Maloney makes impressive return

Shaun Maloney closed the debate about his fitness with a dazzling 45 minute performance for Celtic's reserve side in the 4-0 win over Dundee United this afternoon.

Maloney hasn't completed 90 minutes since picking up a hamstring injury against Hearts on December 13.

Brief substitute appearances in the last two SPL fixtures against Aberdeen barely tested the 26-year-old but today's run out had Maloney back at his industrious best highlighted by a great solo goal in the 15th minute.

Playing behind Kevin Cawley in a role designed to give him as much of the ball as possible the former Aston Villa striker buzzed about around the park spraying passes and beating defenders without flinching from a single challenge.

It was Maloney that set up the first goal with a through ball to Ryan Conroy on the left whose cross was headed home by Mark Millar at the back post after 13 minutes.

Enjoying the space that he's unlikely to get in first team action Maloney wrong footed a couple of defenders two minutes later before drilling a low shot past former Celtic 'keeper Michael McGovern to put Celtic two up.

There's little chance of Maloney starting against Rangers on Sunday but with the game likely to be tight and dominated by four and five man midfields the option to introduce Maloney must be an appealing one for Gordon Strachan.

Maloney has the temperament and experience to handle the big occasion after making his Celtic debut at Ibrox in the 3-0 win at Ibrox in Martin O'Neill's first season made memorable by a double from Lubo Moravcik and Henrik Larsson's 50th goal of the season.

"Who's the wean?" supporters asked that day when Maloney appeared, hopefully the fully grown 'wean' will be able to make a telling contribution this time around.

As the reserves collected their eighth consecutive title the conveyor belt of talent coming through the ranks produced another name to look out for with James Forrest making a very accomplished debut.

Replacing Simon Ferry, who picked up a back injury, after half an hour, Forest looked quickly at ease demanding the ball and making telling runs off the right flank into the Dundee United penalty box.

Cawley had added a third goal before Forrest capped his reserve debut with a goal worth looking out for on Celtic TV.

Exchanging passes with Cawley, Forrest curled his shot around McGovern from just inside the penalty box to round off a useful day out before the SPL Reserve trophy was presented to the squad.

Celtic team: Kennedy; Doumbe, Marr, Misun, Kurakins; Miller (Vallers), Ferry (Forrest) Donati, Conroy; Maloney (McGlinchey), Cawley.

SUBS not used: Fairley, Gardner, Hughes, Tidser.

8inarow for the young Hoops- Simple for Simon

What a great day out it was at Ibrox today as Celtic's reserve side clinched the title for the eighth season running.

CELEBRATIONS VIDEO

Simon Ferry was the goal-den bhoy with a brilliant 'Van Basten' like volley that former Scotland 'keeper Allan McGregor never got anywhere near.

It was great that Simon got the goal, he's had a horrible time over the last two and a half seasons with various ankle injuries but has refused to buckle, kept upbeat and has been a regular first team substitute over the last few weeks.

Celtic had dominated the first half without scoring but moved up a gear after the break but had to wait until the 70th minute for the big breakthrough.

Ryan Conroy deep cross from the left wing was met sweetly by Ferry whose volleyed flashed across McGregor into the net.

Ferry whipped off his top and set off on a run towards the empty Govan Stand while the 3,000 Celtic fans in the enclosure celebrated away.

Every win at Ibrox is to be enjoyed by the Celtic support, a win that brings silverware is that bit special regardless of what level it's at.

Peter Lawwell recently referred to the reserves as the 'development squad' which is a fair description, the players with the real potential to break through into the first team are out onloan: Paul Caddis, Scott Cuthbert, Cillian Sheridan and Paul McGowan.

Today's team was mainly emerging talents featuring a number of recent signings from the club's extensive scouting network covering centre-half Milan Musan, left-back Anton Kurakins and Irish recruits Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt.

Youngsters Kevin Cawley, Jason Marr and Danny Lafferty have had their first season at reserve level leaving a team made up of Ferry and Ryan Conroy plus 'keeper Mark Brown and forgotten man Massimo Donati.

Guiding them all is Willie McStay who went to Ibrox with an impressive record, in 1981 he helped Celtic win the Glasgow Cup and did the same as Celtic manager in 1998 as well as guiding the reserves to a draw against a star-studded Rangers reserve side in the mid-90s with 30,000 Rangers fans demanding success with Celtic down to nine men.

Today's success was a good achievement for all involved, the real success will be judged in years to come. Two years ago Celtic lost 5-0 to Rangers in the SFA Youth Cup Final at Hampden, from that Celtic side Caddis and Sheridan have gone on to play in the Champions League.

The Rangers side was a real strange mixture, some relative unknowns but also names like McGregor, Andy Webster, John Fleck, Aaron Niguez and Steven Naismith, none of whom did themselves any favours.

