The smile is back at Celtic?

The smile and enjoyment came back to Celtic Park this afternoon, it's been a while since the supporters have enjoyed themselves so much, perhaps the recent trials and disappointments added to todays pleasure.

There was more than just the magic of Aiden McGeady about the performance with the 3-0 scoreline against 10 man Aberdeen not doing the team justice.

A flicker of confidence ran through the side, when Landry N'Guemo crashed through three challenges to smack his shot off the woodwork there was a special sense of excitement around the stadium.

Against St Mirren and Hapoel there had been flickers of style but they had quickly died out replaced by fear and trepidation- today, without getting carried away there were sustained spells of good pressing passing football that had the Aberdeen defence in trouble.

JUGULAR

Tippy-tappy football, passing and possession away from the last third of the park may be pleasing on the eye and excite neutrals but when a team is going for the jugular as Celtic did today the football carries an edge.

Almost every outfield player had a chance to score, both strikers found the net and almost as importantly the defence kept a clean sheet with Artur Boruc given a quiet return to first-team action.

Both full-backs had chances at goal, Danny Fox with a Roy Aiteken like first half charge and shot that was well saved then a late Sebo like effort from Abdreas Hinkel.

My only criticism was that they all seemed to want to take a touch on the ball before shooting, no-one was prepared or interested in doing things first time.

The goals were pretty special, the first being a brilliant probing pass from Marc Crosas that found Hinkel acting like a right winger with Scott McDonald burying the German's pass across goal in the 38th minute.

ARCHITECT

Six minutes into the second half McGeady was the architect with a perfectly flighted cross onto the head of Samaras that was bulleted past Jamie Langfield from eight yards out.

Aberdeen were losing their discipline with Jerel Iilfel perhaps a little unfortunate to be red-carded for a follow-through on Samaras that caught the linesman's attention, most players like to inflict some damage once a free-kick has been given, Iifel's follow through on Samaras was a bit too enthusiastic.

World Cup bound Samaras completed the scoring in the 75th minute when he finally put the ball in the net from another McGeady pass although a simple first time lob looked easier with Langfield stranded.

Predictably Tony Mowbray wasn't getting carried away by the win, he's been through a lot recently and wasn't going to start shouting the odds about his team's performance.

PERFORMANCE

He said: "At Celtic Park, we've got to be confident, and generally we are. Even through the periods where the results weren't going, that's why I say regardless of dropping points, the performance of the team was very high.

"We tried to control the game from the off, and generally did that - but Aberdeen made it hard for us, starting with five at the back.

"But we managed to get he breakthrough and got there in the end. Aberdeen have some very young and talented players, but we managed to get on top of them, which is important because they have a lot of legs and enthusiasm.

"Thankfully for us, we managed to use the quality we've got to keep the ball off them for long spells."

With Motherwell and Hearts to be faced away in the next fortnight no-one at Celtic will be crowing about turning corners just yet.

However, after the dejection of throwing away three points to Dundee United the team has shown some character and style to bounce back with three wins, keeping that run going as long as possible will only add to the players confidence.

Team: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, Loovens, Fox; Robson, N'Guemo, Crosas, McGeady (McGinn); Samaras (Zhi) McDonald (Fortune)

Youth's prepare for (Brora) Rangers test.

Celtic's u-19 side face Brora Rangers on Sunday in the SFA Youth Cup, kick-off 1pm at Lennoxtown.

After a 4-1 win away to Threave Rovers in the last round Stevie Frail's side will be confident of progress against their Highland League opponents.

Last Saturday the young hoops lost their unbeaten record in the SPL when they lost 2-1 to Dundee United at St Andrews University.

Celtic haven't won the SFA Youth Cup since 2006 when they defeated Hearts to win the trophy with Darren O'Dea, Simon Ferry, Charlie Grant and Scott Cuthbert in the side.

I spoke briefly to Grant before the Hapoel game and he seemed to be in good spirits and hopeful of picking up his career soon and is currently in full training.

'Growing problems' have halted his progress since the summer of 2006 but hopefully they are coming to an end and he'll be given the chance to resume his career.

As a red headed central midfielder the comparisons to Neil Lennon were obvious with Grant but was more of an attacking box-to-box midfielder than our former captain.

The SFA website has added match details on the Youth Cup going back to 1983/84 when Peter Grant captained Celtic to a 2-0 win over Rangers.

If the site can include team-lines as well as results it will become a haven for stattos!

