Celtic 3-1 St Mirren: A step in the right direction?

After the misery of the post-Tannadice week it was a great bonus to go into today's match on the back of Rangers losing to ten man Aberdeen.

The Celtic performance was again patchy but did have it's highlights, which mainly centred around the contribution of Aiden McGeady.

Playing on the right this week McGeady never shied away from the ball although he was hardly swamped with options when he won possession.

The third goal was scored by Scott McDonald but was made by McGeady's driving run down the right and forceful cross which was met perfectly by McDonald to shake off any notions of a St Mirren comeback.

McDonald should have made it four with a late penalty but didn't seem too downbeat afterwards as he discussed the match although missing a penalty did take the shine off his day.

Talk of rifts, fall-outs and a lack of unity behind the scenes seemed unlikely as McDonald openly discussed the match and the current form of both Celtic and Rangers.

Drinking from the half-full glass he was relieved that despite the troubled start to the season Celtic were sitting at the top of the table.

The striker said: "Consistency is the key in this league. There is none of that going on.

"Ourselves and Rangers keeping giving each other a lifeline. It's us one week and them the next. One club is in turmoil one week and then it is the other.

"If we had had a good run in the league then by now we would be away from the rest."

Building on today's win and putting together a consistent winning run is the target now for Celtic if they are to progress, take control in the title race and help to build confidence amongst players who have taken a verbal and on-line kicking in recent months.

The first half hour was nervy and a patchy showing from a team short on confidence in front of supporters understandably short on patience.

There were periods when the discontent from the stands could be felt as passes went astray and players aimlessly passed the ball around the back without any real purpose or intent.

Two great moves in the period before half-time allowed McDonald, assisted by Chris Innes, and Georgios Samaras to put Celtic ahead but the relief of those goals was almost wiped out by a goal from Michael Higdon which wouldn't have done much for the half time team-talk.

Celtic started the second-half confidently with the third goal giving them some breathing space and allowing Marco Fortune to come off the bench for Samaras.

Some of the football played was impressive, McGeady and Andreas Hinkel linked well down the right, while McDonald worked hard without any luck and Fortune looked lively and keen to get involved.

The £2.5-3.8m striker did have his chances but failed to find the net with two decent chances, one skied over the bar and the other an angled shot that flew across goal and wide of the post.

Danny Fox had a great shot blocked by St Mirren 'keeper Paul Gallacher who then blocked a poor McDonald penalty and the rebound to keep the score respectable.

There will be a feeling of relief amongst the players about today's win, coupled with Rangers defeat it should give the whole club an easier time of it in the week ahead.

Beating Hapoel Tel Aviv on Wednesday is unlikely to retain the teams interest in the Europa League but it will bring a little bit of momentum which hopefully can be carried into the Aberdeen match next Saturday.

McDonald's post-match demeanour would suggest that behind the scenes things aren't anywhere near as troubled as some folk would suggest.

Two more wins over the next week and we might start looking forward to the matches again and go into the away games at Motherwell and Hearts with some confidence.

University Challenge for u19s

Celtic's youth side travel to St Andrews University to face Dundee United with the game kicking off at 1pm.

Despite the postponement of last Saturday's game against Falkirk at Stirling University the young hoops are still out in front at the top of the league.

Dundee United are in third place, three points behind Celtic, with a game more played.

I'll get details on the match and post them later today, hopefully with the first team and 19s both sitting at the top of the league.

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David Murray speaks out: No interest in Rangers

Sir David Murray has broken a three month silence to admit what most people were aware of- No one is in the 'race' to buy Rangers.

After twenty years soaking up the attention and publicity it must be torture for Murray to find so much speculation about the crown jewels of his troubled empire.

Asked directly about speculation and bids from prospective buyers, Murray said firmly, "No – none", and that there was "no substance" to recent speculation.

Saturday's Scotsman has a taster for the full interview in Scotland on Sunday.

The constant Dave King speculation is revealed as without substance the mysterious 'Florida-based billionaire' has really upset Murray's ego.

Speaking to The Scotsman, about the mystery man revealed by their rivals The Herald Murray said: "When the speculation got mischievous was when people started talking about mysterious Florida millionaires. It was unbelievable."

