| Hungry Hartson hits four |
Recalled striker John Hartson scored four
times as Celtic pulled within a point of leaders Rangers after
annihilating Aberdeen 7-0 at Parkhead.
 It took Hartson 26 minutes to break through, but once he had it was as good as game over as Henrik Larsson, Bobo Balde and Shaun Maloney added to the Welshman's quartet. The Bhoys began the game in typical attacking fashion, with Chris Sutton firing over the bar from long range in the second minute. Derek Young whipped in a shot from Eric Deloumeaux's cross at the other end, but Rab Douglas was equal to it. Hartson scored his first with the half-hour mark looming, powering a header beyond Dons deputy keeper David Preece following Steve Guppy's cross. Alan Thompson curled a free-kick straight into the arms of Preece shortly afterwards and then Hartson doubled his tally with a crisp strike after he was set-up by Larsson on 35 minutes. The former Arsenal and West Ham man might have clinched a first-half hat-trick but his header from Petrov's cross drifted over the top four minutes later, before Larsson himself added the third with a fine free-kick after Roberto Bisconti fouled Sutton. After the interval, Douglas was called into action to stop a Bisconti effort, before Hartson grabbed his third with a precise lob over the top of Preece. Larsson curled another free-kick over and Hartson missed two more headed chances, but Celtic did get the fifth in the 71st minute through the unlikely Balde, whose neat finish was too good for Preece. Then Hartson notched his fourth of the afternoon with a right-footed finish from Momo Sylla's cross, before Maloney completed the scoring in the closing stages to take the Bhoys' points tally to a mighty 34 from 13 league games played. Old Firm move down South more likely
THREE happenings in recent days, put together, might well prove to be the first real portents of a sea-change in the argument over the Old Firm's desire to move to the English Premiership. First, Adam Crozier appears to have been ousted from the FA by dint of the major clubs' power; second, Celtic and Blackburn gave an indication of the excitement and anticipation meetings between the two Scottish clubs and the English teams could engender; third, three Dutch clubs are bidding to join the Bundesliga in Germany. Each one of these separate events has a serious significance in the way it could influence the thinking of the power brokers of the football business at home and abroad. The removal of Crozier, who may have stood between the Premiership clubs and their intentions to be the real movers and shakers in the English game, was a clear illustration of the direction in which football continues to move at the top level. FIFA and UEFA will maintain their insistence that they will always deal first and foremost with the affiliated FAs of countries in their remit, but there is no doubt at all that the rise and rise of club football as a European entity has brought with it great wealth and even greater power to the elite teams in the major population belts. For a long time there has been a feeling among club executives that the football associations belong to an era that is past, that football at the highest level should be driven by the people that draw the crowds and entice the television companies. The G14 group, which comprises the biggest of European clubs, came very close to forming their own Champions League a few years ago and have grown no less powerful since. It is difficult to foresee a future where the professional game will always be run by associations whose remit covers a huge spectrum that includes amateur, youth and junior football as well as referees and disciplinary matters. If Celtic and Rangers are not in the exalted European company, their pulling power and magnetic attraction to TV interests make them prime financial assets for any league. Any major Premiership executives who followed the build-up and then the first leg of the UEFA Cup between Celtic and Blackburn could scarcely have failed to see the benefits of having a regular injection of the English-Scottish rivalry in their league. Then there is the attempt by Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord to move into the Bundesliga. The talks going on between the two countries' league representatives are not dissimilar to what happened at at an earlier stage between the Old Firm and the Premiership. Those collapsed mainly because of a firm rejection of the idea by UEFA, backed by FIFA, which was also the fate of the Atlantic League, when the same Dutch clubs wanted to ally themselves to the Old Firm to form a European League. Yet how long can the authorities keep on trying to stem the tide? No doubt they will reject the Dutch-German axis as well, but the idea, the raison d'etre for these movements, will not go away. The departure of a highly successful leader of the FA is also an important landmark in the changing face of the game. Clubs, the big clubs, are intent on running the show and, while the determination of the associations, including FIFA and UEFA, to keep them in check and perpetuate their own status might be as strong as ever, the truth of modern sport is that money, and thus power, is the motivation that usually wins out in the end. If the movement to bring in clubs from other countries into more glamorous leagues, thus making them even more potentially attractive to commercial sponsors and TV markets, continues to grow, the chances of it succeeding one day must be high. It is also not unreasonable to imagine that, having seen the recent evidence of an Old Firm game which was major success on British TV and the clamour that surrounded the Celtic-Blackburn tie last week, which also proved to be a major draw on national television, the directors of the top English clubs could envisage any new TV satellite deal being enhanced by the promise of Old Firm participation. The G14 group are said already to be alarmed at what appear to be falling TV audiences for the Champions League in the major countries, and are not all enchanted by UEFA's proposal to reduce the number of games involved in the top tournament. They may want to see more radical changes that would bring about a revitalising of the two European competitions. The lesson is that familiarity does breed complacency among viewers. It is not inconceivable that this could happen in the English Premiership, too, in which case that would be another reason for seeking out Celtic and Rangers. There is a momentum gathering that may have some speed yet to gather but, in the long run, may be impossible to halt.
