Dundee Invited Back To SPL

by Dugald Skene

Is the dust finally starting to settle on the Newco debacle at the club formerly known as Rangers?

Let’s not hold our breaths.

Firstly, the Scottish Football League’s vote to condemn the Newco to the Scottish third division is NOT a punishment for the new club, it is merely due process.  Any other outcome would have been a gross injustice to other teams who have fallen to the same fate, no matter how small they are in comparison to the Glasgow club.

Secondly, the SPL have yet to reveal their findings and resultant penalties (if any) on the EBT system employed at Rangers for the best part of a decade.  I’m not going to go into the system, not least because I don’t have the firmest grip on it, but to me, any club that pays 53 of its employees from a fund adopting ludicrous tax loop holes is at a fundamental level terrible business, and should be punished as such.  What those sanctions are, we will surely find out soon enough. 

That’s my two pennies worth.

So why start blogging now about an issue that has gone on for months?  Well, it’s not all about Rangers or their new identity.  Their demise has also affected a number of other Scottish clubs, both now and will no doubt continue to in ways we may not be fully aware of yet.

It was announced yesterday that Dundee Football Club have been invited to be the ones filling the void from the departed Rangers, fulfilling the role of ‘Club 12’ in the 2012/13 fixture list.  Simple, right? Not quite, not least because of the way it affects that fixture list.  With the way it has currently been set out, Dundee would be playing at home at the same time as city rivals Dundee United on 9 occasions, meaning the SPL will have to re-jig a number of the fixtures causing as few ripple effects to the timetable as possible.

Dens Park is set to host SPL fixtures again next season

I don’t disagree with the decision to admit Dundee to the league.  Their efforts on the pitch in the first division both last term and the season before, having suffered a 20 point deficit for entering administration for the second time, are testament to a real resolve at a club that has had to survive with the scarcest of resources.  Their reward of being admitted to the SPL is well deserved, in a purely footballing sense.

How much they and the rest of the SPL clubs profit in the coming season depends greatly on the TV deal that the SPL strikes with Sky and ESPN. With arguably their ‘stand out’ fixture of Celtic taking on their Glasgow neighbours (whichever guise you take them as) not on the cards for at least another 3 years (by which time the fixture may not be the rivalry many assume), many predict a huge cut in the TV money coming into the league.  SPL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster has remained tight lipped about any deal, but has implied that it will be a case of damage limitation.  Both Sky and ESPN were due to sign a £80 million five year deal, but still have a £13 million annual contract to run for the coming season which may or may not be renegotiated.

So there are still a huge number of things to come out yet about the state of the league, the numbers of clubs and fixtures within it and the money coming in.  What’s almost certain is that Dundee are coming into a league that won’t have nearly as much money as it has the last time they enjoyed premier league football.

Celtic Win SPL Title

by Dugald Skene

Celtic clinched the SPL title, their first 2008, with an emphatic 6-0 victory over a lacklustre Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

Braces for the outstanding Charlie Mulgrew and league top scorer Gary Hooper were added to goals from Glen Loovens and crowd favourite Joe Ledley in a a game that resembled little with the intense contest that saw Killie come out on top in the League Cup final.

There was no chance of Celtic making their fans sweat as Mulgrew's first and Loovens added a second before 20 minutes were up. Mulgrew's second and a lovely volleyed finish from Hooper from Mulgrew's cross made it 4-0 at half time. The party was well and truly underway by now as the Celtic faithful ran through the full repertoire of songs in the East Ayrshire sunshine.

Kilmarnock provided a little more opposition in the second half but Celtic only had to contain the game as they enjoyed the vast majority of possession. Two late goals from Ledley and Hooper either side of the 90 minute mark put a gloss on a game where the score mattered little.

Celtic can now celebrate before the league splits. They have been by far the most consistent team through the course of the season and after a sluggish start, have lost only 1 league game in 6 months.

Manager Neil Lennon has hailed today as the 'best day' of his career, and one that sees him propelled from legendary status at the club to nigh God like status having led the club to league titles as player, captain and now manager.

An emotional Neil Lennon after the final whistle

After the match, captain Scott Brown said 'the team owed Neil Lennon the title' having come so close the previous campaign only to lose out by a single point.

After the disappointment of the League Cup final defeat, Celtic can now look forward to their Scottish Cup semi-final next week against Hearts at Hampden and hopefully the final beyond that to secure a domestic double.

Celtic Looking To Secure Title On Saturday

by Dugald Skene

After a cup final loss and their first league loss since early October in their last two matches, Celtic returned home to play St Johnstone at Celtic Park to get their inevitable title bid back on track.

In their first home game since 25^th February, the best home record in the league went up against the best away record and it was Celtic who came out on top after a fairly stuffy affair with goals from Georgios Samaras and an own goal from Chris Millar in the 66^th and 70^th minutes respectively.