By tea-time on May 9 today's events will be long forgotten but any trophy success and win at Ibrox will be welcomed and enjoyed by the Celtic fans present and others kept in touch by text messages and the internet.

Reserves poised for title

Celtic's reserve side can clinch 8-in-a-row by beating Hearts next week in a game scheduled to be played at Stirling Albion's Forthbank Stadium.

After Rangers delayed the Rangers-Celtic reserve match due on March 17, Willie McStay's side returned to action with a 1-1 draw against Inverness Caley Thistle on Monday of this week.

Rangers 2-0 defeat from Motherwell yesterday leaves Celtic 10 points clear at the top of the league with four games left to play with Celtic clinching the title with a win over Hearts or a Rangers failing to beat Aberdeen.

Reserve titles on their own mean very little but there's little doubt that over the years the success of the Celtic reserve side has contributed greatly to the success at first team level.

Stephen McManus is the most obvious example, indeed he is going for his own personal 8-in-a-row having helped the reserves to four titles before being promoted to the first team where of course he is heading for another 4-in-a-row.

Others like Aiden McGeady and Shaun Maloney had brief reserve 'careers' with their promotion almost automatic through from youth team to first team.

Reserve glory has never been the aim, otherwise players like John Kennedy, Scott Cuthbert, Paul McGowan, Paul Caddis and Cillian Sheridan wouldn't be sent out on loan.

Those players would gain little from reserve team football which allows others like Jason Marr, Kevin Cawley and Danny Lafferty to step up into the reserve side to test themselves at a higher level.

The club's recent influx of young Eastern European players have been given valuable exposure and experience to becoming a Celtic player in a competitive environment where winning is expected.

No allowances are given for youth, winning is demanded but there's plenty of flair about the reserve side with Paddy McCourt and Mark Millar probably the most influential players in the current squad.

The future can rarely be predicted but the development of players is assured at Celtic, those good enough to move up from the youths get their chance, those too good for the reserves get loaned out for extra experience.

Hopefully Caddis and Sheridan will be part of next season's first team picture, Millar could be a dark horse as well with possibly McCourt or Koki Mizuno taking the leap from useful substitute/stand-in to a contributor at first team level.

Hail hail to the reserves regardless of what the SPL attempt to do next season, surely club's can carry squads capable of playing 22 games over a ten month season?

SPL Reserve Table

BOOZEGATE: All getting very, very nasty and personal

Kenny Miller is a regular in the News of the World, Barry Ferguson is a regular in The Sun, John Collins was incredibly critical of the Daily Record's role in the transfers of Kevin Thompson and Scott Brown from Hibs.

Football journalism at the highest level is all about cultivating contacts, getting close to prominent players, managers and chairmen. The journalist gains a valuable inside contact for off the record information and the player/manager/chairman has a sympathetic public voice to discreetly get their point of view out to the public.

The downside of this is that rival papers tend to go OTT in their comments about people who appear to side with rival newspapers.

More than a can of worms has opened, or exploded, during the recent international break. Lifetime bans and club suspensions have been handed out but today things have taken a very unusual twist with The News of the World upping the ante to escalate the recent Booze'n'vikkygate episode into a rammy between the two biggest clubs in the country as well as between the two biggest newspaper groups.

From Burley v Ferguson & McGregor we now have Celtic v Rangers and News International v Trinity Mirror.

The News of the World have gone to unseen levels to claim that the DR and one journalist in particular have dropped Ferguson and McGregor in trouble to protect Scott Brown.

I really can't remember any football incident where one newspaper group has given publicity to a rival by 'crediting' their part in a blockbuster story.

The News of the World have some very detailed allegations, there's nothing hit or miss or sketchy about it, they name times and places.

Amazingly the thrust of their story is that the DR protected Scott Brown as they exposed the story. The story was also run by The Sun who have a certain fondness for Barry Ferguson.

Whatever The DR could do to protect their man surely The Sun could do for their favoured player.

For the News of the World to give the DR such publicity is incredible as is the claim that the DR has the power to stir things up against two players in order to protect their man, whatever the DR can do The Sun can do at least equally well.

This story still has some running to do, Ferguson and McGregor won't be the only casualties.

A very messy tabloid war is out in the open which could be much nastier, and certainly more public, than anything in the world of football.

Having a pop at a rival paper is fair game, when the DR miss something The Sun gloats with the Day'late Record, when it's the other way around the DR laughs at the English-based tabloid.

Players need to be very discreet with what leaks out from dressing rooms and behind closed doors, Celtic have had their incidents already this season which quickly find print.

The Booze'n'vikkygate story has fingerprints all over it going back to certain camps and factions.

With a financially lucrative title to be won and lost and desperate times in the newspaper business there is still a lot of muck to be thrown around over the most spectacular and newsworthy international break ever.