Kings in Belfast

We travelled to Belfast this weekend to play three games: two against the home team, Ulster Elks, and one versus Dublin-based DCU Saints. Though we lost all three games, making our pre-season record a shoddy 1-4, we were playing semi-pro Superleague sides without our top scorer, and last year's Player of the Year, Simon Flockhart, and a weakened squad of only nine players.

Our first game, after a quiet night in Belfast, was against Saints, who had played the Elks earlier in the day, losing 115-85. We stayed with them, but a combination of their aggressive defence, larger squad, and a collective 4th quarter mind fart on our part, meant that the Dublin side came out on top by about 14. With a further game to be played that day, against the Elks, things were looking rough. We resolved, then, to make sure we didn't embarrass ourselves against a team who had destroyed a side that had just beaten us by double digits.

We certainly achieved that, as we stayed with the Elks throughout. Two FTs from ex-King, Paul Cummins, put the Elks up 2 with only one play left in the game. We struggled to inbound the ball against their pressure, and were unable to run the play we'd tried for. One botched offense and a missed shot by yours truly later, and the Elks post a pretty fortunate win. A very encouraging performance from us, although Elks' ex-Maryland "Terp", Dave Neal, did torch us/me for 47 points!

The next day saw a rematch with Elks, after another quiet night in Belfast, and a further weakened Kings team. Captain, Laurie Costello, had injured his knee the previous day, so 16 year old Davie Rowan started in his place. In a game marred by strange refereeing, Davie picked up 3 fouls in the first few minutes, for perpetrating crimes that bore a striking resemblance to those deemed legal by the officials when committed by our hosts, and so we went further and further down our bench. The game was close throughout, and, although Elks opened up a 12 point lead at one point, we were able to claw it back to only a few points. After what would generously be termed "a few" more questionable decisions, Campbell Flockhart was ejected from the game in a bizarre incident, while Lee Pettet fouled out early in the 4th quarter. Luckily, Garreth Lodge went off in this game, scoring 34 points, and keeping us in it. Our crunch-time five of Garreth, Davie Rowan, Gary Beyer, Steven Dickson and myself, making possibly its one and only appearance on court, after Paddy Campbell had also fouled out, did well, and a free throw from Garreth brought the game within a point in the final minute. After a deliberate miss of the final FT, we were unable to get the offensive board, and Elks ran out winners by 4 points in a very closely fought match, in which the stars of the show, if only for entertainment value, were undoubtedly the men with the whistles.

Big thanks go to the Elks for their mini-bus service, and to Davie, The Captain of Our Ship.

Kings squad: Laurie Costello, Paddy Campbell, Davie Rowan, Garreth Lodge, Gary Beyer, Steven Dickson, Campbell Flockhart, Lee Pettet, Liam McCabe.

Published!

My first articles will be appearing in The Journal this week, so please check them out.

As well as my own work, we will also be running an Edinburgh Rugby article, written by Lewis Mallen.

The paper is available around and about each of Edinburgh's Universities, and is free of charge, so have a read if you spot a copy anywhere.

Hibs v Celtic

This is the first draft of my report. The one that goes into the paper will be quite a bit different, so please check it out! It will also have an article that I'm working on just now, about Hearts, so, please, no accusations of bias just yet...

 

Sunday 30^th August 2009
Kick-Off: 12.30pm

Hibernian    0
Celtic         1
    Samaras, 40.

Liam McCabe, at Easter Road

Greek tragedy for Hibs, as Mowbray returns.

Although the build-up to this early season top-of-the-table clash had been dominated by talk of the return of Celtic's Tony Mowbray to the Club that gave him his start in management, it was to be Greek international, Georgios Samaras that made the difference for ten-man Celtic in this gripping match.

It was clear from the outset that Samaras was going to be heavily involved. Inside the first minute, he went down at the edge of the Hibs box, claiming an elbow from Chris Hogg. Referee Dougie McDonald deemed that there had been no foul play, however, and Samaras was ushered from the pitch by the Celtic physio, nursing not only a sore face, but also his injured pride.