Defender Korcsmar flies in for Celtic trial

Willie McStay is resigned to losing defender Zsolt Korcsmar as the 20-year-old prepares to fly into Glasgow tomorrow.

The Ujpest Dozsa defender spent the first part of the week training with Feyenoord and will now be watched closely by Tony Mowbray and his coaching staff.

Korcsmar has been an important part of Ujpest's success this season but McStay is realistic enough to realise that it's unlikely that he will be able to hold on to the defender.

The Ujpest boss said: "I don't want to lose Korcsmar but if he is going to go I'd rather he went to Celtic than anywhere else.

"Celtic have been monitoring his progress since August and now with the winter break in Hungary they can take a closer look at him.

"It's upto Celtic to decide if they need that type of player. He was the captain of the u-20 international side that has just finished third at the World Cup.

"He played against Italy in an u-21 European Championship qualifier two weeks ago and he played really well in a 2-0 win.

"Firstly he is a defender but he is talented and uses the ball well. He can play in centre midfield or at the back, he's comfortable on the ball and is being watched by a few clubs.

TOUTING

"We aren't touting him around any other clubs, people know what he can do. I'm desperate to keep my players at Ujpest but like any club we live in the real world and know that there is interest in the players.

"Any other interested clubs know how to contact us if they want our players."

Korscmar won't be without company at Lennoxtown with three other young Ujpest players already being watched by Celtic.

Matyas Magos, Daniel Kovacs and Krisztian Simon are less likely to be in contention for first team football but are the best of the young players emerging at Ujpest.

McStay added: "Myself and Joe (McBride) have been happy with the results but also with the way that the players are developing.

"Gyorgy Sandor has become a full international and other players are making progress into the under-age international squads

"I'm pleased to see players develop and making their way into the international side.

"Spending some time with Celtic can only help the players development, if they do get transferred I hope that I'll be given the money to reinvest in the team for the second part of the season."

EVENING HERALD report on Celtic-Hapoel

Honeymoon over for Strachan at 'Boro?

After a month in charge at Middlesbrough, without a win, it seems that the problems and issues that dogged Gordon Strachan at Celtic have followed him to Teeside.

For a team with just three married men in their squad the end of the honeymoon is an inappropriate term to use but there doesn't seem much evidence of love-in's going on around the Riverside Stadium as new relationships develop.

Reading through an opinion piece in the Daily Mail the writer seemed to identify and highlight a number of issues which will be very familiar to most Celtic fans.

Touching on the problems of finding the right combination of strikers to put the ball in the net through inconsistent team selections and onto his contempt for media duties it reads like deja vu from the moans and groans of Celtic supporters over the last few years.

Throw in a fall-out with the teams most creative player, in this case Adam Johnson, and it seems that football at the Riverside isn't much fun at the moment.

PROMOTION
Without a win in the four games that Strachan has been in charge for 'Boro travel to face QPR at the weekend with their hopes of automatic promotion fading fast.

The appointment of a new manager is supposed to give a team a lift but it seems that Strachan has had a negative effect on the squad at the Riverside Stadium with his approach and attitude rubbing people up the wrong way.

Gareth Southgate managed to survive relegation last season and had the club in a decent position when he was axed although a three consecutive home defeats, including a 5-0 hammering from West Brom had attendances plummeting.

"The form of Adam Johnson since Southgate's departure and the appointment of Strachan should already set the alarm bells ringing," sounds a little familiar as we approach the first anniversary of the spectacular fall out of Strachan and Aiden McGeady.

Johnson was voted the North-East Player of the Year last week but with his mentor Southgate no longer at the club it looks certain that the academy graduate will be leaving the club at the end of the season when his contract expires.

"They cannot hold on to leads, they are shipping goals and failing to create enough chances to bury weaker opponents and, even with Strachan's new striking additions, are not scoring enough goals," added the article, if it wasn't for the date that comment could have applied to Celtic at any point from January 3 onwards to the final goal-less draws that saw the SPL title lost.

MEDIA
Finally it's onto media relations and it doesn't seem that Gordon has learned much from his Celtic experience.

Sure there can be silly questions, and even sillier questioners, but when the cameras and tapes are rolling it's a good idea to view the bigger picture and appreciate that you are talking to your supporters and the public in general rather than the dirty dozen sitting with you in the room.

The article added: "Strachan gives the impression that press conferences and interviews - in fact the media full stop - are an irrelevance, a pain in the backside and a waste of his valuable time.

"Why does anyone want to be asked and then have to answer stupid questions?

"But supporters in this region expect a little more from their managers. They want to hear what they have to say, in fact they demand it."

As I said it all sounds very familiar to the latter days of his Celtic reign, that wonderful thing called hindsight would surely suggest that winning three-in-a-row at Tannadice in May 2008 would have been the perfect time for Strachan to bow out unbeaten at Celtic.

The trials of Strachan and Middlesbrough will make interesting and detached viewing for Celtic supporters over the coming weeks and months.

Despite their league position they remain third favourites for promotion but even at odds of 20/1 there's unlikely to be a rush of money for 'Boro to finish the season as champions.

Nine-in-a-row Simon Ferry loving Swindon life

by Joe McHugh Loan Celt Simon Ferry is loving every minute of life at Swindon Town as he catches up on three injury hit seasons.

The energetic midfielder has no interest in squad rotation or being used sparingly as he clocks up the games to get his career back on track.

Ferry signed a new two year contract with Celtic before moving on-loan to Swindon with both clubs about to seal the formalities to extend the loan deal through to the end of the season with Ferry hoping to help Swindon's Scot's colony to promotion into the Championship.

He said: “I'm loving the chance to play every week, coming to Swindon has been a great move for me.

“Swindon are a good team, we're playing well and I can't ask for any more. I've not been injured once since I came down and that stuff is all in the past.

“I've played every minute of the last nine games and can't get enough matches, two games a week, playing Saturday and Tuesday suits me perfectly.

“We're in the middle of a spell of five games in 14 days which is mad but I'd rather have that than training every day.

“I've missed a lot of my career and want to get involved in as many games as possible.

REGULARLY
“I came down here to play in games, now that I'm playing regularly I don't ever want to go back to not playing again.”

He added: “Since day one I've enjoyed it and felt at home with Swindon. The manager and players have been great, I'm enjoying the teams that we're playing against and visiting good stadiums.

“There's been nothing that I haven't enjoyed, the move was exactly what I was needing.

“Before I moved all that I knew about Swindon was that they had spend one season in the Premiership. As soon as the move was mentioned I spoke to Scotty (Cuthbert) and he couldn't speak highly enough about the club so there was no hesitation about coming down.”

Manager Danny Wilson clearly rates Scottish players with Ferry joining summer signing Cuthbert with former Celt Jon-Paul McGovern, Craig Easton and Gordon Greer also at the Wiltshire club.

A win tonight away to struggling Stockport would put Swindon into the play-off places with Ferry looking for success rather than just game time from his loan deal.

The midfielder was an integral part of the Celtic's 2006 double winning youth side and scored the goal that won the last ever reserve title at Ibrox last season (see picture above) to clinch the eighth title in a row for the reserve side.

The 21-year-old from Dundee loves the cut and thrust of scrapping in the centre of the park and has his sights set on helping Swindon into the Championship.

PLAY-OFFS
He added: “We're definately looking to get into the play-offs, last week we beat Huddesfield 2-1 and they were in third place so there's no reason why we can't get into the play-off's or go even further.

“Our game against Leeds was postponed due to international commitments but that's been rearranged for January and is one to look forward to.

“Before that we're at Fulham in the FA Cup and that's going to be a great day for the club.

“In the last round we had a tough game at Wrexham, getting through that was great then we got the prize of being away to a Premiership side in the next round.

“We've had two very hard games against non-league sides to get this far but now we'll be the underdogs at Fulham.

“There'll be nothing to lose for us at Fulham, we'll go there and play some good football and see what happens.”

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Hapoel Tel Aviv on form, Stuttgart hammered again

Hapoel Tel Aviv arrive in Glasgow tomorrow on the back of five straight wins in the Israeli league and in top place in Group C of the Europa League.

A 1-0 win away to Brei Yehuda on Saturday kept their recent run going although they trail league leaders Maccabi Haifa, who have won all ten league games, by six points.

It looks certain to be the end of the road for Celtic's brief Europa League campaign with Hamburg and Hapoel in pole position to go through, and with the final game between the two clubs in Israel it's highly unlikely that they will mess things up.

Hamburg host Rapid on Wednesday on the back of a 1-1 draw away to Mainz at the weekend, an interesting scoreline from the Bundesliga was Stuttgart's 4-0 hammering away to Bayer Leverkusen.

Despite their Champions League heroics at Ibrox last week Jens Lehmen's side are on the crest of a slump domestically after eleven games without a win.

Not that anyone is really bothered about Rapid these days but at the weekend they drew 0-0 away to Red Bull Salzburg.

TOMORROW: SIMON FERRY INTERVIEW