotland midfielder is well off target.
51: Celtic captain Stephen McManus almost headers a Bougherra ball into the back of his own net but Boruc comes to the rescue with a great save from his skipper. Barry Ferguson then fires wide from the corner.
56: Davis sets up a shot for Lafferty as Rangers try to impose themselves in the second half but the lone striker fires straight into the arms of Boruc.
59: Davis is the provider once again with a long ball to Lafferty, who nods on to Ferguson but the captain's touch is poor and he blasts wide.
69: Rangers substitute Kenny Miller, who replaced Fleck ten minutes earlier, exchanges a lovely one-two with Davis but flashes his shot across goal and wide of target.
74: Lafferty limps out of the match and is replaced by Steven Naismith, who is immediately embroiled in a tussle with Brown. Both players are booked.
79: Boruc, rediscovering his top form after a difficult season both on and off the pitch, pulls off another impressive stop, this time to block a Weir header from a Pedro Mendes corner.
89: Nakamura wins a dubious free-kick but the effort is blocked by McGregor, before Kirk Broadfoot clears the danger and the match ends goalless.
HOW THEY RATED AT CELTIC PARK
CELTIC
ARTUR BORUC
Two excellent second half saves, from his own captain Stephen McManus and then David Weir, provided all the proof necessary that the Pole was in the perfect frame of mind for this contest. 7/10
ANDREAS HINKEL
Never seriously tested defensively by any of the three players Rangers used on the left flank during the match. 6
GARY CALDWELL
A solid and uncompromising display from the central defender which illustrated why his manager has so much faith in him. 7
STEPHEN McMANUS
Almost unwittingly settled the game in Rangers' favour when his attempt to clear Madjid Bougherra's cross turned into a netbound header superbly saved by Boruc. Otherwise untroubled. 6
LEE NAYLOR
It isn't difficult to understand why the search for a new left-back remains a priority for Gordon Strachan. Distribution was dreadful. 4
WILLO FLOOD
Especially bright in the first half when he set up a glorious chance for Scott McDonald. Faded after the break before being replaced by Aiden McGeady in the 62nd minute. 6
SCOTT BROWN
Delivered a typically industrious if generally unproductive display before limping off six minutes from time. 6
PAUL HARTLEY
Successfully prevented Barry Ferguson or Pedro Mendes establishing any creative dominance on the match. 6
SHUNSUKE NAKAMURA
Deployed on the left flank, his set piece delivery was poor until his 89th minute free-kick forced Allan McGregor into his only save of the match. 5
JAN VENNEGOOR OF HESSELINK
The big Dutch striker endured a frustrating afternoon against Bougherra, albeit not helped by some questionable decisions from referee Calum Murray. Replaced by Georgios Samaras in the 62nd minute. 5
SCOTT McDONALD
Celtic's hero at Ibrox in the last meeting of the teams was a largely peripheral figure yesterday as he was effectively neutralised by David Weir. When he did escape the veteran's attention, he somehow missed the best chance of the match by heading wide from close range. 5
SUBSTITUTES
AIDEN McGEADY An unexpected omission from the Celtic starting line-up, the Republic of Ireland winger was unable to make a telling impression when he replaced Flood after 62 minutes. 4
GEORGIOS SAMARAS Put himself about willingly and caused some fleeting discomfort to the Rangers defence when he entered the fray, but the Greek striker was unable to engineer a breakthrough. 5
MARC CROSAS Little opportunity to make an impact for the young Spaniard as he replaced the injured Brown with six minutes remaining. 1
RANGERS
ALLAN McGREGOR
Solid at cross balls, the Rangers goalkeeper remarkably had to wait until the 89th minute to make his first and only save of the match when he plunged to his right to prevent Shunsuke Nakamura snatching all three points for the home side. 6/10
KIRK BROADFOOT
Recovered from a comically poor first touch of the afternoon to put in a decent shift for his team. The big defender coped well with the threat of Nakamura and offered Rangers a good attacking option in the second half. 6
MADJID BOUGHERRA
The Algerian central defender imposed himself on Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink from the opening moments. Dominant in the air and composed on the ground, he was the pick of the outfield players. 7
DAVID WEIR
His 39th birthday is fast approaching, but the veteran Scotland international is still more than capable of coping with these occasions. Almost won it for Rangers with a fierce header superbly saved by Artur Boruc. 6
SASA PAPAC
The ultra-consistent Bosnian left-back had some initial difficulties coping with the pace and directness of Willo Flood, but quickly came to terms with the situation to produce another error free performance. 6