Celtic started well, and a sweeping move from left to right, leading to a McGeady shot, served not only as a warning to Hibs' debutant goalkeeper, Graham Stack, but as a reminder to Hibs fans of the type of football a Tony Mowbray team can produce. Hibs, though, had also threatened; good interchange between youngsters McCormack and Wotherspoon down the Hibs' right allowed the latter to fizz a dangerous ball across the Celtic six-yard line, which was scrambled away by ex-Hibernian Captain, Gary Caldwell.

 

Cregg saw yellow on 15 minutes, after a late challenge on Celtic's Australian forward Scott McDonald, typifying the approach of both teams in a physical opening spell. Hibernian's Riordan, snubbed by watching Scotland boss George Burley in recent weeks, seemed to have been stung into action by this, working tremendously hard to close down the Celtic defenders in possession of the ball.

Celtic came closest to opening the scoring in the early going, and it was to be Samaras who squandered a fantastic opportunity. An in swinging corner kick from the lethal left boot of Celtic's Fox found Samaras on the six yard line, and the Greek, who had, once again, beaten Hibs' Captain, Chris Hogg, to the ball, could only watch on in despair as his header crashed off the cross bar, with goalkeeper Stack beaten.

Celtic had a further opportunity only two minutes later, again from a corner kick, which found McDonald only yards from goal. The Australian, though, completely missed his kick, much to the delight of the home support, and the ball was cleared.

Play was raging from end to end at this point, and Hibs quickly broke down the left through the hard-working Riordan, who was fouled from behind by McGeady as he burst through the Celtic defence: the Irishman receiving a caution for the offence. Riordan's strike from the consequent free-kick provided Hibs' most threatening moment of a half in which much good work by the home side was undone by a poor final ball, yet even this did not trouble Boruc in the Celtic goal, flying, as it did, narrowly wide of his right hand post.

Both sides were demonstrating a good pressing defence, with Hibernian's Sol Bamba, in particular, impressing, and continuing his excellent early season form. The match entered a bit of a lull mid-way through the first half, as both sides drew breath following a hectic start.

Caldwell wasted an excellent scoring opportunity from a Maloney corner, before Samaras once again had the beating of Hogg in the air, heading wide from McDonald's cross. This warning was not heeded by Easter Road boss, John Hughes, though, and Hibs were made to pay the price soon after.

On 40 minutes, Samaras rose highest of all in the six yard box to bullet a header into the net after another fine delivery from the right by Hinkel. Samaras had consistently had the beating of Hogg in the first half, and it came as no surprise that it was through the Greek that Celtic finally got their goal. The men from Glasgow could have added to their lead before half time, had McDonald's lob from the left of Hibs' penalty area fallen inside Stack's post after poor defending had allowed him a run on goal, but it was not to be, and referee Dougie McDonald's whistle signalled the end of a first forty five minutes in which Celtic were good value for their lead. Hibs were yet to pose a real threat to Boruc's goal, with the final ball all too often deserting the Leith side.

Half Time: Hibernian 0-1 Celtic

Celtic emerged first from the changing rooms at half time, clearly raring to get the game underway once more. The Hibernian players were met by a rousing cheer upon their return, and, inspired by this, made much of the early running, winning a corner after only four minutes of the second half. Celtic were caught napping, as Riordan and Rankin worked an early one-two, allowing Riordan space in the penalty box for a fine curling drive, which Boruc did well to turn away.

A second corner kick followed, this time taken direct by Riordan, and the same player almost caught Boruc off his line; his viciously curling, dipping, cross being clawed away from under the cross bar when it seemed certain than Riordan would even the score in unusual fashion.

