Dunfermline looked out of their depth in this SPL encounter for most of the game but a combination of sloppy finishing, last-ditch defending and Celtic’s still-unresolved problem from the penalty spot meant the game finished on a knife-edge.
Gary Hooper intercepted a cross-field pass from Dunfermline’s Paul Willis after 6 minutes, took a great first touch and fired a bullet shot into the bottom left corner of the goal to put Celtic ahead. After 19 minutes more slack play from Dunfermline allowed Celtic to break with fluency. Kris Commons, Anthony Stokes and Hooper combined to setup James Forrest to put Celtic in what looked like easy street.
Stokes almost finished from a tight angle after Forrest flashed the ball across the face of the goal, while Forrest failed to hit the target with a couple of shots from inside the box.
Commons, restored to the starting line-up, was clearly enjoying his free role, drifting from left to centre-midfield and twice found Anthony Stokes with outrageously precise 40-yard passes. Celtic’s effectiveness suffered when Commons, who must surely have been injured, failed to appear after half time.
Celtic, perhaps having things too easy, dropped off the pace without the prodding of Commons and, with Dunfermline offering no apparent threat, looked like getting away with a 4-4-2 formation, with two traditional wingers. Dunfermline had not read the script, however.
Andy Barrowman thundered a shot from the angle of the box into Fraser Forster’s bottom right corner with five minutes remaining – plus an eventual four minutes added time. Any match report should record that Dunfermline never got close to adding a second goal in the remaining nine minutes, but this was also a period when Celtic lost all composure. Fraser Forster was booked for timewasting and Adam Matthews will never take as long over three throw-ins all season. The final whistle was greeted with enormous relief by the home support.
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Good result tonight and great first 60-70 mins. We should have been 4 or 5 up in that time, but a mixture of bad finishing and bad luck kept it much closer than it should have been. I thought Wanyama was MOTM – he’s fitted in brilliantly very quickly. Commons looked to be on great form until his injury and I think we missed him a bit in the second half. The Green Brigade were magnificent and supported the team throughout – unlike far too many who got on the players’ backs for the smallest mistake. Of course the sometimes scintillating football we played means the odd misplaced pass or missed run etc., but we created so many chances tonight, it was great to watch.
Was very pleased to hear the GB replace ‘Ooh, aah, up the RA!’ with ‘Ooh, aah, Green Brigade’ – I for one am happy to sing that as long as they don’t bring the Provos into it (doesn’t offend me as such, but it offends many many Celtic supporters and creates unnecessary hostility and ill-feeling towards us) – it’s certainly not open to misinterpretation or mis-hearing by anyone who might be listening very hard for something ‘offensive’. Most of all, the GB backed the team at all times in a positive way, instead of undermining or abusing our players or generally panicking once Dunfermline had scored. I don’t generally join in with the ‘hate the Rangers’ chants but come on ghuys – one each of ‘clap your hands’ and ‘stand up’ in 90 minutes is hardly excessive.
Stand up for the Green Brigade!
Hail! Hail!
newradbhoy says:
24 November, 2011 at 01:39
centenarybhoy.
i mentioned this on page one.
alas i also did not get a reply.
sad isnt it.
ive also said before it seems a bit clique.
i shant let it put me off logging on to this fine site though.
one day i shall get a reply one day.
………….
Ok and ye did ask, Eff off ya Hun!
Doing the Huns work was the wee pointer!
Vmhan,bed now,time for the adults to chat..
newradbhoy
On yerself big man, hang in there!
Hail Hail
Coorslad, there’s some on Cqn who would like to turn us against yir mhan, im not wan o them and I can sniff der Hun.
Whits you’re problem? Where are you Fae?
:>)
The LL must be struggling when they’ve got to come on here and fabricate stories about Lenny, easy peasy this Hun hunting.
V
I think der Huns have gone….. Over to the Aussietims et al,
Vinny
HH to ye.
Its seems so easy to start an argument on CQN.
What do they ship styrofoam in…embdy know?
ANDREAS HINKEL’S Celtic career was ended by a shattered knee.
The German has revealed not getting the chance to say goodbye to the Hoops support was even more painful.
Hinkel slipped out of Parkhead unnoticed during the summer after three-and-a-half years in Glasgow.
The horrific cruciate injury he suffered in August 2010 meant his final season at Celtic was a total write-off.
With the Hoops opting to let his contract run out, the popular full-back was thrown on to the scrapheap.
After holding talks with various Bundesliga clubs, he eventually signed a one-year deal with SC Freiburg last month. In his first major interview since leaving Parkhead, Hinkel opened up on his torment over the way his Celtic career finished.
He told SunSport: “It was a shame how it all ended at Celtic and quite strange for me.
“I really wanted to be able to say goodbye to the fans and thank them, but I never got the chance.
“I tried so hard to get fit in my final few months last season. I wanted to help the team and repay the fans.
“I trained with the squad but unfortunately it was impossible for me to play games at that point.
“After the season ended, there was a bit of uncertainty. I could have imagined staying at Celtic but in the end there was no chance.
“My time at the club just ended and I returned to Germany. I really wanted to properly say goodbye to the fans but I couldn’t.
“Playing for Celtic was one of the best times of my life. There are memories I will cherish forever.
“It’s an unbelievable club and my two children, Amelie and Samuel, were born while I was at Celtic, so I will always have a strong connection.
“My family loved Glasgow. I will always return and will always be proud to say I lived in such an amazing city.
“My message to the Celtic fans in simply thanks for the support and all the wonderful memories. They were always great to me and I always look back on my time at Celtic with great fondness.
“I won two trophies and while I would have loved to win more, those medals are very special to me.”
Hinkel knew his time was up at Celtic before his knee injury — with the club intending to cash in on him last summer.
A freak training-ground injury in August put paid to that but the signing of Adam Matthews, to compete with Mark Wilson and Cha Du-Ri, meant Hinkel was still surplus to requirements.
With 21 German caps and a wealth of experience picked up at Stuttgart, Sevilla and Celtic, Hinkel was expected to have his pick of Bundesliga clubs but lingering concerns over his injury meant the 29-year-old faced an almighty battle just to relaunch his career.
He said: “If I had played just one game for Celtic at the end of last season, I would have got a club much quicker.
“I didn’t and clubs were cautious with me. They would say ‘we are interested, but we are worried about your knee’.
“I tried to explain I was fine, that I had trained with the first team for months, but I don’t think they believed me.
“My recovery was excellent. My knee felt strong, but clubs wouldn’t take a chance on me until Freiburg came in. It’s a different challenge to what I’m used to because just staying in the Bundesliga would be a big achievement. I’m enjoying it. I’ve signed a one-year deal, I want to find match fitness and see what happens long-term.”
Hinkel moved into his new apartment in Freiburg this week and uncovered a box of old Celtic DVDs.
He sat down to watch the 2-1 derby win in April 2008 when Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink scored a last-gasp winner.
He said: “That Old Firm game summed up my early years at Celtic. We had a great manager in Gordon Strachan and top players who always battled. We had to win that match. If Rangers had managed a point, the league was over.
“Shunsuke Nakamura scored his best goal for Celtic, Nacho Novo equalised and Scott McDonald missed a penalty.
“It was into injury time and we had one last chance. When Jan scored, I don’t think I’ve ever heard noise like that.
“It was probably my best experience at Celtic. We beat Rangers 3-2 again a few days later and won our last seven games to win the title.
“Tommy Burns had sadly passed away and everyone was so emotional at Tannadice when we won the championship. I will never forget that.”
Hinkel believes Neil Lennon’s team can emulate Strachan’s class of 2008 and mount a famous comeback this season.
He said: “I know the team and the management, and they can still win the league.
“Results have been up and down but there have been a lot of injuries. Players will return soon and if Celtic can win the next Old Firm game, they will be right back in it. It will be difficult but they can do it.”
Margaret McGill says:
24 November, 2011 at 02:50
What do they ship styrofoam in…embdy know?
Peanuts?
‘GG
Great 3 points and at the end of the day that’s what matters. We have cut 5 points off their lead in 4 days
Offski on hols for 2 weeks. Hopefully by the time i get back the lead will have been cut even further
HH to all, apart from the lurking Hun gimps
‘GG says:
24 November, 2011 at 03:12
How dare you call me a peanut and dont try and butter me up!
It makes me so mad so it does….
How many Tims does it take to change a searchlight bulb?
Peripheral visionaries dont count!
4iar
Morning Bhoys and Ghals from a sun soaked Fujairah beach :-)
Great result last night, first hour we could have been 6 in front, some great footie and nowt conceded early doors. Quite worrying how much we took foot off late on.
Roll on Saturday and a 4 point gap.
HH
2010 Never Again
How can this be allowed to happen? It’s getting worse every week. Who is responsible for these appointments?
There is something very sinister about these appointments. Can anyone imagine this happening in reverse, ever?
I see steven (brother of ex rangers player brian) mclean is the impartial man in black for the Celtic – st. mirren game this weekend.
Good morning friends from a drizzly and very November looking East Kilbride.
Job done last night down to an outstanding first half display of passing and movement. Saturday can’t come quick enough.
Jobo
Jobo
chin chin from the sunny village canmbuslang
IMATIM… 0649
Tha will be Steven,brother of well-known Scottish patriot Brian(who opted to play for Norn Iren)
ith none of the criticism aimed at Aiden,or James McCarthy.
Also the same wee nyaff who reported Neil to Craig Thomson at Tynecastle last season. His part in the face-off was airbrushed from history. I thought,as did many others,that his behaviour was worse than Neil Lennon’s that night.
Not a word was said.
In fact,he was PROMOTED! He is now Craig Thomson’s right-hand man.
But he’s still a,oh,fill in the rest yourself…
Evening from a cold wet Sydney Well needed 3 points
Can I just say a big thank you to PL for not able to come to a agreement with Gordon strachey. Could u imagine it. Gordon advising Neil to Play center halfs in midfield when playing away from home and keep it tight against big guns like kille and hertz and ST mirren. Praise the lord, then again PL would struggle to come to agreement if the chosen one wanted to come
Just shows how our CEO keeps the debt low and his salary high by his negotiating for his one target. Ie his bank balance
See we have sighed another utility player and will try him at center half
SYDNEY TIM 0736
Your usual acerbic self,haha!
Next time you’re over,bring your boots,you might get a trial at CH yourself…..
Bobby. I add ask for 100 pounds a week then PL would realise that would break his wages budget and could threaten his Hugh salary and say no
It’s a laugh if it was not true, but our CEO had profited from our teams downfall
Morning all from gay Paree, overcast but I’m stuck in the oaffice anyway (11C max).
For spells last night the Celts played like Barca with Jamesie in the Messi role.
(I find it laughable that the Hootsman’s article of the match has “Uninspired Celts” in the title – for an hour some of the football on show was incredible).
Inexplicably, the “goals for” stayed stuck on two and the inevitable happened in the last 5 (or was it 10?) minutes.
But it’s 3pts and we’ll take it: it narrows the gap to 7 (whch is still a fair amount!) and also stops this Motherwell “in joint-second” crap we’ve been hearing.
St Mirren should provide a stiffer challenge on Saturday, and we’ll have to take things a bit more seriously than last night.
Let’s cut the gap to 4 pts, and see if Killie can do us a favour on Sunday (wishful thinking, I know…).
SYDNEY TIM 0747
Aye,I know.
Disgraceful that his bonus is not tied to success on the park and numbers of season tickets sold.
I cannot comment on his alleged input to player signings,but if true,someone needs their boz booted. Perception suggests that it is,btw.
Sydney Tim
Have you seen a “QUOTE” from anyone within Celtic or from Gordon Strachan that confirms yesterdays Herald story?
MWD
Paul67 –
Mission accomplished. Three more points in the bag. I’ll take any positive result on Saturday too boot. It’s just about getting a winning run going. That in itself will breed confidence.
Good morning from MK where we’re going to have some sunny spells today.
Another good result last night but the patchy performance from the team is a worry.
Their confidence is still a little fragile and the concern persists that we haven’t enough players on the pitch who are capable of stabilising this young team when they suffer a setback, still, a more impressive set of stats from last night’s game with 16 attempts on goal.
Hopefully Kris Commons isn’t injured, onwards and upwards.
Moonbeams WD. \o/ Supporting Neil Lennon 100%. C’mon the hoops: 24 November, 2011 at 07:57
“Have you seen a “QUOTE” from anyone within Celtic or from Gordon Strachan that confirms yesterdays Herald story?”
Neil Lennon confirmed it last night.
Moonbeams WD. \o/ Supporting Neil Lennon 100%. C’mon the hoops. says:
24 November, 2011 at 07:57
Watched an interview last night after 23:00 on Sky with Lenny. He confirmed that they spoke with GS about 2/3 months ago about him getting involved. Neil said it didn’t go anywhere, insinuating they could not agree on the specifics of role. He did not rule out some future involvement of GS.
Got to go mate, talk soon, starting work.
Until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Morning all from a wet and windy North Ayrshire. Looks like winter is arriving with a vengeance. Still, in typical Celtic fashion, we have reduced the difference to 7 (a holy number). Let’s keep the pressure up and get behind the team. Any word about Commons?
a real shame that lenny didnt get his wish to have gordon strachan back as part of the management team. the more real celtic men with experience of winning the better, it’s a mark of the man that he was prepared to work with such a successful celtic manager, who would no doubt be perceived by the press as a constant threat to his job.
shame that he said no, hopefully the next name on the list, sydney tim’s wife, will say yes.
Morning Celts que pasa?
It’s calm and dry on the Fylde coast!
V
Gooooooooooooood morninCQN
Still rubbish weather on the costa
BigjoeindaaaaasHouse
I thought Scottish football was going to clean up it’s act!
I see steven (brother of ex rangers player brian) mclean is the impartial man in black for the Celtic – st. mirren game this weekend.
————————————————————————–
Now, this is a man worth the watching.
BigjoeNottakingCredit,justreeeeePosting
Great 3 points.
What is Commons’ injury? He was the difference in the first half. Gave us secure possession, allowed the team to advance as a unit. Commons gets on the ball and the rest have confidence in him to hold it so move forward in support.
Big Dan was also VG and Victor is just fantastic.
It was 2 going on 6 or 7 by half time and first 20 of second half should have seen a few more.
I’ll take the same again on Saturday, in fact for the rest of the season.
HH
EC67
Vmhan♣ who Supports Neil Lennon says:
24 November, 2011 at 01:12
I love the GB, just hate the siging about Rangers nonsense, we are all trying hard to emphasise how much we hate the old firm tag yet we can help ourselves by singing about them when we arent even playing them, just annoyed me. Apart from that slip up they were brilliant as ever.
Ok. So Neil confirmed it was discussed.
But did he confirm money was the reason it didn’t go through?
MWD