Whether it was by choice or under orders the last three months have clearly angered Murray.

Initial speculation about buyers has died down with only an unlikely 'supporters buy-out' the only option on the table although that has as little substance as the other 'proposals'.

For whatever reason that he's been banished to the sidelines the old Murray fight and attitude hasn't been dulled.

While suggesting that the appointment of Donald Muir from Lloyds was his own idea the former Rangers chairman is clearly angry that other clubs in debt aren't getting the same treatment as Rangers

Murray added: "I find it amazing that a football club like Ipswich can have a greater debt than Rangers and it doesn't appear on the radar. Preston lost £10 million."

The former Rangers chairman is still very much alive and kicking, the five weeks till the January transfer window opens will decide whether or not there is any substance to today's claims.

Scotsman article

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Sutton faces hoops telly test

Chris Sutton faces the toughest test of his brief managerial reign when the ITV cameras take in tomorrow's Northwich Victoria-Lincoln City FA Cup tie.

Despite their league status it looks like a tough assignemt for Sutton against the green and white hoops of Northwich who knocked out Charlton Athletic in the last round.

Sutton's side have been devastated by injuries with ten players missing from his squad due to injuries and the unavailability of loan signings.

Former Rangers reserve Brian Gilmour has been signed after being released by FC Haka of Finland and is likely to make his debut at Northwich.

Sutton said: “It goes without saying that our preparation has been less than ideal but we have to deal with it.

“We've struggled in the last few games, especially in front of goals and everyone can see that. The final pass and decision making isn't quite there.

“We're trying our best to to try and help the players and hopefully in January we'll be able to do something to change that.

“Everyone is aware of how difficult a match it will be at Northwich, we know that they are a decent side and might look on themselves as favourites for the match.”

Despite winning his first two games in charge Lincoln are fourth from bottom of the basement division and just five points above relegation.

Pushing up the league is clearly the priority for Sutton but a place in the third round of the FA Cup and the chance to play against a Premiership side and generate some cash for the January transfer window.

Elsewhere in the FA Cup tomorrow Norwich travel to face Carlisle for a place in the third round while Simon Ferry will be in the Swindon team that travels to face non-league Wrexham.

Cup joy for McStay and Ujpest

A second half goal from Gyorgy Sandor gave Ujpest Dozsa a 1-0 win over Videoton tonight to give Willie McStay's side a 2-0 aggregate over the league leaders and a place in the semi-finals of the Hungarian Cup.

The game was predictably tight between the top two sides in Hungary this season with Ujpest defending a 1-0 lead from the first leg which was under threat of abandonment due to fog.

"It was a great performance and very satisfying," said McStay. "It's pleasing to close down for the break on a real high by beating the league leaders.

"We played a controlled game and were never under any real threat. Having a one goal lead from the first leg can leave you in two minds about how to approach the game but we kept it tight, controlled the pace and always seemed the most likely to win.

"It was a great goal from Gyorgy, he struck it from 22 yards out and the Videoton keeper never really stood a chance of stopping it.

"Reaching the semi-finals of the cup is a big achievement, we've just beaten the league leaders home and away so no one can take anything away from us.

DELIGHTED

"Everyone at the club is delighted, we're stopping for the break on a high. We've got a long break when a lot can happen but hopefully we can pick things up again and make a real challenge for honours."

Videoton had won 1-0 at Ujpest on November 9 with those points allowing them to go into the break with a four point cushion at the top of the table.but were unable to repeat that with Sandor's goal in the 74th minute putting the tie beyond the league leaders.

The Ujpest end of year party on Friday night should be lively with the club well in contention for two trophies when the season resumes in February with the club hoping to arrange a couple of games in Scotland during January.

McStay will return to Scotland at the weekend and will enjoy a six week break with his family before returning to Hungary to prepare for the second half of the campaign.

He added: "I'm looking forward to the break and a couple of the players will be travelling over to spend some time training with Celtic.

WINDOW

"I'll have time to think about the second half of the season. With the winter break and a transfer window a lot can happen.

"Debeceren have got the best part of £10m from the Champions League and their manager won't be wanting the money tucked away in the bank.

"Ideally I'd like to bring in two or three quality players to strengthen the squad but I know that there is bound to be some interest and offers for our players.

