McStay looks to 'veteran' McGeady to inspire

Willie McStay is looking to Old Firm 'veteran' Aiden McGeady to lead Celtic back into the SPL title race.

Amazingly, McGeady will be the most experienced player on the park tomorrow when Glasgow's big two collide, having first sampled the unique atmosphere as an 18-year-old in May 2004.

Rangers' storming form through December has opened up a seven-point lead over Tony Mowbray's inconsistent Celic side, with the prospect of a 10-point deficit unbearable for the Hoops' support.

On-form McGeady will carry the hopes of the home fans into the showdown, with McStay impressed by what he has witnessed recently from his former youth-team prodigy.

After quitting Celtic during the summer to take charge of Ujpest Dozsa, the former Sligo Rovers boss has been enjoying the winter break at home in Glasgow and catching up on all things Celtic.

He said: "It's surprising to think that Aiden will be the most experienced player in the team. Celtic need to ignite in this match and there's no better game than an Old Firm match to produce your best.

"I've been very impressed with what I've seen from Aiden over the last month, there has been an end product to his game and he's hurting teams.

"No one has ever doubted his ability but he's scored a few goals this season and has had a lot of assists recently as well.

"With Celtic's match being postponed at Kilmarnock, Rangers have gone further ahead in the SPL but playing Rangers at home is always a must-win match for Celtic.

"They are at their best in situations like this, Rangers allow teams to come at them so it will be an interesting match.

"It will take some individual brilliance to win the points and someone like Aiden can swing it Celtic's way.

"I think that he has regained his confidence this season, he knows how he can influence a game and is using that for the team.

"I've mainly been watching Celtic on television this season and his workrate has been high. Seeing Aiden in the flesh again he looks to be back towards his best.

"He's playing with freedom, he's scored a few goals and recently he has provided a lot of assists. The final product is definitely hurting the opposition."

McStay added: "No one has ever doubted Aiden's ability but he's needed an end product to his play and that's coming; the whole team is benefiting.

"Two seasons ago when he was voted Players' Player of the Year he was absolutely magnificent, he could change a game. I've watched him and worked with him since he was a kid but I'd happily pay money to watch him in that sort of form.

"There are other very talented players in Scotland but Aiden has the unexpected about him, he's one of the players that determines games.

"It's important that he is contributing to victories, working hard on every part of his game and is exciting for supporters to watch. He's looking like he's back at his best."

McStay was in charge of Celtic's youth development as McGeady was nursed through the club to make a scoring debut away to Hearts as a 17-year-old.

At that age McGeady expected to be a regular in Martin O'Neill's all-conquering side at the tail-end of Henrik Larsson's career, rubbing shoulders with Chris Sutton, John Hartson, Stilian Petrov, Neil Lennon and others.

He had to wait until Gordon Strachan's second season in charge of Celtic to become a first-team regular but that relationship was always strained and confrontational.

Twelve months ago McGeady spent the New Year at home serving a two-week ban after a dressing room bust-up with Strachan.

Evening Herald interview
That relationship was unconvincingly patched up but the arrival of Tony Mowbray has given the 23-year-old's Celtic career a fresh lift.

McStay added: "Looking back, the incidents with Gordon Strachan has only made Aiden stronger.

"The rights and wrongs are for other people to discuss, but when you bounce back from something like that to produce the sort of form that he's on just now, you have to admire his strength of character. Aiden has always had a streak in him, I had to punish him at times while trying to shape him into a player that can be a top professional.

"He's came through his problems with Gordon, a player with lesser self-belief and less character might not have survived that."

McStay will enjoy tomorrow's match before returning to Budapest to plan Ujpest's title challenge in the second half of the campaign.

He happily admits to "having the bug again" for management after ending his spell in charge of Sligo to take up the youth team job at Celtic in 1994. Retaining his extensive Irish contacts he had Seamus Coleman over on trial at Celtic a year ago before Everton moved in to snap up the full-back.

Tomorrow he'll resume his role as a lifelong Celtic fan, hoping that Aiden McGeady can play a decisive role in restoring Celtic's title challenge.


Evening Herald interview

Referee Conroy admits: I thought I'd never get a Rangers-Celtic game

Derby day referee Steve Conroy has admitted that he has wondered if he'd ever be asked to take charge of a Celtic-Rangers match.