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| O'Neill scotches Petrov talk |
Martin O'Neill has denied that Stilian Petrov has turned down a new contract with Celtic.The Bulgarian midfielder was said to have rejected a new long-term deal, but the Parkhead boss was confident he will sign the deal within a matter of days."Talks are still on-going," said O'Neill. "But we should be able to resolve it very soon. I'm pretty happy with the way things have gone."The Celtic boss has more pressing concerns to worry him with the four-goal show from John Hartson in their 7-0 mauling of Aberdeen at Parkhead.It was the Wales international striker's 10th goal in four starts which has put more pressure on O'Neill and first-choice strike duo Henrik Larsson and Chris Sutton.His manager admitted his strike rate was phenomenal - but confessed he still cannot guarantee a regular starting place."We had a lot of chances and John missed one or two," enthused O'Neill. "But he was magnificent today."John Hartson is a top-quality player and a terrific goalscorer and he will score goals in any league and every time he is on the pitch."He was involved in the winning goal on Thursday and he deserved his chance today as he has done all season."He's had a bit of niggly knee injury which is not enough to get him overly concerned about, but he keeps missing training."But he's feeling fine and he is buoyed by Wales' efforts and he will be full of confidence at the minute and I'm actually delighted for him."My opinion hasn't changed of John Hartson. He has been crying out to play in the side and he wants to play for the club."He feels he is good enough for the club and he has proved it every single time he has stepped in. He was terrific today and I'm absolutely delighted for him."His goal ratio when you look at the minutes he has played on the field is extraordinary. The only way I can keep him happy is to give him a 15-year contract."
Martin O'Neill has
admitted he would like to add Brazil midfielder Kleberson to his
Celtic squad when the transfer window reopens in January. 
The Atletico
Paranaense player, who helped Brazil to World Cup glory this summer
and often kept Juninho out of the Samba Boys team, has been on
O'Neill's wanted list for a few months.
The Bhoys boss had a
move for 23-year-old Kleberson rejected earlier this season, but he
may renew his interest in January as he bids to bolster his Parkhead
squad.
O'Neill's Scottish champions currently trail arch rivals
Rangers in the SPL, and the boss said: "If we could add a player of
that ability and calibre to the club it might help us.
"People
talk about him as a defensive midfield player, but he does get
forward.
"He is more defensive-minded at times than little
Juninho, who he replaced in the (World Cup) matches, but he's an
attacking player.
"The idea was that it would give me somebody
who could take on a few players and can shoot, but we have what we
have until January and we'll see where we go from there."