SQUAD

"We've got one of the smallest squads in the league but out first XI is as good as any as they have shown.

"There's a group of 13 or 14 players that we've worked with and luckily we haven't had many injuries although Mark Millar missed the last month with a hamstring injury.

"I'd expect Videoton, MTK Budapest, Ferencvaros, Gyor and Debeceren to strengthen during the winter break and hopefully we'll also be able to bring in some players.

"I've enjoyed being back involved in front line management, there's a lot involved in managing, you need some luck as well as whatever ability and ideas that you have.

"There's a big challenge for the club in the new year but right now everyone deserves a break and then we can come back stronger and refreshed in February."

The streaming challenge offered to Celtic

Getting away from whether or not it's enjoyable watching Celtic at the moment there is a large gap in the Celtic media experience.

For a few seasons we were able to lap up Celtic TV, despite all those re-runs of games against St Johnstone- but not the game against St Johnstone- it was a fantastic service with former players joining The Huddle on a daily basis and a number of great shows put together.

All areas of the club were covered past and present with a favourite of mine but never likely to be a commercial smash-hit being an hour long interview with Pat Stanton taking us back to the double winning 76/77 season and looking at how Stanton joined Celtic then retired through injury.

Lisbon naturally was covered in great depth, there is no shortage of material and when you get a few Lions around for a blether it's always worth listening to.

Complementing Celtic TV was the regular Setanta shows with a healthy bias towards Scottish football giving us all the previews and features that we could ask for even if some of the presenters were trying too hard to become characters and controversial.

VOID

Post Setanta there is a large void in the Celtic viewing experience, no longer can we give opinions on reserve players because as well as the demise of Setanta the Reserve League has become a casualty, depriving us of a monthly mazy solo goal from Paddy McCourt to walk away with the goal of the month award.

In it's place we find the SPL getting a similar level of prominence as League One with Sky Sports and ESPN concentrating their energy and resources on the golden goose that is THE PREMIERSHIP.

There has been a few snippets here and there about changes afoot at Celtic to increase communications within the club which looks mainly like providing an extended Chanel 67 coverage which currently allows those outwith the UK and Ireland to watch matches live online.

This service receives mixed responses from the North American Celts, the quality can be variable but at least the club is attempting to provide a service where there is a demand.

VOICE

Providing those closer to home with a daily 'streaming' schedule to keep on the ball with things happening at the club must surely be a priority, hearing from those employed by the club and giving supporters and former players a voice is clearly desirable.

Establishing a quality on-line service will allow the club to work around the limitations of television broadcasting and reduce overheads and breakeven points.

Further down the line, and not too far down the line, is the possibility and potential to stream matches live online.

Clearly this is a very delicate area but already the English FA have moved into the field as did the Ukrainian FA with their decision to sell live television rights for their recent World Cup qualifier against England to an online provider.

That experiment seemed to work well with all parties keen to test the ice with online streaming.

CREDIBLE

With the loss of Setanta to the FA Cup package the FA have elected to screen live matches on their website with the first match, Oldham v Leeds United, attracting a very credible 176,000 online audience watching free on the FA website.

The BBC and ESPN are both in negotiations with the FA to pick up on the Setanta contract but with neither company able to negotiate a deal, that doesn't upset the main broadcaster ITV, the FA are playing it round by round with the online experiment continuing on Saturday when Carlisle United host Norwich City with a 5.15 kick off.

Both clubs will be paid by the FA for the live coverage with the test of resolve coming at the third round stage which is traditionally one of the highlights of the English season despite the lack of interest from some Premiership clubs.

DEDICATED

Streaming matches for free online can attract a massive audience which with some simple registration process can open up a fantastic dedicated market for the football business to develop.

Clearly the FA are impressed with the quality and feedback that they got from the Oldham-Leeds match and will be looking closely at the figures for the Carlisle match this weekend.

Ian Watmore, Chief Executive of the FA said: "We have been absolutely thrilled with the viewer reaction and user numbers for the games we have streamed live to date.

"This has proved that there is a growing online audience eager to see live football for free on the internet that is in addition to and complementary to the live games featured with our broadcast partner, ITV."

For almost a decade we've heard various proposals for Celtic to escape from Scotland with the goal being to tap into the latent support that the club carries throughout the British Isles and beyond.