In a carefully worded article on the SFA's website Conroy strays off message to discuss the 'refereeing community' and the 'select number of referees' who take charge of this fixture.

After the abysmal display from referee Craig Thomson at Ibrox in October Conroy doesn't have a particularly high standard of performance to match with Thomson's horror show forcing him into a reluctant apology for one decision issued through 'refereeing supremo' Hugh Dallas.

“There were stages over the last few years when I thought the opportunity might be slipping away from me,” Conroy admitted about tomorrow's appointment.

“I have been in the game a long time now and hadn’t been given an Old Firm game. It is firmly understood by the refereeing community that only a select number of referees will ever take charge of this game and you have to be at the top of your career to be appointed.

“When I found out I had been given an opportunity at this game I was delighted, but if I’m perfectly honest I wasn’t completely surprised.

“In the last few years, I have been in charge of some big games, like the Edinburgh derby, and the only step left was this game so I am thrilled to have finally got there.

“Last season, I definitely felt I had reached a far more consistent level of performance over the season. There was one particular game between two top six sides in which there was a lot at stake for each side and I knew coming off that I had handled things well.”

Conroy of course has come in for criticism this season, especially from Walter Smith after sending off Pedro Mendes at Kilmarnock earlier this season.

Smith was so upset by that decision that he was ordered out of the dug out and ended up with an SFA ban for his actions.

Conroy has no hang-ups about being given the most scrutinised match in Scotland and is looking forward to finally taking charge of a Celtic-Rangers game.

He added: “You need to have confidence in yourself to reach this level in the game. It’s not arrogance: it’s just a belief built from experience that you can handle the situations that will no doubt be thrown at you.”

Inevitably any article on Scottish refereeing isn't complete without some words of wisdom from Dallas.

Justifying his job and salary the man that retired a year early from front line refereeing has given Conroy his dubious seal of approval.

Dallas said: “Steve has worked very hard throughout his time as a referee and has a vast amount of experience under his belt now. We are confident he will handle the situation superbly and that he is fully prepped for the occasion.

“He has waited a bit longer than some others for this appointment but with his performances over the last period, we believe now is the right time for him to be tested in this big game and hopefully he can come out the other end unscathed.

“Referees are under more scrutiny and pressure than ever before. Every decision they make is analysed by numerous cameras with slow-motion replays. If a game has little in the way of entertainment, goals or action, then the referee’s performance is discussed.

“That’s just the nature of the modern game and the referees who make the top grade are comfortable with that.

“When they get a hard time in the media after a game it is our job to thoroughly analyse the performance with them, provide a strong support network and, most importantly, build their confidence up again.”

Anticipating mistakes tomorrow Conroy added: “Of course every referee makes mistakes in every game but sometimes it can be a bit of luck whether the mistakes you make have a big effect on the game and its outcome.

“We work very hard with the referee development team and our observers to analyse every game and make sure that we learn from every mistake made.

“I am well aware of the special pressures involved when Rangers and Celtic play; I’ve certainly received enough support and advice from my colleagues and those at the Scottish FA but once we’re on the pitch, it is the same as every other game and I just have to do my job well.”

SFA article

A decade of memories in words and pictures

1. Celtic 6-2 Rangers 27/8/2000. Without doubt the benchmark. A statement of intent. An incredible start to the Martin O'Neill reign yet in years to come supporters will find it hard to understand that the game was in the balance despite being three up in 11 minutes. Unforgettable.

2. Boavista 0-1 Celtic 24/4/03. A nervous terrifying evening, horrendous match, I felt like I was in a re-run of the Raith Rovers Coca Cola Cup Final....... until the King of Kings popped up with a goal to trigger the longest ten minutes ever. The after match scenes in Porto were special, Glasgow wouldn't have been far behind.

3. Celtic 2-3 Porto 21/5/03. Ultimately frustrating and like most I've not got around to watching a re-run, unlikely that I ever will. The setting, the scenes, the atmosphere, the match-day will never be forgotten... as will Deco and Jose...

4. Celtic 1-0 Manchester United 21/11/06. Champions League qualification at the expense of the Golden Boys from the beloved Premiership. Nervous and tense, magic from Nakamura, more so from Boruc and then afterwards so many unaware that we had qualified!