This excellent start from the home side, and their third corner in succession, gave Hogg the opportunity to atone for his earlier defensive lapses, as Rankin's ball from the right found the former England youth international in an almost identical position to that from which Samaras had scored in the first half. Unfortunately for the Hibs Captain, though, his header looped over the cross bar, and Tony Mowbray could breathe a sigh of relief after this most frantic of starts to the second half.

As Hibs struggled to create in a congested midfield area, Merouane Zemmama, Hibs' Moroccan playmaker, was sent to warm up, prompting a great roar of anticipation from the home fans, as "Zouma" prepared to make his first competitive appearance in Hibs colours for over a year, replacing Cregg in the Hibs' midfield on 61 minutes, as Hibs changed to a more attacking 4-3-3 formation in search of an equalising goal. The most contentious moment of the match soon followed Zemmama's introduction, yet the little Moroccan had nothing to do with it.

Celtic's Irish international winger, Aiden McGeady, set off on a lung-bursting run, leaving two Hibs defenders in his wake, before coming across Hibs' young left back, Paul Hanlon. Hanlon pulled out of the challenge, but not before McGeady threw himself to the ground, claiming a foul. To most within the ground, there did appear to have been contact; however, to McGeady's dismay, referee McDonald decided, as television pictures later proved, that there had been no contact, and that McGeady was guilty of simulation. The referee dealt McGeady his second yellow card of the day, and sent him from the field, sending Hoops manager, Tony Mowbray, into a fit of rage.

Hibs almost took advantage of the dismay within the Celtic ranks, as Wotherspoon, enjoying increased space down Hibs' right in the absence of McGeady, fired an outstanding half volley at goal from full thirty-five yards out. Artur Boruc showed exactly why Celtic paid a multi-million pound fee for his services, as he tipped Wotherspoon's strike onto the post, saving a certain goal, and denying Hibs fans the chance to celebrate yet another long-range strike at the expense of Boruc.

These incidents really sparked the game into life, with both sets of supporters in fine voice. On 68 minutes, Celtic had a penalty claim turned down, after an excellent run, once more, from Samaras, down the left wing saw Hogg slide in to block his low cross. The ball did seem to strike the arm of the grounded Hibs captain, and, while the award would have been harsh, referee McDonald did well to ignore the claims of the large Celtic support, as he waved play on.

Celtic made two substitutions at this point, introducing Willo Flood and ex-Hibee Chris Killen in place of Maloney and McDonald, moving Samaras to left wing and changing to a 4-4-1 formation. If nothing else, this was an indication that Tony Mowbray's experiences in England have added a certain pragmatism to his previously idealistic footballing philosophy.

Killen did well on his old stomping ground, ploughing a lone furrow and working hard when the home side were in possession. Hibs' boss John Hughes then replaced the ineffective Anthony Stokes with Colin Nish, and the big striker almost made an immediate impact, as his curling shot from the right of the Celtic penalty area flew just wide of Boruc's left hand post.

Hibs were throwing almost everything they had at the visitors by this point, pushing their full backs on, and leaving only Hogg and Bamba back, with McBride as the sitting midfield player. The home side were dominant, but presented no real threat to the Celtic goal, despite their man advantage.

As time wore on, Celtic began to show their experience, taking the ball into the corners of the pitch to waste precious time as Hibs pressed. Caddis replaced the energetic Landry N'Guemo as Celtic attempted to their legs fresh in the midfield, as the Glasgow side worked themselves and their supporters into a frenzy with their excellent pressing defence.

Hibs threw Bamba to the front, now, leaving only Hogg and McBride back, with Byrne, who had earlier replaced McCormack, moving upfront to create a 2-3-5 Hibs formation.

This left the Hibs goal completely exposed, though, and Celtic should have doubled their lead in the 88^th minute when they broke three versus one, only for Hibs 'keeper, Stack, to save from Samaras.