LEE McCULLOCH
The former Scotland international combined diligence with aggression in the holding midfield role. 6
STEVEN DAVIS
Responded to a shaky first half with a far more effective second half display on the right of Rangers' midfield. 6
BARRY FERGUSON
The Rangers captain will feel he could have done better than drive a decent chance wide of the target early in the second half. Found it difficult to control the tempo of the match. 6
PEDRO MENDES
The Portuguese was unable to repeat the heroics of his first taste of this fixture from last August. Unable to establish any significant rhythm to Rangers' midfield play. 6
JOHN FLECK
A difficult afternoon for the 17-year-old who, perhaps understandably, was unable to deliver a performance in keeping with the hype which preceded it. Replaced by Kenny Miller after 59 minutes. 4
KYLE LAFFERTY
Deployed in the central striking role he says is his most effective position, Lafferty did little to suggest he has deserved the opportunity to fill it before now. Replaced by Steven Naismith with 16 minutes left. 4
SUBSTITUTES
KENNY MILLER Had a penalty appeal turned down when caught by Stephen McManus after shanking a shot horribly wide of the target. 4
STEVEN NAISMITH Managed to collect a booking just two minutes after replacing Lafferty, then conceded the late free-kick from which Nakamura almost scored. 1
• RATINGS BY STEPHEN HALLIDAY
sport.scotsman.com/rangersfc/Celtic-0--0-Rangers.4982689.jp
And there was me hoping...
Published Date: 16 February 2009
By Glenn Gibbons
at Celtic Park
ON A day when both clubs appeared to take precisely what they wanted, Celtic and Rangers produced the kind of match that could prompt a search for suspicious betting patterns. The bulk of the crowd who filed almost silently out of the great stadium would be suffused with the overwhelming impression that the result had been pre-arranged.
Celtic's two-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League remained intact, and even Walter Smith's team seemed to be happy with that. Rangers, having spent the first half basically throwing a blanket over the game, emerged a little more ambitiously in the second, but total commitment to victory seemed, overall, to be an alien concept to both sides. A blandness from which there were only fleeting escapes would turn the self-styled world's greatest derby into a virtually valueless selling plate.
Referee Calum Murray contrived to issue eight yellow cards in a match in which there was hardly a tackle. Several, however, would be the result of the match official's own series of bizarre decisions. He would get it wrong, as he did too often, and a player would be booked for telling him so. It has always seemed to be a most curious form of 'justice'.
Perhaps the most depressing aspect of the entire affair is that, to anyone who had been paying attention throughout this season, it would be perfectly predictable. Mediocrity had brought the Old Firm together at the head of the league table and it was very unlikely that either would head unbridled into the fray in the rampaging manner of teams secure in their own sense of superiority.
In the circumstances, few would have expected anything other than the largely tentative probing that was evident for so much of the match. Long before the event, there had been unmistakable signs of a mutual readiness to settle for the avoidance of defeat and take their chances in fixtures against the others in the SPL.
With Rangers playing a lone striker, Kyle Lafferty, at one end of the field and a defensive midfielder, Lee McCulloch, at the other, the natural consequence would be an almost constant denial of space in which to work in forward areas. This was especially true for Lafferty for lengthy periods, the tall Irishman consistently outnumbered on those occasions when the ball entered his neighbourhood.
The Celtic pair, Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, were also closely policed, with McCulloch operating virtually as an auxiliary defender. This tended to give the home side dominion in midfield, especially during a first half in which the visitors' emphasis on carefulness was clearly the more pronounced.
The rarity of genuine opportunities, therefore, made McDonald's profligacy in the 17th minute appear potentially much more significant than usual. For the first and only time in the opening 45 minutes, a chance was created which left the Rangers defence helpless and required only proper execution to give the home team the lead.
It started with Vennegoor of Hesselink's pass to Shunsuke Nakamura, the Japanese midfielder holding the ball just long enough to allow Willo Flood to take up a position on the right. Flood, making his debut for Celtic in place of Aiden McGeady – who would come on later – feinted past Sasa Papac and delivered a cross to McDonald that was simply unimprovable.