5. Rangers 0-3 Celtic 29/4/01 Apparently meaningless but a long, long overdue win at Ibrox. Goal-less at half time, some magic from Lubo started the Broomloan party before, with perfect timing, the King of Kings squeezed in his 50th goal of the season before being joined by the entire team in celebrations

6. Barcelona 0-0 Celtic 25/3/04 The night that a song came true 'Barcelona, Real Madrid they will make a gallant bid'. Magical performances from John Kennedy and David Marshall supported by the backbone of the established team engineered an incredible result.

7. Rangers 1-2 Celtic 27/4/03. After the drama and glory of Boavista the SPL had decided that a trip to Ibrox would be suitable reward. Beachball Sunday was a laugh- made all the sweeter with a tired win as sombreros, ly-lo's, passports and holiday brochures lit up Ibrox.

8. Dundee United 0-1 Celtic 22/5/08. An emotional and unexpected title after some horrendous performances. It was all right on the night as big Jan headed home the winner leaving events elsewhere meaningless. Tannadice by night is a fabulous setting for winning titles.

9. Celtic 2-1 Rangers 16/4/08 Back from the brink, with the title bound for Ibrox, after a missed penalty and with Rangers down to ten men big Jan put his head onto a cross from Skippy and a stay of execution was granted. Memorable also for the half time banner.

10. Celtic 2-0 Rangers 15/3/09 We all know that the League Cup is virtually worthless but a Hampden win over Rangers for a trophy is always to be savoured. Made special by the goalscorers, O'Dea and McGeady coming through the ranks at the club.

Decision time for Dallas and the SFA: Miller v Collum

Will the SFA, Hugh Dallas and referee Willie Collum stand firm on the red card shown to Kenny Miller against Dundee United?

Every football club works the system as much as possible to gain advantage with the right of appeal open to Rangers since the ordering off was for violent conduct.

Overturning the decision or delaying a decision has obvious consequences with Miller facing a one match ban which would be against Celtic on Sunday.

Referee Collum had a perfect uninterupted view of the incident, if on reviewing the incident he changes his mind it must put a massive question mark over his ability to officiate at the top level.

Collum was widely praised for his split second judgement that resulted in Gary Caldwell being sent off against Hearts, a much harder call bearing in mind his position and the quickness of the incident.

The incident was typical of many in the game where players collide with arms and legs 'accidentally' hitting each other as they fall or get up off the ground.

Aberdeen defender Jerel Ifil was sent off for a similar incident with Georgios Samaras in the recent Celtic-Aberdeen match.

The timing and circumstances of the incident and appeal couldn't have been worse for the SFA with a decision, or non decision, having implications for the Celtic-Rangers fixture.

It would be easy to draw comparisions to the case of Glenn Loovens where an appeal against a suspension allowed Loovens to play on with his suspension subject to appeal.

That case however was different because Loovens wasn't disciplined during a match, his offence was highlighted by the Review Panel who have undefined powers to look into cases at a whim.

With referees under severe pressure this season the Miller/Collum incident has far reaching consequences.

If a top level referee can't get a case of violent conduct right from 10 yards away it will be open season for clubs to appeal and criticise referees at will.

BBC highlights of Miller sending off

Top ten Celtic players of the decade

Basically picking my top ten Celts of the decade boiled down to who could improve on the Seville side.

Another season from Lubo Moravcik would have been great, Artur Boruc (2005-2008 form) would walk into the team and I think that there would be a place for Aiden McGeady.

The top ten players wouldn't make up a team (assuming someone had been sent off) with a decision having to be made on whether Chris Sutton or John Hartson partnered Henrik Larsson in attack.

It's unlikely than any manager would play McGeady and Moravcik in the same team but it wouldn't half be enjoyable to see what carnage they could inflict.

It was enjoyable thinking through the players we've watched over the decade strong cases could be made for others with Paul Lambert, Stan Petrov and Bobo Balde (pre-2005) the closest contenders for inclusion.


1.Henrik Larsson- no contest really. Words don't do the great man justice, I never thought that I'd see better than Paul McStay but Henrik was on a different level and played in a side that was regularly winning honours. Overlooking too many missed penalties, he was faultless; a striker, a poacher, team-player. Never hid from anything on the park, took the kicks, bounced back for more and was responsible for most of the happiest memories of the decade. The Swedish Kris Boyd to some.

