Celtic moved to within goal difference of securing the Scottish Premier League title by opening up an 18 point lead with six games remaining after a two goal victory over St Johnstone at Celtic Park today. Second half goals from Georgios Samaras and an own goal by Chris Millar settled the game which looked even for long spells.
Samaras has been like a player reborn in recent weeks and continued in the same manner today. From the opening minutes of the game he thundered down the left wing using pace and skill at close quarters to strain the St Johnstone defence.
Gary Hooper could have done better when Anthony Stokes fed him early on but his chip was collected by St Johnstone keeper Allan Mannus. Once play stopped referee Salmond booked Maybury for his foul on Stokes as the Celtic striker played the ball forward for Hooper but despite therefore acknowledging the offence, the ref failed to pull play back after Hooper failed to gain any advantage.
Kris Commons is still looking for his first goal of the season and twice came close today. In the first half Stokes held the ball inside the box until Commons arrives to shoot from 8 yards but he knocked the effort narrowly wide. In the second half a swerving shot was on target for the top right corner of the net before Mannus got a touch.
Liam Craig was St Johnstone’s principle threat and he brought a good save out of Fraser Forster from a free kick midway through the first half. Celtic struggled to create much in the opening period but Michael Lustig crossed from the right wing but found no takers despite running along the six yard line.
Celtic should have taken the lead a minute from the break. Commons sent in a free kick, Samaras missed a header and Mannus blocked but Charlie Mulgrew was on hand the head the rebound, only to see his effort cleared off the line.
Cillian Sheridan and Francisco Sandaza both had good headed efforts to open the scoring early in the second half but neither found the target.
Celtic stepped up the pace just after the hour after Ki and Matthews replaced Stokes and Lustig. Scott Brown saw a shot from inside the D saved.
The opening goal arrived on 66 minutes after Georgios Samaras was involved in a couple of scuffles. The Greek international was grounded inside the box and was then shoved off the ball within seconds of getting back to his feet, again inside the box but the referee didn’t see it. Samaras clearly took exception to this treatment and a moment later shielded the ball using his body until he was dragged to the ground.
It looked like a feisty play by Samaras who was clearly animated. When Kris Commons swung in the resultant free kick Samaras rose and headed back across goal and into the net.
St Johnstone pressed forward looking for an equaliser and might have got one had Adam Matthews not made a last ditch interception to turn the ball behind for a corner. With St Johnstone forward for the set piece Celtic broke quickly. Commons carried the ball forward, and with everyone one else on the field running at full pace, he took a second before sending a 60 yard pass across field to Ki. Ki moved inside before playing the ball out to Samaras on the right. Samaras crossed for Hooper but the ball was turned into the net by Millar.
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We are allowed to grind out results, huns go it all the time therefore so can we. Not bothered about a vintage performance just three ppoint to the title.
What pash is Walker sprouting this time????????
Glendalystonsils likes a mr whippy with his lime green jelly on 1 April, 2012 at 19:20 said:
Thomthetim
McCall certainly looked as if he was trying for third place rather than second place yesterday. Can’t think why.
share
****
What made it worse was that he said that he was concerned about St.Johnstone creeping up the table and challenging for third place.
Surely his focus should have been on winning on Saturday and putting distance between ‘Well and St.J?
neveralone
you are a legend, boss !
and don’t let any “sac des balons” tell ye
any difrint !
:)
championees !!!
how can i possibly use words to describe the unbridled JOY i feel at this moment ?
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS !!!
kenny clarke, donald findlay, big fat dj, hately cowan, jabba, king…
there’s yer dinner !
as they say
:)
quonno,
What possible “special case” could they put forward?
Mind you once they are liquidated it won’t matter one jot.
Apart from the goal it was the same olde Samaras.
His running off the ball is off-the-scale awful.
I think it was Commons who after running past beat two guys tried to play a ball to Samaras who had just stayed in exactly the same place from the point when Commons had started his run. Samaras had about 5 seconds to change his position slightly and confuse the defenders, in the end he did nothing except stand and the move petered out.
POTY for Samaras, only if you’re a Rangers fan. I would still boot him out of the club. Running off the ball is an essential skill and Samaras wants nothing to do with it, terrible. For a guy who plays for Greece who pride themselves on effort, its a shocking return for his wages.
For POTY would choose Ledley, Brown or Forster myself.
‘GG
Murray just isn’t playing well enough, was evident from the 1st game even tho he won that game. It would be great if he could win, but not tonight I’m afraid.
A most welcome 3 points and I don’t know about the players, but I needed that result today!
The huns late winner yesterday had left me irate, tense and frustrated. Today’s win was great therapy and are now within touching distance.
Kriss Commons was still short of his best today but I would give him a run of games from now until the end of the season.
Our side is not overloaded with natural creative ability but Kriss is capable of some subliminal stuff that others in the side simply don’t have in their armoury.
Playing him in a central role off a front-man would allow him to do most damage.
pgtips2 Just shows we all see something different in a player for me Sammi is easily the player of the season he simply terrifies defences.H.H.
