Fitba' Focus : Aberdeen, Celtic

Mark McGhee on shoogly peg as Aberdeen prepare the sack

Craig Anderson — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:16:00 GMT

It's been over 27 years since Aberdeen upset the European apple cart and beat Real Madrid to win the European Cup Winners' Cup. Now they're getting beaten 9-0 by one of the Old Firm. You really would love to know what a certain Manchester-based manager makes of it all.

Such has been the Dons' decline over the past three decades that you have to wonder what their most successful manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, thought after their latest SPL catastrophe at Celtic. Bear in mind, this is a man who brought Aberdeen three Premier League titles, four Scottish Cups, a League Cup and a European Super Cup on top of the Cup Winners' Cup success.

Although current manager Mark McGhee was one of Fergie's squad on that 1983 night in Gothenburg, he hasn't won over the Aberdeen support since taking over from Jimmy Calderwood in the summer of 2009 – especially after admitting in a press conference that he would have preferred the then-vacant Celtic post.

Calderwood was sacked despite getting Aberdeen back into Europe in 2007/08 and keeping them there past Christmas. They were eventually knocked out by Bayern Munich, but Calderwood's card had been marked by far more humiliating defeats in the domestic cup competitions, notably to Queen's Park and Queen of the South.

Now they have bigger fish to fry with McGhee incurring the wrath of his understandably furious support after their 9-0 collapse to Celtic. The loss leaves them (ironically) ninth, nine points off third place and just two above the drop zone.

Alone: McGhee surveys the wreckage at Celtic Park

To use a Scottish colloquialism, his jacket is on a shoogly peg. Reports suggest anything less than a home win on Tuesday night against Inverness Caley Thistle – who haven't lost away for year – would see McGhee and assistant Scott Leitch sacked.

While Aberdeen were being torn a new one, Ferguson was celebrating a last-minute win against Wolves at Old Trafford. As fate would have it, it's 24 years ago this week that Sir Alex, or just plain Alex as he was back then, left Pittodrie to replace Ron Atkinson at Old Trafford.

The team he left behind were still very much a force in Scotland with Jim Leighton, Willie Miller, Alex McLeish, McGhee & Co. – regularly getting in amongst the Old Firm (they finished in the top two for each of the first six seasons in the 1980s), reaching cup finals and travelling Europe on a regular basis.

The decline has been a slow painful one. McGhee is the 11th manager since Ferguson headed south, and the second of that 1983 team (after skipper Willie Miller) to try the manager's seat. If anything, the result at Celtic Park will have brought back horrible memories of the Ebbe Skovdahl era, when Celtic would rack up scorelines of 5-0, 6-0 and even 7-0 with unerring ease.

But this is a new low altogether. You're talking about a team that last won the Scottish Cup 20 years ago and only made one final in 17 (a 4-0 pasting by Rangers a decade ago), while their League Cup record shows the last success 15 years ago and again a decade since the last final appearance. Expectation may not be what it once was, but that barren spell is simply unacceptable. Maybe McGhee would agree with that.

McGhee rubs Miller's head on that night in Gothenburg

It's certainly a record that would have been unthinkable in Ferguson's era. But that's not to say that he would still have been successful in Scottish football today, which has changed to a completely unrecognisable level since Sir Alex left.

McGhee has bleated over the last year or so about a lack of finances for squad rebuilding, but he's no different to any other manager in the SPL. The squad he has simply is not good enough and even the youngsters coming through may not be the answer in the long term. That may be doing them a disservice at this early stage of their career, but the Celtic Park massacre should, if anything, force them to grow up.

In the meantime, Sir Alex may have privately offered some support to his former player. McGhee could do with it: the net is closing in on the Dons boss and even the words of his former mentor may not be enough.

Whatever is said off the field - by Ferguson, McGhee, fans or the board - the manager will only be saved by a successful run on the pitch to get them back into contention for third place – starting with Inverness.

Will McGhee's transfer gamble pay off?

Danny Law — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:15:00 GMT

Unless we count Celtic's cherry picking of Anthony Stokes from Hibernian, there was no marquee deadline day transfer signing north of the border that really caught the imagination.

However the bizarre swap of Aberdeen full back Richard Foster for Rangers' Lithuanian misfit Andrius Velicka did raise a few eyebrows, particularly in the Granite City.