Hibs, of course, had the obligatory last-gasp chances to bring the game level, and snatch the point that their second half efforts deserved, but, time after time, chances fell to the wrong men. Hogg, first, and then Bamba, an unbelievable three times in the four added minutes, had chances in the penalty area, that, had they fallen to any one of the Hibs forwards would surely have resulted in a goal. As it was, though, Bamba gave frequent reminders to all in attendance of exactly why it is that he had never scored a goal in Scottish football until the previous weekend's header against Falkirk, and an excellent game came to a breathless conclusion.

Full-Time: Hibs 0-1 Celtic.

Hibs: Stack, McCormack (Byrne, 67), Hogg (Captain), Bamba, Hanlon, Rankin, Cregg (Zemmama, 61) , McBride, Wotherspoon, Stokes (Nish 76), Riordan. Subs not used: Ma-Kalambay, Thicot, Stevenson, Benjelloun.

Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, Loovens, Fox, McGeady, Brown, N'Guemo (Caddis, 78), Maloney (Flood, 69), Samaras, McDonald (Killen, 69). Subs not used: Zaluska, Thompson, O'Dea, Crosas.

Booked:
Hibs – McBride, Cregg, Bamba.
Celtic – Boruc, N'Guemo

Sent Off:
Celtic: McGeady.

Hibs v Celtic: Preview

I'm going to be covering Sunday's game for the "Journal" newspaper, which some of you might have seen around Edinburgh. This is as much an attempt to get my thoughts straight in advance of the game as it is a serious attempt at a preview, so please excuse my ramblings...

Both sides come into this weekend's match on the back of mid-week fixtures, although Hibs' 3-0 win over Brechin at Easter Road hardly bears comparison with Celtic's controversial defeat at The Emirates Stadium.

Wednesday's match did, though, allow Hibs to maintain their unbeaten start to the season, and indeed to build upon a run of five matches without defeat, stretching back to pre-season encounters with English Premiership sides Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers. The Hibs attack has looked sharp in that period, manging to find the target eight times, with the concession of only two goals in response being just as pleasing. Derek Riordan, in particular, has looked far more like the Deek of old, and not the slightly chubby bloke who returned to Hibs from Celtic. His free-kick against Falkirk would surely have received the attention it deserved, had it not been for the sudden and wholly unexpected glut of Ronaldo-esque goals that have chosen to grace the early weeks of the Scottish season, and it can surely only be Riordan's off-field issues which have conspired to keep him out of George Burley's Scotland squad.

Celtic, meanwhile, welcome Steven McManus back into their squad this weekend; the defender having laughed off the frankly ludicrous suggestion that he swap Celtic Park, European football and playing in front of 55 000 every other week for, well...Ipswich Town, and recovered from an injury to take his place among the first team squad at Celtic. Former Hibs stars Scott Brown and Gary Caldwell will also be among the Celtic squad this weekend, with both likely to start the match. Caldwell in particular will be determined to shake off a start to the season in which he has all but changed his name to Jona, while Scott Brown, habitually competitive, has resembled something close to a Tasmanian Devil on his previous visits to Easter Road in Celtic colours. This will no doubt continue tomorrow, and Hibs' diminutive midfield trio of Cregg, Rankin and McBride will have their work cut out as they try to contain Brown's infectious energy, alongside the ever-willing Landry N'Guemo in the heart of the Celtic midfield.

The most interesting side-bar to this Sunday's match will be the return of Tony Mowbray to Easter Road. Mowbray created the best Hibs team for many years during his time in Leith, bringing through the likes of Derek Riordan, Gary O'Connor, Steven Whitaker, Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson and Steven Fletcher, while also giving a platform to players such as Ivan Sproule and David Murphy. Mowbray got Hibs playing what those of the green-and-white persuasion like to call "the Hibs way", and for this he will no doubt receive a standing ovation this Sunday.

With so many ex-Hibs favourites returning to the ground this Sunday, it promises to be a keenly contested encounter.

Eduardo da Silva - Cheat?