Argggghhhhhhhh!
Just settling down for the Juve .v. Napoli game ………
switch on and there’s muppet face Hately and baw face Marcotti.
pggtips2
D’you mind if I suggest that your post is off-the-scale awful?
TBB
pggtips2 on 1 April, 2012 at 19:28 said:
Yes his serve is under severe pressure.
Djokovic looks imperious.
Andy has hung in though and might yet get a break to even the game.
Boys not long in from game, not much atmosphere today but hey a wins good enough.
Sammy deserved MOM but I thought the link up from Commons for both goals was excellent.
pfayr – just finished my dinner to come back to your remark why Sami bombed off the pitch at full time. Beer over screen guffaw! Classic.
quonno
“Identifying deficiencies is not automatically being negative.
For example does anyone honestly think that without strengthening present side is good enough for even a token appearance in Champions League. ”
Apologies> I had to leave the blog.
I thought I had conceded that there is such a thing as constructive criticism, even though most of the criticism is hardly that.
However, using CL participation as an example sets a mighty high barrier. Celtic were a world class team between 1966 and 1974. After that period, we quickly became European also rans. There have been only 3 false glimpses of us getting back to that stage. Th EC tie vs Real in 1980, The Seville Year (where we only made a token CL attempt), and the two years under Gordon Strachan (& the worst team ever seen by many fans, allegedly).
Along with Andelecht, Ferencvaros, Legia Warsaw and others we are now handicapped by being a big team in a small diminished league and sustained CL challenges seem to be beyond the reach of such teams and leagues.
Yes, small teams from small leagues can make an occasional splash but fail to sustain it (Rosenborg, Celtic and, even, Apoel). Big teams from middle sized leagues (Benfica, Porto, PSV, Ajax) can make a sustained splash but fail to capture the trophies. Even Big clubs from leagues where finances were less inflated (Bayern, Lyon, Marseilles) have found it difficult to break the debt madness that underpins the EPL, La Liga and Serie A.
Until that particular bubble bursts AND we get a move to a financially suitable league, our CL participation will remain a token one. If you do not believe me, check the odds with those impartial bookie people.
I hope for CL successes but I am not going to count failure in the CL as under-performance. the dice get more loaded each year as the usual suspects get to the latter stages. Man U can cope with one year missing out on the latter stages, but two or three failures and they will go on a slowly accelerating slide.
That model cannot sustain. We need to show patience until sanity is restored and we get to compete on more even terms.
Hello everyone from the 17.36 from Glasgow Central to Euston.
PF Ayr, shame you couldn’t make it last night. You might have helped make the conversation more sensible.
On the point about Samaras and Commons switching wings in the first half, it was immediately the yellow card for Maybury and it looked to me that this was no coincidence. In other words, Lenny thought it was worth seeing if Sami could take advantage of the pressure on Maybury, perhaps tempting him into more fouling or perhaps capitalising on any tentativeness to go past him.
I thought it was an interesting idea, even if it didn’t really work.
Pat Nevin was going into the press room as we were leaving. Someone ahead of me in the queue asked him how he was doing and he stopped to chat. He said: “That was an interesting tactical switch that won the game, when Lenny put Samaras up front. Teams just come here and try to match up. Once Samaras went up front St Johnstone were no longer able to do that. Sixty seconds later he got the goal and the game was won. The manager won it. Well done Lenny.”
wycombebhoy on 1 April, 2012 at 18:58 said:
Interesting to read Walter Smith talking about Celtic deserving to win the league,
Smith said that simply because he’s afraid people will denigrate his own team’s victories when Celtic were in the grubber.
He’s looking for equivalence when Celtic truly were at death’s door, fielding a poorish team, while Rangers, at the moment, are fielding a team which have been bought, expensively, with other people’s money.
As always with Smith, he’s looking after his own pitiful legacy.
You guys who have Sat TV make me laugh. Are there any commentators or pundits worth the money?
Maybe Sky could get David Begg and Billy Dodds. :-)
One Stan Petrov !!
Thomthethim
Apologies – change of plan due to the Donegal weather…….ended up in Club Beag in Dungloe looking after 3 kids and watching the game on Sky Go!!!!
Definitely will be in for the party on Saturday
Hhplc
neveralone on 1 April, 2012 at 19:16 said:Even Paul was poor with this: “Gary Hooper could have done better when Anthony Stokes fed him early on but his chip was collected by St Johnstone keeper Allan Mannus. Once play stopped referee Salmond booked Maybury for his foul on Stokes as the Celtic striker played the ball forward for Hooper but despite therefore acknowledging the offence, the ref failed to pull play back after Hooper failed to gain any advantage”
Clearly the ref called it right by allowing a CLEAR advantage to accrue. That Gary fluffed it is not the refs fault. In fact his booking of the St J player should be applauded as excellent refereeing
Surely if it was indeed “excellent” refereeing, then the St Johnstone player should have seen a straight red??? i.e it was a goalscoring opportunity (as hoopy is through on goal with no other defenders between him and the sticks)
not looking for an arguement just a honest question
Marky
TBB aye fine!
quonno on 1 April, 2012 at 19:03:
“See administrators pleading that they be treated as a special case and be allowed to play in Europe next season.
“What was it I posted a couple of weeks ago about regardless of their wrongdoings people moving heaven and earth to have them appear in Europe?”
I’m not sure what you posted a couple of weeks ago on the subject, but the Huns are not going to be playing in Europe next season under any circumstances.
The King Vic 67, Hopper wasn’t fouled, Stokes was fouled as he passed to Hooper, the ref called it correctly (about the only time he did) by allowing play to continue, Hopper shot and the keeper saved which was the advantage and at the next stoppage of play (almost 2 minutes later) the ref cautioned Alan Maybury.
I love the fact that I am a Tim.
Hoops win 2-0, not greatest performance but done enough to win the game.
Lenny, Johan and Thommo will do for me. ( Lenny my POTY )
Under 19s champions and in cup final.
Thai Tims doing us proud. Thanks TC sheer class.
Huns liquidation due this week Wednesday-Friday take your pick Bhoys.
Jabba has been binned by his rag and now some dubious title as special reporter or such like but no longer chief sports writer.
As the wee Thai Tims sung so well when Big Greek Ghod scored today
I just cant get enough.
HH
Both myself and Teabhoy Jr. were at the game for the first time this season.
We both thought Lustig played well and agreed that big Sammi was again by far our best player.
However, I though the atmosphere was quite poor and only held together by the G.B. I understand it was tense game and some of our players are a bit off form but ffs lay off them at CP. They’ll get that by the bucket load from the msm. Our young heros have given us nothing but pride and we should praise them for their tireless efforts.
IN CELTIC I TRUST.
The ref also called it right when he over ruled the lino twice, both in St.J favour but he was right. Ref was crud overall but crud in general rather than bias.
*THE KING VIC 67
No KV it wasn’t Hoops who was fouled.
My summary wasn’t clear on that!
pggtips2
That said, I admire the way you collected the post from PF Ayr, cut inside and pulled away from GG, feigned one way then the other to throw Summa of Sammi, before being ruthlessly brought down in the act of concluding your point by Joe Felippi’s Haircut.
If we want to compete in the Champions League
next season there will need to be some major changes.
cyrenean 18:40
Great post, sums up a lot of my feelings.
Same with SFTB posts, which for the most part mirror my feelings.
I sat in front of possibly the most negative guy at Celtic Park today. He reacted to the GB 1st half song singing “Stand up for the Champions” with “…ah’m no standing up…score a goal, then ah’ll stand up…”
Guess what…when we scored, he never stood up…
I suppose it depends on your life and experiences as a Celtic supporter. I’m very lucky – privileged actually – to say that as someone who was born in the 60’s….Celtic in every decade of my life, bar the 90’s, have mastered Rangers. I’m now in my 50’s, and fully expect this dominance to continue into future decades. The “Decade Score” is 4-1 for us at the moment.
I predict 7-1 myself in my lifetime, but maybe I’m just an old nostalgic…
Let us enjoy the good times.
These are – UNQUESTIONABLY – good times.
The forwards were not great today, but we got the victory.
We will win the league next week.
Last week, that financially surrendered mob, and sporting integrity cheaters, got a meaningless win against us.
They will be gone soon, and their history is knackered with a capital F.
Looking forward to toasting the Champions next week.
Hail Hail
Tully
I think that too many of us
The Battered Bunnet on 1 April, 2012 at 19:48 said:
Think I need Rancho Franco to explain that one!
Crucial game coming up.
Andy leads 5-4 with Djokovic to serve.
Murray has been able to put some pressure on Novak’s serve recently.
Too many of us ?
Shut yer mouth Tully…
scottishleaf/ neveralone
I know Stokes was fouled…. but what is the actual rule…. Is it only the player fouled or is it a goalscoring opportunity for the attacking team?
I honestly don’t know ( i did not stop me shouting though!!!)
Game group sold in 3 days of entering administration.
How long have rangers been up for sale?
HH
Anyone got a link to the tribute for Stan on 19 min???
Gordon 64
We have just won the league after 3 years of failure. We are not a convincing propect for CL success next year. The team that won the previous 3 SPL titles were not ready to do CL damage either.
We need to have the patience to let this team walk before it runs. Our performance at Europa League level suggests we can be competitive in Europe but it does not promise that we can be a winning outfit.
It will take years to grow a team. It will need continual re-generation as our best assets will be targeted by richer clubs too. By all means look forward to CL participation and hope for good things but we cannot demand over-achievement from manager or players.
Until I see the CL draw made, I will make no pronouncement on my expectation of making the CL group stages.
Errors starting to creep in now as the heat and long rallies take their toll.
Djokavic holds for 5-5 after one hour and 47 minutes.