At first glance this deal appeared to be a better exchange for Rangers than the Dons - Foster is a decent full back blessed with fantastic pace. He is far from the finished article but can operate effectively on the right or left of defence and can also be trusted to fulfill a tireless man-marking shift in the centre of midfield when required.

On the other hand, the enigmatic Velicka is a striker that has spent far more time on the treatment table than in the penalty box of opponents since moving to Ibrox from Hearts. He undoubtedly possesses a predatory instinct in front of goal - he scored five times in his nine games for Rangers - but he has rarely featured since joining from Tynecastle. He was loaned to Bristol City a year ago but his season lasted only 11 minutes after rupturing his cruciate ligament.

The 31-year-old may turn out to be the man who scores the goals that take the Dons back to Europe or to a cup final but he heads to the Granite City with no guarantees, only question marks over his fitness. But if he can stay free from injury he would be expected to chip in with more than his fair share of goals.

The swap deal has, however, left Mark McGhee with an abundance of strikers at his disposal with summer signings Josh Magennis and Scott Vernon as well as Chris Maguire, Darren Mackie and Michael Paton all joining Velicka in the battle to start in attack.

While the Dons boss may be blessed with several striking options, his defensive cover is more questionable.

It is strange that McGhee allowed Foster and promising youngster Stirling Smith - on loan to Dumbarton - to leave Pittodrie while he was already short of defenders, particularly in the left back position.

The Rangers supporters probably won't be overly excited about the capture of Foster but he may prove to be a useful utility player for Walter Smith over the course of the season. The Dons supporters have a frosty relationship with their Rangers counterparts at the best of times so it will be interesting to see the reception Foster receives when he returns to Pittodrie with his new side later this month.

Elsewhere, Anthony Stokes' transfer from Hibernian to Celtic for a fee somewhere in the region of £1.2 million should be a good bit of business for both sides. The Irishman has a proven goalscoring record in the SPL, hitting the net 23 times for Hibs last term and netting 15 in 17 during his time at Falkirk. The money will also be a welcome boost for the Easter Road side in these perilous financial times.

Many Scottish football fans bemoan the Old Firm for 'stealing' their best players but, just as it is always better to gamble amongst your friends, it can only help football north of the border if that sort of money is spent within these shores rather than handed to foreign clubs from continental Europe.

Meanwhile, Scott Severin could prove a shrewd acquisition for Peter Houston's Dundee United. The Arabs have been leaking goals this term, including four to newly promoted Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and Severin's experience could help stem the tide.

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Celtic seal second as Rangers make it two in a row

Danny Law — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:26:00 GMT

The title race may have been over as a contest weeks ago, but Rangers completed the formalities of winning the championship with a 1-0 win over Hibernian on Sunday.

The much-maligned figure of Kyle Lafferty – criticised by a section of his own support for his failure to deliver after coming to Ibrox for a hefty price, and derided by opposition supporters for his ability to embellish a tumble – was the unlikely hero, scoring the only goal of the game to clinch the Scottish Premier League trophy.

Rangers manager Walter Smith must have enjoyed his ninth title win as much as any previous championship successes. With the club facing financial constraints amid the uncertainty search for a successor to owner David Murray, Smith has had to yield the absolute maximum from a small band of players. Indeed, Smith hasn't bought a player since signing Maurice Edu from Toronto in August 2008.

The lack of a challenge from struggling rivals Celtic may have made Rangers' 53rd title win appear one of their easier triumphs, but the backdrop to this success should make it all the sweeter for fans.

Smith and his backroom staff have been working without contracts since January and it's unclear whether the 62-year-old will be at the helm to defend the title next term. That will depend on the direction the club's next owner wants to take the club – but few managers would have been able to achieve as much as Smith did this term with such limited resources.

Earlier in the day, Celtic had temporarily postponed Rangers' title party with a 2-0 win over Dundee United at Tannadice. A Diomansy Kamara strike and a Robbie Keane penalty gave the Hoops victory in an ill-tempered match that saw United substitute Jennison Myrie-Williams sent-off for a second bookable offence.

It was Celtic's fifth league win in a row under caretaker boss Neil Lennon and ensured the Hoops would finish in the second and final Champions League spot.

At the opposite end of the table, a second-half Andy Dorman header was enough to give St Mirren a massive victory over Kilmarnock in a tense relegation battle. Gus MacPherson's men now enjoy a four-point cushion over bottom side Falkirk, who went down 1-0 at home to Hamilton Accies.

The Bairns, one point behind Killie, look favourites for relegation – although not according to boss Steven Pressley. In an extraordinary post-match press conference, a defiant Pressley took only one minute to tell a startled gathering of reporters his side would beat the dreaded drop.

“There's no way while I'm the manager of this team that we'll go under,” he roared, banging the table in front of him. “There's such a burning desire there and we'll pick ourselves up next week.” And with another bang on the table for good measure, the Falkirk manager stormed out of the press room.

Elsewhere, Aberdeen were denied a win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park when Andy Jackson netted in the final minute to cancel out Steve MacLean's opener.

Craig Brown's Motherwell moved into fourth position with a 2-0 win away at Hearts with goals from Steven Saunders and John Sutton. The Steelmen will do well to retain the services of Jim O'Brien, out of contract in the summer, after the talented Irish winger turned in another impressive display.

Scottish Football League Round Up

Inverness Caledonian Thistle celebrated their promotion to the Scottish Premier League in style with a 7-0 trouncing of Ayr United. Terry Butcher's side are undefeated in 20 matches, while Ayr are now precariously placed a point above bottom-dwellers Airdie United, who drew 2-2 with Queen of the South.

Ross County's poor form since their famous Scottish Cup semi-final victory over Celtic continued as they went down 2-1 at home to Partick Thistle. The Highlanders have failed to win any of their three away games since their Hampden triumph.

Stirling Albion seized the initiative in the Second Division with a 1-0 win over relegated Clyde as Alloa Athletic dropped into second place following a 2-0 defeat at Peterhead – their third loss on the trot.

In the Third Division champions Livingston put five past lowly Montrose, while Queen's Park suffered a blow to their hopes of reaching the play-offs as they went down 1-0 to Elgin City.

It's been a good week for... Walter Smith. The Rangers manager celebrated back-to-back titles this weekend but will he still be at Ibrox to lead the challenge for three-in-a-row?

It's been a bad week for... Steven Pressley. Elvis must be feeling the pressure as his side sit bottom of the SPL with only three games left to play.

Tensions rise as relegation fears mount

Danny Law — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:12:00 GMT

The enormous stress suffered by those trying to guide a club to Scottish Premier League safety is beginning to show on Messrs Pressley, MacPherson and Calderwood.

Aberdeen's dramatic descent down the table had left them facing the gloomy prospect of relegation for the first time in their 107-year history but Mark McGhee's men have virtually guaranteed their own survival by grinding out a 1-0 win over Falkirk at the weekend.

Bairns boss Steven Pressley was clearly irked after losing a game of such magnitude with his side rooted to the bottom of the table one point behind Killie and the Buddies.

Elvis, as he is known, was all shook up in the post-match press conference, lambasting Aberdeen for their “spoiling tactics” during a tense, scrappy 90 minutes.

“Aberdeen scored early on and proceeded to spoil the game and waste time at every opportunity,” he moaned. The Falkirk boss will, however, have taken some solace from the fact his team's relegation rivals also dropped points.

Gus MacPherson, the St Mirren manager, was left fuming after seeing his side throw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with St Johnstone.

Referee Charlie Richmond won't be appearing on MacPherson's Christmas card list this year after awarding the Perth side a controversial penalty in injury time, coolly converted by Paul Sheerin.

Kilmarnock manager Jimmy Calderwood will also be enduring a few sleepless nights as his players continue to be plagued by their lack of firepower in attack as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat against Hamilton.

The Ayrshire side have won once in their last ten matches and need to discover some form in their four remaining matches if they are going to avoid the drop.

The game of the weekend saw Celtic comeback from 2-1 down to defeat Hibernian thanks to late strikes from Marc-Antoine Fortune and Morten Rasmussen.

The win for Neil Lennon's side denied Rangers the chance to wrap up the title during Sunday's visit of Hearts. The Gers ran out 2-0 victors thanks to a Kyle Lafferty header and a Kenny Miller penalty. Walter Smith's men can now secure the title if they beat Hibernian next Sunday – or without kicking a ball should Celtic fail to beat Dundee United earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, United booked their place in next season's Europa League with a 3-2 victory over Motherwell on the bobbly Fir Park pitch.

The Tangerines could still overtake Celtic to finish second and earn an even more lucrative Champions League spot but with an inferior goal difference and a seven-point gap it would take a massive collapse by the Hoops for this to happen.

Scottish Football League Round Up

Inverness Caledonian Thistle all but sealed the First Division title with a 2-0 home win over Dunfermline.

The Highlanders are nine points ahead of Dundee who have three games left to play and an inferior goal difference.

Terry Butcher's men should confirm their return to the top flight next Saturday when they travel to Ayr United and in so doing will become the first club in 11 seasons to win promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt.

In the Second Division, Willie Sawyers scored the fastest goal in British football this season as he took only nine seconds to open the scoring for Clyde as they went on to beat Peterhead 3-1.

Stirling Albion appear to have found form at the right time with a 3-1 defeat of Stenhousemuir as leaders Alloa suffered a second successive home defeat at the hands of Dumbarton.

Livingston were finally crowned Third Division champions thanks to a goalless draw with Berwick. Roddy McKenzie's late penalty save ensured the Almondvale side would not spurn a third opportunity to wrap up the title.

It's been a good week for... Steven MacLean. The on-loan Plymouth Argyle striker has failed to live up to expectations since joining Aberdeen but his winner against Falkirk should ensure the Dons remain in the top flight.

It's been a bad week for... Michael Fraser. The Motherwell goalkeeper made two blunders as his side went down 3-2 to Dundee United, although his efforts weren't helped by his club's patchy pitch.

Aberdeen's top six dreams dashed by a familiar face

Danny Law — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:31:00 GMT

In football, fate often grants players and managers the opportunity to get one over their former employer.

Kilmarnock boss Jimmy Calderwood took full advantage of such an occasion by ending Aberdeen's slim hopes of reaching the top six.

Although Calderwood, who guided the Dons to the top six for five years in succession, will never publicly say so, his side's 2-0 victory must have brought a certain sense of satisfaction following his dismissal from Pittodrie last summer.

The Dons travelled to Rugby Park on Sunday knowing they required three wins to give themselves a faint chance of pipping St Johnstone and Hearts for the final place in the top half of the Scottish Premier League.

Yet there would be no three wins in a row. There wouldn't even be one. Davide Grassi, a defender who has a CV containing references from Parma and Espanyol, has struggled to acclimatise himself to this more honest and traditional footballing land.

When the Italian defender prodded the ball past his own goalkeeper after 25 minutes there would be no way back for Aberdeen, Allan Russell's looping header in the second half merely adding insult to injury.

This is a season that has never really started for Aberdeen and Mark McGhee, and they will be glad to see the back of it at Pittodrie, where there will be plenty of comings and goings during the summer.

Kilmarnock's win was bad news for bottom side Falkirk, who themselves picked up a rare victory over Motherwell.

St Mirren could have given themselves a bit of breathing space at the wrong end of the table after being one-up against Hearts but a second half strike by Maurius Zaliukas meant Gus MacPherson's side had to settle for one point rather than three.

Further up the table there were yet more refereeing controversies at Ibrox. It was the faithful of Hamilton Accies' turn to sample the grievances felt earlier this season by the supporters of Celtic and Dundee United, amongst others, at a decision going against them at the home of champions-elect Rangers.

Billy Reid's side thought they had earned a deserved share of the points when, already one down to a Maurice Edu goal, James McArthur slotted the ball home with 12 minutes remaining only for the strike to be contentiously chalked off for offside.

In Edinburgh, Celtic's caretaker boss Neil Lennon got his second win in a row thanks to Robbie Keane's 12th goal in 12 games that gave the Hoops a 1-0 win over Hibernian.

But forget about overturning Rangers' 10-point lead at the top of the table. Lennon's real mandate between now and the end of the season looks likely to be preventing Dundee United overtaking the Celts for the potentially lucrative second Champions League spot.

Peter Houston's men are now only five points behind Lennon's charges after beating St Johnstone 1-0 on Monday evening. Both sides have six games remaining and you wouldn't rule out United catching Celtic if they can continue their recent form.

Scottish Football League Round Up

A spectacular late overhead kick from Richie Foran gave Inverness Caledonian Thistle a battling 4-3 win over Raith Rovers.

In a few weeks' time this moment of brilliance from the Irishman may prove to have given Terry Butcher's side the impetus to claim the First Division title and promotion back to Scotland's top tier.

Dundee, however, remain in hot pursuit thanks to a 3-0 victory over Ayr United while Ross County, who defeated Dunfermline 2-1, could still make a late charge for the title if they manage to win their three games in hand.

Alloa Athletic defeated East Fife to remain top of the Second Division but Stirling Albion's promotion push was dealt a blow with a 2-1 home defeat to Dumbarton.

And in the Third Division, Livingston missed out on the opportunity to wrap up the title as they lost 2-0 to Annan Athletic.

It's been a good week for... Peter Houston. The United manager has done a superb job since Craig Levein's departure with his side now unbeaten in eight matches.

It's been a bad week for... Mark McGhee. The Dons will be scrapping for survival in the bottom six as their poor season continues.

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Lennon galvanises Hoops but Gers win again

Danny Law — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:24:00 GMT

The end of Tony Mowbray's brief and unsuccessful era at Celtic arguably began with a 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at the start of last month.

Robbie Keane was making his début for the Hoops following his loan move to his boyhood idols and the elated Celtic support began to believe that with the Republic of Ireland star in their ranks they could catch league leaders Rangers.

However such hope was short-lived with the match ending in disappointment for Keane and the Celtic faithful as another on-loan débutant Chris Maguire scored the only goal of the match for Kilmarnock to further dent the title aspirations of Mowbray's side.

With Mowbray handed his jotters following the crushing 4-0 midweek defeat to St Mirren, it seemed apt that Killie would provide the opposition for interim manager Neil Lennon in his first game in charge of the Hoops.

This time Keane's presence would not be overshadowed as the striker netted his 10th and 11th goals in 11 games to lead his side to victory. Scott Brown added a third before Craig Bryson grabbed a late and meaningless consolation for the Ayrshire outfit.

The Celts appeared galvanised by Lennon's presence in the dug-out, with his Killie counterpart Jimmy Calderwood admitting afterwards that he felt his side were “lucky to get away with 3-1.” However next week's trip to Easter Road to face Hibernian will prove a much sterner challenge for the inexperienced Celtic manager.

"Oi! Over there!"

Elsewhere, Rangers were out to rubbish the accusations that they play defensive, negative football with an all-out attacking display as they ran out 4-1 winners over Hearts. Steven Naismith continued his recent run of good form by scoring twice for the Gers, who remain 10 points ahead with two games in hand.

The performance of the day, however, could be credited to Peter Houston's Dundee United. Despite being reduced to 10 men after only 16 minutes when full-back Paul Dixon saw red, United scored three without reply against a Motherwell defence that had been breached only three times in their previous 11 matches.

Hibernian recovered from their midweek Scottish Cup exit to Ross County by running out 3-1 victors over bottom side Falkirk, while Aberdeen clung onto their faint hopes of reaching the top six with their first win in 12 matches against a jaded St Mirren.

Hamilton Accies, meanwhile, took a gigantic step towards SPL safety with a 1-0 win over St Johnstone thanks to James Wesolowski's strike to move Billy Reid's men 11 points clear of Falkirk.

Scottish Football League Round Up
Inverness Caledonian Thistle claimed top spot in the First Division with a fine 1-0 win over Partick Thistle. Ross County did their Highland neighbours a favour by scoring a late equaliser against Dundee, who are now a point behind Terry Butcher's pacesetters.

Stirling Albion got themselves back into the Second Division promotion race by handing Cowdenbeath their first defeat in eight games. League leaders Alloa Athletic also stumbled at Gayfield Park with a goalless draw against Arbroath.

Livingston's march towards the Third Division title continued with a 1-0 win over Queen's Park. The Livi Lions only need six points from their remaining eight matches to secure the title.

It's been a good week for... Terry Butcher. Not so long ago it looked like nobody could catch Dundee in the First Division title race but Inverness have toppled the Dens Park side as the league draws to an exciting climax.

It's been a bad week for... Tony Mowbray, obviously. A disastrous 4-0 defeat to St Mirren ended Mowbray's time in charge at Celtic Park and it is now up to interim boss Neil Lennon to rouse the Hoops.

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