The game itself wasn’t much to write home about, although Celtic will come away more relieved they got the win than anything else.  It steadies the ship and sets up a chance next week to clinch the title against the Kilmarnock (who beat Celtic in the League Cup final) at Rugby Park, the same place that saw Celtic turn around their season on October 15^th 2011.

3-0 down at half time that day, Celtic pulled it back to draw the game 3-3, providing the impetus to go on a 20 game domestic winning streak over the Christmas period and into the New Year, overhauling a one-time 15 point deficit to then league leaders Rangers.

Charlie Mulgrew's 80th minute equaliser turned

Celtic's season around

Celtic won’t want this weekend’s game to be that tense, but a draw would see them clinch the title before the league splits for the run in.  It would be Celtic’s first championship since 2008.

Celtic have come into criticism from some quarters over their ability to execute when they need to following the league cup final defeat to Kilmarnock and missing the chance to clinch the title at Ibrox just over a week ago.  In the lead up to the game against St Johnstone, much improved defender Thomas Rogne was defiant about his team’s mentality, stating “We played big games before, we won them, so I don’t think it’s a mental thing.  Going into big games is not a problem for us.  It is something we look forward to”.

St Johnstone was a big game, and Celtic came through it without sparkling, but as various commentators said at the time, that’s the sign of champions.  The clash with Kilmarnock this weekend is no different and Celtic will look to clinch the league title.  Asked if there were any thoughts of revenge following the cup final defeat, striker Georgios Samaras was quick to emphasise the that all attention was on winning the game and the title.  “We are not looking at the past, we are looking at the future”, he said.  “It was a final, they won it, it’s finished.  We don’t go there with our minds on revenge”.

Manager Neil Lennon may well use the cup final result as a source of motivation rather than revenge, but he will no doubt make it clear to his players that the most important thing is to get the result on Saturday.  It would be a climax to a very good league season for Celtic having run their city rivals so close last season after a dreadful spell under Tony Mowbray.  Lennon has turned the team around and he and his team thoroughly deserve their title when it comes.  Celtic will be looking to make sure of it on Saturday.

Celtic Winning Run Ends But Lennon's Young Squad Looking Strong

by Dugald Skene

Celtic’s 1-1 draw at Aberdeen on Saturday ended a superb run of 20 consecutive wins in all domestic competitions. But for a deflected Gavin Rae strike off the unfortunate debut starter Andre Blackman, Celtic could have stretched it to 21.  But that number isn’t wasted.  With rivals Rangers failing to get any result at home to Hearts, Celtic’s lead at the top of the table is now 21 points.

Celtic haven’t lost a game since their 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid on 30^th November and they haven’t dropped points in domestic game since a 0-0 draw with Hibs on 29^th October.  Their last domestic loss was on 2^nd October in a 2-0 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle.

With all of the off-field problems across the city at Rangers, Celtic have kept their concerns on the pitch and manager Neil Lennon has ensured that whatever is happening at Ibrox, it cannot and will not affect Celtic’s bid for the domestic treble.

Neil Lennon has matured himself and his team this season

Celtic have played the best football of any side in the league and their results mean they deserve to triumph in a league that they are increasingly looking like winning.  Whether or not you consider the 10 point deduction inflicted on Rangers, Celtic still have a healthy lead over their rivals and that cannot be ignored.  Given the 15 point deficit they had to Rangers back in September/October, it is a remarkable turnaround.

The most encouraging factor for the Celtic fans about the form and the way the team are playing, bearing in mind particularly that they have conceded only 5 goals in that 20 game winning run, is that the average age of the team has consistently been around the 23/24 year old mark.

Neil Lennon has made plain his early ambitions to bring in experienced talent to the club when he first joined, touting names like Sol Campbell and Jimmy Bullard.  Ultimately, these players were considered beyond budget and so Lennon’s hand was forced to go for younger and more inexperienced players with the likes of Beram Kayal, Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama all coming into a new look squad.

It’s a credit to Lennon, his team and his youthful cohorts that they have managed to gel so quickly and start to turn out the results they have.  Should they go on to win the league as looks most likely, it will be a huge achievement for such a young group of players and coaching staff.

Lennon Leads Celtic To The Top

October 15th 2011 is a day that will stick in my memory for a number of reasons.  The first, and clearly the most important is that it was the day I got married. But as I stood there in the church with my new wife, we were getting constant goal updates from Rugby Park where Kilmarnock were taking Celtic apart 3-0 at the halftime mark.

It proved to be a pivotal moment in the first half of the season for Celtic.  Whatever Neil Lennon told his men during that 15 minute break, it worked as Celtic clawed back the deficit to draw the game 3-3.