SUBSTANTIAL

Establishing a quality online service to initially cover costs would pave the way for a greater more substantial service which should become a money spinner without the current dependency on traditional broadcasting methods.

Almost every net user has tuned in to a stream of some sort to watch a match, the results are mixed with strange foreign commentators, lots of buffering and matches that can be running way behind radio commentary.

The music industry has had a horrendous time dealing with online evolution, if football, and more importantly Celtic, take a hands on role and lead rather than follow the club could finally begin to open up directly to the dedicated markets that the club has to reach to develop as they wish.

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Feel free to add your comments and thoughts to the online debate

McStay looking to sign off in style at Ujpest

Ujpest Dozsa closed the first half of the league campaign on Saturday with a hard fought 2-1 win away to Budapest rivals Vasas.

Manager Willie McStay was far from happy with his side's performance but was relieved to collect all three points as he prepares to return to Scotland for the winter break.

He said: "It was a patchy performance in a difficult match, I look for a higher level of performance but we were happy to take the points from Saturday.

"There was two sendings off and the game never settled down. The points are important and mean that we're four points off Videoton when the reason resumes in February.

"We're in a good position in the league and I'm reasonably happy with how things have gone.

"The target was to be in the top three at this stage, now on Wednesday we have the chance to reach the semi-finals of the Hungarian Cup.

ADVANTAGE

"Videoton will be anxious for a result as well but we won have a one goal lead from the first leg and want to make home advantage count.

"Winning a trophy would be a fantastic achievement and something that everyone is focused on."

Budapest will be the centre of attention tomorrow night with Liverpool facing their departure from the Champions League.

A win over Debeceren is essential for Rafael Benitez's side a win for Fiorentina over Lyon would see Liverpool out before the knock-out stage.

McStay helped Ujpest to a 2-1 win away to Debrecen last month and expects Liverpool to be too strong for the Hungarian champions.

PROBLEMS

The Ujpest boss added: "Playing in the Champions League has taken a lot out of Debrecen, even with Liverpools problems I think that they'll be too strong.

"The game will be played in Budapest at the national stadium and that will suit Liverpool, it's a great surface and will allow them to pass the ball around.

"If the game had been at Debrecen it would have been much tighter but I'd expect Liverpool to come out on top."

Evening Herald report on Dundee United-Celtic match

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Neilly Mochan legacy- Paul Sludden

Paul Sludden (far left) won't be a name familiar to many Celtic supporters but the on-loan East Fife striker has a bloodline that goes through the clubs greatest days.

Paul's dad John (left) was a great scorer through the eighties with St Johnstone and Ayr United but his great-uncle, Neilly Mochan, has a unique place in Celtic history.

As a player and coach Mochan was at the heart of the clubs greatest successes, the 1953 Coronation Cup win, the 7-1 match and of course the 1967 European Cup win.

Mochan hadn't even played at Celtic Park when he scored against Manchester United in the semi-final of the Coronation Cup then again in the final when Celtic beat Hibs 2-0 at Hampden.

Four years later Mochan was scoring again at Hampden with two goals in the 7-1 match before the long barren years were gloriously ended with the return of Jock Stein in 1965.

As Celtic won the big cup in Lisbon Mochan had the title of 'trainer' which involved a coaching/training role alongside Jock Stein as well as applying the magic sponge before trainers became physios.

Striker Paul is on the books of Falkirk but with the demise of the SPL Reserve League he has been sent out on loan to Second Division East Fife where he is making a big impression.

After helping his team to a 3-1 win away to Clyde, East Fife assistant manager Scott Crabbe said: "Our front two, McManus and Sludden, are a real handful and they gave Clyde a hard time today."

McManus added: "Paul has done brilliant in the last couple of games. He could be a real talent because he is so keen to learn and his link-up play is excellent.

"I'd like to see him get his first goal because his hard work deserves it."

Paul's career will be in good hands with his dad still involved in coaching at Celtic.

John Sludden's timing at Celtic wasn't the best with the first-team places being taken by Charlie Nicholas, George McCluskey and Danny Crainie but he did carve out a good career and is well remembered by supporters of Ayr Utd and St Johnstone.