2.Chris Sutton- the King Maker. Spending £6m on a striker that had scored once and flopped spectacularly at Chelsea was a massive risk but quickly repaid. Sutton scored the winner on his debut at Dundee United and wasn't prepared to be second best to anyone- an infectious attitude. In three positions he was outstanding but none more so than creating havoc with Larsson

3.Shunsuke Nakamura. Like Sutton there was genuine concerns about the outlay- especially arriving two days after the Artmedia disaster. His touch on the ball was remarkable, his dedication incredible with a collection of remarkable free-kicks to savour. He performed on the European stage, none more so than with goals home and away against Manchester United

4.Neil Lennon. This is getting repetitive but why would Celtic spend £6m on a defensive midfielder? Lennon was essential to the success of Martin O'Neill's team and bridged the handover to Gordon Strachan. Attitude matched to ability he won more honours than any Celt during the decade.

5.Alan Thompson. Another project of O'Neill whose attitude was as important as his ability. A winner first of all but capable of brilliance from left midfield with a stack of assists for Larsson. Thommo was a goalscorer as well with Rangers and Barcelona amongst his favourite victims.

6.Johan Mjallby. Another with winner at the top of his cv. He worked his way into O'Neill's plans after being initially overlooked. His attacking tendancies were curbed into becoming a disciplined defender where he excelled alongside Bobo Balde and Joos Valgaeren.

7.Artur Boruc. At last a keeper! Originally signed on loan for a season a £1m transfer fee was quickly arranged for the most controversial Celt of the decade. Three season's of undisputed brilliance have given way to more erratic performances, and headlines but without doubt a matchwinner on his day

8.John Hartson. Fantastic striker who connected with the supporters in a way that very few modern players manage to achieve. For goals, brutality and aggression he was second to no-one. After failing a Rangers medical he found his home from home with Celtic with over 100 goals and as many memories highlighting his hoops career.

9.Lubo Moravcik. Was never a regular at any time but despite his advancing years he was a valued and entertaining part of O'Neill's successes. In midfield or further forward he added the unexpected with a range of skills and tricks.

10.Aiden McGeady. The most naturally talented player to come through the ranks, a talent that is still evolving. Flashes and bursts of brilliance have been matched with frustrations but watching the club over the last four years would have been much duller without him

Feel free to add players, comments and your own suggestions below

The bursting bubble of the Premiership- winding up notice served on Portsmouth

by Joe McHugh Reports are breaking that a winding up order has been issued on Portsmouth due to unpaid tax debts.

Sky Sports are carrying the story with a statement expected shortly from the club who play Arsenal tonight.

Breaking news

The 2008 FA Cup winners have been dicing with trouble for some time and are currently banned from transfer activity due to continued financial problems.

Over £50m of players have been sold by the club this year but despite that incoming cash players wages have twice been paid late this season.

The possible demise of any club is unfortunate but equally unfortunate for Celtic supporters has been the constant frustration of seeing clubs like Portsmouth, Bolton, Hull City and others inflate the transfer market as they blow their Premiership Golden Ticket.

Earlier today Chelsea seemed to be pleased to announce losses of 'only' £44.4m on a turnover of £206.4m.

Losses are continuing to be reduced with the previous years figure being £65.7m.

Without being a captain of industry it's hard to pass comment but any business that spends £250m in a year on a turnover of £206.4m requires a serious and committed sugar-daddy which Chelsea have with Roman Abramovich.

The Chelsea financial model sees a popular one in the Premiership with Manchester United and Liverpool having a combined debt close to £900m under the guidance of their American owners.

Despite the record money flooding into the Premiership the clubs have never been in more debt with relegation an almost certain one-way ticket to administration with clubs like Leeds United and Southampton suffering points losses as they plunge down the divisions.

Joining the Premiership- or more accurately getting their hands on television millions- is the unmistakable goal of the Celtic board.

While that would be very welcome on the football field the financial problems that Portsmouth are experiencing seems almost to be part of the Premiership package.

A new footballing environment would be a fantastic boost for the new year but digging a financial hole as players, agents and dubious owners cash in is as welcome as a freezing night out in Kilmarnock.

I've no doubt that there are other potential Portsmouth's out there, hopefully Celtic can be beneficiaries somewhere along the line if common sense returns to the footballing markets.