There's no denying that Eduardo was, in the vernacular, "F*ckin' at it" on Wednesday night, when he won himself a penalty in Arsenal's match with Celtic.

His manager's claim that there is not "conclusive" proof that Eduardo took a dive is laughable. There's proof right here (0.30)...



...or does Wenger expect us to believe that he "did not see ze incident", as per his normal line whenever one of his players is caught cheating?

Of course, it comes as no surprise that Wenger has once more leapt to the defence of his star - that's part of his job, and no one would expect anything else of him as Manager.

He does, though, begin to make sense later in this interview, in which he claims that UEFA's decision "...singles out a player to be a cheat". While UEFA should be applauded for taking this actively and demonstrably anti-diving stance, there does not seem to be any real reason for them to start taking action now, other than good old Gordon Smith sticking his oar in. I did not see any of the games on Wednesday night, nor Tuesday or Thursday this week, but I would bet my life that there were no fewer than ten instances of "simulation" in the Eduardo mould that will have gone unpunished: so much a part of the modern game has cheating in this manner become.

UEFA's action is the "right" thing to do - they may well struggle to justify it, though, and to put this action into place regularly, without every club, player and manager contesting every single penalty decision given against them, or every instance where they feel an opposing player has been "at it" in the way that Eduardo was.

I don't know the French for "a can of worms", but Arsene Wenger was 100% correct about one thing - that is what UEFA have opened here.

Rangers in Last Minute Penalty Shocker!

Picture the scene...

A tense game comes right down to the wire. Locked at one goal each, with only minutes to play, footballing purists everywhere are hoping that the game will be decided by a moment of skill; a wonder-strike from thirty yards into the top corner, perhaps, or a Maradona-like waltz through an entire team, if we're very lucky.

Well, I hate to break it to you, but this is the SPL, and not exactly the stuff that football purists dream of.

Rangers, having had a man sent off early in the game, and having fallen behind after their goalkeeper, McGregor, doing little to justify his manager's faith, managed to fluff what can only be described as a pass-back from a Hearts forward into his net, pull a goal back through McCulloch. The game remains tight, with real chances few and far between.

Then the inevitable happens - a Rangers player through on goal takes a tumble. A crowd is silenced, awaiting the decision of the man in black. This silence is not, though, one of suspense, or that of a person waiting for a decision. It is one borne out of the Scottish football fan's familiarity with the unwritten laws of the game, the best-know of these being that if Rangers need a penalty, Rangers get a penalty. Shockingly enough, then, Rangers are awarded an 89th minute penalty, which is duly dispatched by Boyd, breaking his duck at Tynecastle in Rangers colours, and giving the Ibrox side the victory.

How unusual.

Hibs in Champions League push!

Who cares if it's only the second week of the season...

A look at the SPL table this evening reveals two very pleasing things. Firstly, Hearts are sitting only two places from the bottom, but secondly, and far more importantly, Hibs are sitting second top.

A deserved, but admittedly last minute, win over St. Mirren last week (see here for highlights), and a good 3-1 away to Falkirk today have given Hibs a 100% record at this stage, with 5 goals scored and 2 conceded. Should Rangers achieve the seemingly impossible, and fail to beat Hearts later today, Hibs could find themselves, with Celtic, as the only teams in the league with a perfect record. Magic!

As an aside, after The Spartans game today a Scottish footballing legend by the name of Eammon Bannon was in the pub, and, as ever, told me to stop growing. Eammon is a guy who has played in the World Cup for Scotland, for Hibs, Hearts and Chelsea, who won the League with Dundee United, and even played for The Spartans for a season or two, turning out against Clyde in the Scottish Cup, when, after a 0-0 draw at City Park, the Spartans earned a replay. Have a look at Eammon's goal (0.41) in Dundee Utd's 5-0 hammering of Borussia Munchengladbach way back in the day, when lots of people actually went to watch football at Tannadice: