Another disappointment – wing or fail

Last game: Aberdeen 4 – 4 Celtic

Celtic form after 5 games:  WLWWD

By Séan Walsh

Celtic fans slept on Friday night in anticipation of seeing Mowbray’s Bhoys to continue some of the form they showed against Hearts mid-week. They awoke, perhaps nursing a hangover, ready to enjoy watching the Hoops hopefully catch up the other Glasgow team whilst munching down a square sausage sandwich and a nice cuppa, or something stronger. For myself, and many Celtic fans, this game was going to be exciting and one many were really up for – but Celtic, in true Mowbray fashion, managed to absolutely ruin the day with one of the most inept performances in several years. To say Celtic fans will be disappointed is easily an understatement. Celtic had to win in order to get anywhere near recovering the SPL title, there could be no more losses or fruitless draws – the pressure had to be put on the blue side of Scotland. Everyone knew this – apart from the Celtic team.

Yes, Celtic scored 4 goals and created more chances. Yes, Iain Brines continued to put in another historically horrific performance applying rules to one team but not the other. And yes, Aberdeen showed great character and put up a good fight. But none of this matters. Any team that consistently hands the game back to the opposition on four occasions (When they have to absolutely win) – does not deserve to win. The Celtic manager and his “team” are only kicking themselves slowly into quick sand.

So, where did it go wrong? Where do you start?

Artur Boruc’s continued slow reactions maybe weren’t as influential in their goals but surely he should be commanding and organising the defence considering his personality and obvious lack of partnership in defence. The two centre-backs looked completely out of place and lost, Josh Thompson, 18 years old, managed to perhaps avoid heavy criticism considering he has had more partners than Katie Price, but former interim-Captain Darren O’Dea delivered a master class in McManus/Caldwell defending whilst also getting himself bizarrely sent off in the dying minutes. The real culprits however were the Celtic wing backs – Caddis and Braafheid, who provided a brutally comical performance on the wings. Paul Caddis struggled in his passing, tackling and positioning all game and his usual aggressive runs and crosses were meagre. Bayern Munich loanee Edson Braafheid would have looked more comfortable having a picnic on the Celtic six yard box – consistently caught out of position, incapable of making a tackle and ultimately a baffling decision to hand ball in the box provided Aberdeen with a way in two goals down.

In midfield, Celtic fans groaned to see the incompatible duo of Brown and N’Guemo who have regularly shown they cannot play together. Brown, apart from the build up to the second goal, did little but staring at players and misplacing the ball, whilst Landry N’Guemo had an uncharacteristically anonymous performance. Oh, and Brown is club captain – who would have known that? On the wings, all our play went through McGeady who bagged a great goal and provided some signs of life for Celtic. Though he dwelt on the ball for too long, he did look interested in the game. Likewise new singing Kamara held up the ball scored and provided some great play in the final third. However, the striker-made-winger only added to Celtics problems on the left wing. Kamara hopelessly had to keep tracking back to sorting out the left back position, the left wing and the inside striker spot. Meanwhile Braafheid was often found sat inside the Celtic box when Kamara was being double teamed. It’s no coincidence that most of Aberdeen’s threat and goals came from attacking our defenceless left wing. Similarly, Mowbray’s insistence on having McGeady cut in forced Paul Caddis to be everywhere down the right. Tactically, our defence was hemmed to deep and too narrow to be able to survive the onslaught from Aberdeen in the final 15 minutes.

Celtics attack performed their job in scoring 4 goals, but our failure on the wings combined with an already shaky central spine was our downfall. Lack of leadership in the team and from the manager, even when crisis is staring us straight in the face and the opposition so meek and weak that Farsley Celtic wouldn’t be troubled to challenge for the top – all the ingredients of a quickly dying and miserable season for Glasgow Celtic. The SPL title is in the hands of a team of pensioners and inexperience youth nobodies. And we sit 10 points behind. Tragic.