The little striker had only to make proper contact with his head to send the ball over the line from six yards. Instead, the header was almost tangential, very slightly deflecting it wide of Allan McGregor's right-hand post. The squandering of the chance would be the more frustrating for the home fans for the recollection of the extraordinary goal with which he won the last derby at Ibrox and for the scarcity of its occurrence in this mainly uneventful renewal.
During the same period, Rangers' only serious push had come as early as the fourth minute, when some neat passing between Pedro Mendes and Barry Ferguson left the teenager, John Fleck, free on the left. His was a deep and dangerous cross, causing Artur Boruc to leap and stretch to fingertip the ball away from danger. The moment seemed to have a giddying effect on the visitors, however, as they spent the remainder of the half well away from such excitements.
Even Smith must have found his team's performance tedious, as they seemed to be armed with new instruction in the second half, their ambition to go forward finally awakened. This impression was reinforced when the manager removed young Fleck and replaced him with Kenny Miller, bringing something more like a two-man attack.
But that was not before Boruc had rescued Celtic from calamity with an exceptional save from his captain, Stephen McManus, the defender glancing his defensive header goalwards after Madjid Bougherra had squeezed past Lee Naylor and Nakamura on the right and crossed waist-high.
Strachan's changes saw McGeady replace Flood and Samaras take over from Vennegoor of Hesselink. The big Greek, more skilful, would be expected to hold the ball when it was played forward, but it was Rangers who produced the bulk of the attacking in that second half.
There were opportunities, too, notably when Lafferty headed David Weir's long forward ball down to Ferguson and the midfielder sliced his shot high and wide. Miller's, however, was eminently more convertible when Davis back-heeled the pass from the dead-ball line and gave the striker a clear look at his target. His left-foot shot, however, was wildly sliced, almost hitting the corner flag.
Later, Weir would send a powerful header towards the roof of the Celtic net from Mendes's corner kick on the right and Boruc would distinguish himself once again with a crucial save. The last authentic scoring attempt would be left to Nakamura, whose 25-yard free kick forced McGregor to save low to his right and then spill the ball. Unsurprisingly, there was nobody in a position to cure the barrenness.
How the Old Firm showdown unfolded
3 minutes: John Fleck, Rangers' highly-rated teenager, whips a teasing ball across the face of goal early on but Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc swipes to safety before Kyle Lafferty can connect.
8: Scott Brown is fortunate to escape an early booking for a clumsy, late challenge on Steven Davis.
14: The best chance of the game so far falls to the hosts when Australian striker Scott McDonald meets a Willo Flood cross from the right only to glance his header across goal and wide from close range.
27: Rangers central defender Madjid Bougherra blasts high and wide.
36: Allan McGregor gathers from a Lee Naylor cross with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink loitering. The striker earns the first yellow card for a tussle with the goalkeeper and David Weir is also booked for getting involved in the incident.
46: Paul Hartley tries his luck with a snap-shot within seconds of the restart but the Celtic and Scotland midfielder is well off target.
51: Celtic captain Stephen McManus almost headers a Bougherra ball into the back of his own net but Boruc comes to the rescue with a great save from his skipper. Barry Ferguson then fires wide from the corner.
56: Davis sets up a shot for Lafferty as Rangers try to impose themselves in the second half but the lone striker fires straight into the arms of Boruc.
59: Davis is the provider once again with a long ball to Lafferty, who nods on to Ferguson but the captain's touch is poor and he blasts wide.
69: Rangers substitute Kenny Miller, who replaced Fleck ten minutes earlier, exchanges a lovely one-two with Davis but flashes his shot across goal and wide of target.
74: Lafferty limps out of the match and is replaced by Steven Naismith, who is immediately embroiled in a tussle with Brown. Both players are booked.
79: Boruc, rediscovering his top form after a difficult season both on and off the pitch, pulls off another impressive stop, this time to block a Weir header from a Pedro Mendes corner.
89: Nakamura wins a dubious free-kick but the effort is blocked by McGregor, before Kirk Broadfoot clears the danger and the match ends goalless.
HOW THEY RATED AT CELTIC PARK
CELTIC
ARTUR BORUC
Two excellent second half saves, from his own captain Stephen McManus and then David Weir, provided all the proof necessary that the Pole was in the perfect frame of mind for this contest. 7/10
ANDREAS HINKEL
Never seriously tested defensively by any of the three players Rangers used on the left flank during the match. 6
GARY CALDWELL
A solid and uncompromising display from the central defender which illustrated why his manager has so much faith in him. 7
STEPHEN McMANUS
Almost unwittingly settled the game in Rangers' favour when his attempt to clear Madjid Bougherra's cross turned into a netbound header superbly saved by Boruc. Otherwise untroubled. 6
LEE NAYLOR
It isn't difficult to understand why the search for a new left-back remains a priority for Gordon Strachan. Distribution was dreadful. 4
WILLO FLOOD
Especially bright in the first half when he set up a glorious chance for Scott McDonald. Faded after the break before being replaced by Aiden McGeady in the 62nd minute. 6
SCOTT BROWN
Delivered a typically industrious if generally unproductive display before limping off six minutes from time. 6
PAUL HARTLEY
Successfully prevented Barry Ferguson or Pedro Mendes establishing any creative dominance on the match. 6
SHUNSUKE NAKAMURA
Deployed on the left flank, his set piece delivery was poor until his 89th minute free-kick forced Allan McGregor into his only save of the match. 5
JAN VENNEGOOR OF HESSELINK
The big Dutch striker endured a frustrating afternoon against Bougherra, albeit not helped by some questionable decisions from referee Calum Murray. Replaced by Georgios Samaras in the 62nd minute. 5
SCOTT McDONALD
Celtic's hero at Ibrox in the last meeting of the teams was a largely peripheral figure yesterday as he was effectively neutralised by David Weir. When he did escape the veteran's attention, he somehow missed the best chance of the match by heading wide from close range. 5
SUBSTITUTES
AIDEN McGEADY An unexpected omission from the Celtic starting line-up, the Republic of Ireland winger was unable to make a telling impression when he replaced Flood after 62 minutes. 4
GEORGIOS SAMARAS Put himself about willingly and caused some fleeting discomfort to the Rangers defence when he entered the fray, but the Greek striker was unable to engineer a breakthrough. 5
MARC CROSAS Little opportunity to make an impact for the young Spaniard as he replaced the injured Brown with six minutes remaining. 1
RANGERS
ALLAN McGREGOR
Solid at cross balls, the Rangers goalkeeper remarkably had to wait until the 89th minute to make his first and only save of the match when he plunged to his right to prevent Shunsuke Nakamura snatching all three points for the home side. 6/10
KIRK BROADFOOT
Recovered from a comically poor first touch of the afternoon to put in a decent shift for his team. The big defender coped well with the threat of Nakamura and offered Rangers a good attacking option in the second half. 6
MADJID BOUGHERRA
The Algerian central defender imposed himself on Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink from the opening moments. Dominant in the air and composed on the ground, he was the pick of the outfield players. 7
DAVID WEIR
His 39th birthday is fast approaching, but the veteran Scotland international is still more than capable of coping with these occasions. Almost won it for Rangers with a fierce header superbly saved by Artur Boruc. 6
SASA PAPAC
The ultra-consistent Bosnian left-back had some initial difficulties coping with the pace and directness of Willo Flood, but quickly came to terms with the situation to produce another error free performance. 6
LEE McCULLOCH
The former Scotland international combined diligence with aggression in the holding midfield role. 6
STEVEN DAVIS
Responded to a shaky first half with a far more effective second half display on the right of Rangers' midfield. 6
BARRY FERGUSON
The Rangers captain will feel he could have done better than drive a decent chance wide of the target early in the second half. Found it difficult to control the tempo of the match. 6
PEDRO MENDES
The Portuguese was unable to repeat the heroics of his first taste of this fixture from last August. Unable to establish any significant rhythm to Rangers' midfield play. 6
JOHN FLECK
A difficult afternoon for the 17-year-old who, perhaps understandably, was unable to deliver a performance in keeping with the hype which preceded it. Replaced by Kenny Miller after 59 minutes. 4
KYLE LAFFERTY
Deployed in the central striking role he says is his most effective position, Lafferty did little to suggest he has deserved the opportunity to fill it before now. Replaced by Steven Naismith with 16 minutes left. 4
SUBSTITUTES
KENNY MILLER Had a penalty appeal turned down when caught by Stephen McManus after shanking a shot horribly wide of the target. 4
STEVEN NAISMITH Managed to collect a booking just two minutes after replacing Lafferty, then conceded the late free-kick from which Nakamura almost scored. 1
• RATINGS BY STEPHEN HALLIDAY
sport.scotsman.com/rangersfc/Celtic-0--0-Rangers.4982689.jp
And there was me hoping...