SPL Chief Doncaster rejects summer football

SPL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster has opened up the annual debate about summer football.

With tonight's match at Kilmarnock a victim of pavement conditions and under 40,000 turning up to watch the home match with Hamilton the merits of summer football are worth discussing.

In itself 'summer football' is a bit of a misnomer, avoiding winter football would probably be a more appropriate term.

The prospect of summer football is as far away as ever according to Doncaster but it is encouraging to see that the SPL are actively looking at ways of improving the game.

In summary the SPL Chief believes that tradition mixed with the demands of European competitions and international commitments make it impossible for anything other than tweaking the current August-May schedule.

Doncaster said: “Football is a game where tradition and custom are extremely powerful influencers. Just try persuading supporters to change their favoured pre-match routine.

“For generations supporters have got used to a diet of winter football, culminating in a season finale in the spring.

“Certainly, if we were to experiment with summer football, we would have a job to change people’s habits. But, if summer football proved not to be a hit with the paying public, we would then undoubtedly lose supporters during the process of changing back.

“Breaking habits is difficult. But trying to reverse the change when those habits have been broken is a risky business.”
The complications and demands of Uefa and Fifa are equally problematic as Doncaster explained.

He added: “UEFA’s rules forbidding top leagues from scheduling domestic fixture cards against Champions League or Europa League matches and FIFA’s rules over call-up periods for international fixtures and tournaments create intense fixture congestion.

“And all this makes the task of fitting all of our domestic football into the current season challenging enough already.”

'Summer football' would inevitably clash with the World Cup and European Championships leaving clubs to fulfill fixtures without international players or shuffling the schedule around to avoid the high profile competition.

A summer season this year could see Celtic without upto half a dozen players with Scott McDonald, Georgios Samaras, Chris Killen, Landry N'Guemo, Ki Sung Yeung and Glenn Loovens all aiming to be involved in South Africa.

Creating a break in the season for the World Cup or European Championships is a complete no-no as Doncaster explained: “ It is unrealistic to schedule a domestic league head-to-head against either tournament – which would mean that every two years summer football would involve starting in say, February, stopping in May, re-starting in August and then finishing in December.

“Such a prospect is totally unattractive, not least of all because it would mean the climax to our domestic season taking place during the depths of winter.”

It looks like a case of better the devil you know with the season running along traditional lines despite the current glut of postponements.

Personally a three or four week break from the Saturday before Christmas would make most sense as recent attendances and the virtual wipe out of the SFL card last weekend highlighted.

It would mean the loss of so-called traditional new year derby matches but resuming with a card including Celtic-Rangers and Hearts-Hibs late in January followed by the Scottish Cup would certainly retain supporter interest.

If that allowed Celtic to jet off to Japan, South Korea or wherever then that is the clubs decision, other clubs are capable of doing as they please.

Football clubs survive a freeze on cash-flow from May to August, if they are viable businesses they should be able to cope with a three or four week break when attendances are traditionally at their lowest.

Neil Doncaster's SPL blog

'War of Words' breaks out over Kilmarnock postponement

In tabloid terms a 'war of words' has broken out between Kilmarnock and Celtic over the postponement of tomorrow night's match scheduled for Rugby Park.

The decision was taken by local police on account of the condition of the streets around Rugby Park which may be of more interest to local Council Tax payers than visiting football fans.

The forecast for Kilmarnock over the next few days isn't too bad compared to elsewhere in the country with Rugby Park fairly central in the town and easily reached using surrounding dual-carriageways.

Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Bill Fitzpatrick of Strathclyde Police said: "Having examined the stadium and its immediate environments on each of the previous 2 days, Strathclyde Police cannot guarantee that the football match scheduled for Wednesday night (30th December 2009) could be held without considerable and unacceptable risk to spectators and others attending the match.

"Extreme weather conditions have resulted in thick compacted ice covering large areas of the approaches to the stadium, this has proved resistant to mitigation.

"The prospect of continued low temperatures offers no prospect of an improvement in the situation and therefore a reduction in the risk to spectators. We have advised Kilmarnock F C of our view."

Kilmarnock Chairman, Michael Johnston, stated that he fully supported the decision made: "Spectator safety is a priority and we must ensure a safe environment for all those attending Rugby Park. We’ll now make arrangements to re-schedule this match and a further announcement will be made in due course."
The weather forecast around Kilmarnock doesn't look too bad for the next 48 hours with Celtic frustrated and angry by today's decision.