Glenn Gibbons
on avoiding being misled by scorelines
That old mathematical correlation of results that made Scotland world
champions in 1967 - by dint of their having beaten the actual holders of the
title, England, at Wembley - enjoyed a resurrection in Glasgow the other day, as
the mickey-takers established a case for recognising Celtic as the most
formidable team in Britain. Blackburn Rovers beat Arsenal at Highbury, Martin
O'Neill's side defeated Graeme Souness's team at Parkhead, so.... It is, of
course, an exercise in logic that is as sound as cardboard flooring.Scorelines
can be wickedly misleading, and anyone who witnessed the Scottish champions' 1-0
victory over the Lancashire side in the first leg of their Uefa Cup tie on
Thursday will testify that this one was a grotesque distortion of the difference
between the teams during the 85 minutes that preceded Henrik Larsson's goal.
This would include O'Neill himself, the Celtic manager, appearing on Friday to
be still trying to rationalise an event in which his players were largely
outperformed but managed to remain favourites to reach the third round of the
competition. This did not present him with too many problems, as he has been in
football long enough to be thoroughly familiar with its capacity for paradox.'I
promise you this now,' said the Irishman, 'we will play better in the return at
Ewood Park, because I know we can. But it doesn't mean we'll win the
match.'
O'Neill is entitled to his belief that his players' level of performance will be raised on Thursday week, if for no other reason than it could hardly have been any lower than it was on their own turf. Regular Celtic watchers, as well as those occasional observers who have seen them on television in the past year or so, impressing in home victories over visitors such as Juventus and Valencia, would have been shocked by their deficiencies on a night when they appeared at times to be playing in leg irons.Even elementary passes often seemed beyond them, while their pedestrianism - especially during a first half in which they looked as mobile as trees - made them alarmingly vulnerable to the sustained surges of opponents whose quickness and accuracy made them toweringly superior. This was particularly pronounced in midfield, where Paul Lambert, Neil Lennon and Stilian Petrov were, for a considerable period, so far off the pace that they doubled the numerical strength of the three-man defence with which O'Neill had started the match. The result was an unfilled space the size of an open-cast mine between them and Larsson and Chris Sutton in the front line. O'Neill did not attempt to disguise his concern over his team's potentially devastating failure to come to terms with the tempo of the match until the second half. It was he himself who pointed out that his team have now demonstrated this tendency in each of the three home fixtures they have played this season against opponents of substance. In the Champions League qualifier, FC Basel scored in the first minute and, despite eventually losing 3-1, the Swiss qualified for the group phase of the premier competition through that away goal. In the first Old Firm match of the season, a similarly halting start allowed Rangers a seventh-minute lead and, even if Celtic were from then on appreciably more convincing than their fiercest rivals, they still had to settle for a 3-3 draw. Against Blackburn, serious damage was averted by a decent save from Robert Douglas and some desperate, lungeing blocks, as Damien Duff, David Thompson, Garry Flitcroft and Dwight Yorke swarmed in the vicinity of the home goal.
' if you can get into a European match away from home,' said O'Neill, 'and enjoy 15-minute spells in possession, unopposed, you're going to take terrific confidence from it. That was the most worrying aspect for me, that after half an hour, when the early nerves should have been gone and we should have been settling into the pace of the game, we actually went backwards.'It was in the 15 minutes before half-time that Blackburn had the ball to themselves. We not only gave them it, but didn't win it back quickly, and so we were constantly chasing. These Blackburn players every week face opponents who can all pass the ball well, and who play at a high tempo, but controlled. 'There's no doubt that these European games against teams who are used to that are a stride quicker and it's something we have to learn to cope with. But we can set out in the return match with the best intentions in the world and still have to endure another 15 minutes of the same kind of pressure. 'We turned things around in the second half of the match mainly because we managed to impose our will more effectively. It was that as much as anything else that allowed us to play further forward, get nearer to our strikers and, eventually, get the goal that won the match. We will require the same kind of willpower for the return, but much earlier than we managed in this game.' Blackburn had their own flaws, the most obvious of which was the failure to translate their authority into goals, or even clear-cut opportunities. In the context of their own general superiority, they were disappointingly lacking in genuine menace for much of the time.Souness dwelled on the lack of fitness of Duff and Andy Cole - the latter a second-half substitute - and promised better on their own ground. As European football regularly demonstrates, that could be rather a dangerous assumption to make.