A point well saved, but certainly 2 points dropped and it dropped Celtic down to a 15 point deficit to league leaders and arch rivals Rangers, with Motherwell even taking the second place spot from the Hoops.

How times have changed.  Wednesday's 1-0 win over Rangers at a blustery Celtic Park completed a comeback that now sees Celtic top the table following a 9 win streak which began with a 2-0 win away at the then second placed Motherwell.  The streak sees Celtic taking 27 points from 9 games having only attained 23 points in the previous 12 games.

Joe Ledley scores the only goal against Rangers

So why the change in form, and more importantly the consistency of that form?

There's no doubt that the overall form of the team is down in large part to the form of individual and key players.  A prime example of one of those players is Georgios Samaras.  The love-hate relationship the Celtic fans have with the Greek is well known.  He often looks to be uninterested in games and so doesn'tinvest himselffully to the Celtic cause to the frustration of the fans, his teammates and the managerial staff.  However Lennon looks to have got h best out of Samaras these last few weeks, resulting in Samaras scoring goals including a brace against Kilmarnock on Christmas Eve.  Samaras goals are collectors items, but more often than not they come in important games.  But more than that is his seemingly renewed enthusiasm for playing the game, and in so doing has forged a strong relationship with striking partner Gary Hooper.

Celtic still have their problems.  I have lost count on the number of different back 4 combinations Lennon has been forced to field as a result of multiple injuries and suspensions.  Wednesday's game saw Thomas Rogne comfortably contain Nikica Jelavic despite a lack of game time this season, and Adam Matthews dominated the right flank on his return from injury.  The versatile Victor Wanyama was again outstanding in midfield after performing brilliantly at centre half against Kilmarnock and looks every bit the seasoned veteran at the age of just 21.

The youth of these players mixed with the tenacity and experience of the excellent Beram Kayal, Joe Ledley and Scott Brown is proving to be a balanced and potent mix for Neil Lennon.

Celtic have clawed their way back to the top of the table for the first time since April and without a consistent defensive lineup and key players like Emilio Izaguirre who is close to his comeback in the New Year.  The future looks bright for the Hoops, and much credit has to go to Neil Lennon and his young coaching team.  There were doubts about his lack of experience and his motivational ability outlasting the initial surge following his arrival late in the 2009-10 season. 

However, having narrowly losing the title by a single point, winning the Scottish Cup and now leading his team through this latest turbulent half of the season, Lennon is looking every bit the accomplished manager and indeed the man for the job at Celtic for the coming seasons.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though.  There are no prizes for leading the league at New Year and Lennon will be all too aware of the challenge ahead of his team in the first half of 2012.  Let's hope this rich run of form continues to the end of the season.

In the meantime, I'd like to think that my marriage is a good omen for Celtic.

Winners & Losers (19/12/2011)

So it has been another week of up's and down's in the world of sport. Here are the stories of heroics and disappointment that have caught the attention of The Skene Skrum.
Winners

Luke Donald - With his third place finish at the Dubai World Championship, Donald confirmed his World Number 1 status and in doing so, was named the European Tour Golfer of the Year, two days after scooping the PGA Tour's player of the year award. I'm sure the £7.82 million in prize money this year hasn't hurt either!

Luke Donald busy dominating golf

Indianapolis Colts - Yes, they finally did it, they won a game this season! Quarterback Dan Orlovsky won his first NFL game as a starter, leading the Colts to a 27-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Scottish Rugby - As we head towards the epic Christmas double header that is the 1872 Cup, both Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby go in with good form, each only losing 2 of their last 8 games. With 2 games remaining, both clubs are still very much in the hunt for quater final places in the Heineken Cup as well. A special mention also to Ayr, who beat Bristol in the British & Irish Cup.
The SPL - After a busy weekend for the Scottish Premier League, it was announced today that they are to pilot the return of safe standing areas within premier league grounds. With successful precedents across the continent, a positive pilot programme could lead to increased attendances and better atmospheres across the country.

Losers

Darren Fletcher - The Scotland and Manchester United midfielder announced he would be taking an indefinite break from the game to recover from the rare bowel condition ulcerative colitis. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he returns before long to continue what has already been a very successful career for the 27 year-old.

The Green Bay Packers - They will be popping the champagne corks in Miami as the '72 Dolphins will remain the only team in NFL history to record a perfect season. The Packers lost at the Kansas City Chiefs 19-14 in a surprise result that sees the Packers go to 13-1.

NFL Coaches - Both the Kansas City Chiefs and The Miami Dolphins lost their head coaches as Todd Haley and Tony Sparano became the first victims of the season. And there are a few more that are on the edge with Raheem Morris (Tampa), Jim Caldwell (Colts), Steve Spagnuolo (St Louis) and even Tom Coughlin (Giants) far from safe after disappointing seasons.