Celtic chief Peter Lawwell said: "Clearly, we are extremely disappointed that the match has been postponed.

"We have been told that the pitch is perfectly playable, but we have also been informed that the match cannot proceed due to the stadium footprint (area surrounding the stadium) not being cleared - Naturally this is very frustrating for the club and its supporters.

"As is always the case, it is the responsibility of home clubs to ensure that their own footprint or locality is safe and obviously in this case, this has not been achieved."

Kilmarnock match off

UPDATE- MATCH OFF
An early decision on whether tomorrow's match at Kilmarnock will go ahead is expected with the club in discussions with Strathclyde Police.

Three midweek SPL fixtures have already been postponed due to conditions on approach roads rather than the condition of the pitches.

Tonight's Aberdeen-Falkirk game has been postponed as have tomorrow's matches between Hamilton and St Mirren and the St Johnstone-Hibs clash.

A postponement could be very damaging to Celtic giving Rangers the opportunity to go seven points ahead with a win tomorrow against Dundee United before the derby match on January 3.

The forecast for the next two days isn't too bad for Kilmarnock but if the roads around Rugby Park are troublesome it could be the dreaded GAME OFF sign that goes up.

BBC weather forecast for Kilmarnock

Mark Burchill- Spanning the Celtic decade

A decade on how are Celtic prepared for the two-tens or whatever the next decade will be known as?

Are we in better shape than we were approaching the millennium, will the next decade match the highlights of the decade just finished?

Will we see another Henrik Larsson type player or an event to approach Seville?

No one can disguise the fact that supporter morale, with a few exceptions, is at a low just now. Recent highs are too recent to be forgotten and over the last few years the memorable matches have become rarer and excitement rationed.

It would be easy to mump and moan for the days of Larsson, Lubo, Sutton and Hartson or more recent delights such as back-to-back qualifications for the last 16 of the Champions League- a competition that Celtic hadn't even competed in a decade ago.

Ten years ago the bright young hope at Celtic was Mark Burchill- on Wednesday night he'll feature in our last match of the decade just as he did in the first match at a cold and wintry Rugby Park.

In the stands tomorrow night it wouldn't be a surprise to find Tom Boyd and Burchill's mate Jim Lauchlan carrying out another spying mission on Celtic- what a dossier big Jim must have by now.

Entering the new year at Kilmarnock- after a winter break spent in the Algarve where Rafael Sheidt was collected- the following Celtic team were held to a 1-1 draw with manager John Barnes three games away from his P45.

Jonathan Gould; Vidar Riseth, Johan Mjallby, Tom Boyd; Jackie McNamara, Stan Petrov, Colin Healy, Regi Blinker (Ian Wright), Eyal Berkovic (Tommy Johnson); Lubo Moravcik, Mark Viduka.

Viduka scored the first goal of the decade that night with more than a few of those players going onto play significant parts in the successes ahead..

The first part of 2000 was a testing time for Celtic as, largely pre-internet, our despair was matched by the grand plans coming from Rangers where inter-galactic domination was surely just around the corner under their own dream-team of David and Dick.

Finally, after the club's longest managerial hunt, Martin O'Neill was secured as manager and an unprecedented period of spending and success co-incided with the return to fitness of the Magnificent Seven.

Before we knew it a treble was secured, we were winning regularly at Ibrox, the Champions League arrived at Celtic Park and at last the potential that had been discussed throughout the nineties was realised in front of us.

The San Siro and Nou Camp became regular away days, budget airlines helped take 80,000 to Seville and it's difficult not to feel a strange glow of affection for those days.

We knew that they were great days, unprecedented and unexpected, but magical all the same after twenty years that saw European football over with before Christmas.

The new decade has a lot to live up to. Expectations are fuelled by memories, supporters are educated and know more than ever what's happening in England and the continent.

There is realism as well; players from the Premiership are out of bounds but there's no reason why a team of Boruc's, Petrov's and Nakamura's mixed with McGeady's and Maloney's can be put together to bring success and excitement.

Starting at Kilmarnock and carried into Sunday lets hope that the turning of the decade brings a new era of success and excitement... but it'll need to go some to match the decade ending...