Dundee Utd 2-1 Celtic: Sapsford Magic Heaps Further Pressure on Nancy
Dundee United 2-1 Celtic Keresztes (58′) Sapsford (61′) Maeda (13′) A second-half capitulation at Tannadice saw Celtic fall to a spirited Dundee United comeback, leaving Wilfried Nancy winless after four games in charge. The visitors posed a constant threat in a frantic first half, clearly eager to banish their Cup final demons and secure a first win for Wilfried Nancy. The pressure began in the 4th minute when Luke McCowan released Daizen Maeda down the right. Yang Hyun-Jun stretched to meet the winger’s low cross at the back post, but he couldn’t direct his effort on target. Callum McGregor scooped a clever ball into Maeda’s path moments later, only for Johnny Kenny to fire his lobbed attempt over the bar. Celtic’s persistence paid off in the 12th minute. After capitalising on sloppy play by the hosts, Auston Trusty fed Kenny in front of the United defence. The striker quickly released the electric Maeda on the left side of the area, and after rounding Bert Esselink, his left-footed strike found the bottom corner of Dave Richards’ goal. It was Maeda’s fourth goal in six league matches, and it rewarded Celtic’s blistering start. Unlike their agonising defeat to St Mirren on Sunday, Nancy’s side played here with total conviction. Jim Goodwin’s Dundee United are now winless in seven league matches, and struggled to match Celtic’s relentless tenacity. The hosts offered little early on, with Amar Fatah’s wayward strike from the edge of the box their only half-chance in the opening 20 minutes. Celtic nearly doubled their lead in the 23rd minute when Kenny raced clear of the United defence. However, his hesitation in front of the goal allowed Esselink to recover and clear the danger. United finally settled after the half-hour mark and nearly found an equaliser. A long throw-in fell to Esselink on the edge of the area, Max Watters redirected his scuffed shot, but the on-loan Barnsley striker’s touch trickled narrowly wide. The reprieve was short-lived, as Celtic sliced through the United defence again moments later. Maeda continued to haunt Goodwin’s side, latching onto a Hatate through ball and firing a low cross into the path of Kenny. It looked easier to score than miss, but the Irishman scuffed his effort wide. It was another major let-off for the hosts; Celtic should have been out of sight. In a complete reversal of the first half, it was Dundee United who flew out of the blocks. Zac Sapsford’s right-footed strike was blocked early on after Luca Stephenson capitalised on slack play from the Celtic midfield. Kasper Schmeichel was forced into action in the 50th minute, staying alert to deny Sapsford’s low drive after the ball broke to the Australian in a congested penalty area. However, the equaliser finally arrived seven minutes later. Ross Graham did well to keep Ferry’s cross alive at the back post, allowing Krisztian Keresztes to provide a clinical finish across Schmeichel and into the far corner. The roof blew off Tannadice on the hour mark thanks to a moment of individual brilliance. For the second time in minutes, Celtic failed to clear the danger at the back post, and Sapsford whipped a vicious right-footed strike beyond the outstretched grasp of Schmeichel. It was the Australians’ fifth goal of the season, and triggered a chorus of “sack the board” chants from the frustrated travelling support. The sheer intensity of Goodwin’s side appeared to have startled Celtic. The home side eventually retreated into a defensive shape, desperate to protect their slender advantage. Wilfried Nancy turned to his bench, handing a rare opportunity to Shin Yamada, who blazed wide of Dave Richards’ goal in the 75th minute. It was a golden chance for the Japanese striker, who should have carried the ball closer to Richards’ goal. Celtic’s best opportunity to level came in the 82nd minute. James Forrest flashed a teasing cross into the six-yard box for Maeda, but from only a yard out, the winger could only steer his header off the post. Nancy’s side continued to huff and puff, but were unable to cut into United’s lead. Benjamin Nygren’s free kick was off target in additional time, for their final opportunity of the match. The defeat leaves the Scottish Champions six points behind league leaders Hearts, but they still have one game in hand over their rivals. Dundee United’s first win in eight matches leaves them in 8th place, and they host Hibernian on Saturday afternoon. Dundee United: Richards 8 Keresztes 8 Graham 9 Esselink 8 Strain 7 Stephenson 7 Sibbald 7 Ferry 8 Sapsford 8 Watters 6 Fatah 7 Substitutes: Sevelj 7 Moller 7 Dolcek 7 Celtic: Schmeichel 5 Ralston 5 Trusty 5 Tierney 5 McCowan 6 McGregor 6 Hatate 6 Yang 4 Bernardo 5 Maeda 6 Kenny 3 Substitutes: Engels 4 Yamada 3 Forrest 4 Scales 4 Nygren 4
Rangers Announce Stig Inge Bjørnebye as Football Advisor
Rangers have announced the former Norway international player Stig Inge Bjørnebye in a football advisor role on an initial six month contract. 56-year-old Bjørnebye will take up his role from this week as Rangers prepare for the January transfer window. It’s understood that Bjørnebye’s role will be to advise chairman Andrew Cavanagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe, who will have the final say on transfers in January, however head coach Danny Rohl will also be involved in these decisions. This comes after former sporting director Kevin Thelwell and former CEO Patrick Stewart were sacked on the 24th November following the worst start to a season for Rangers in 47 years. Bjørnebye had a strong playing career appearing for clubs such as Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool in the English Premier League. He also got 75 caps for Norway, one of which being against Scotland at the World Cup in France 1998. He has been the Norway assistant coach and the head coach of Norwegian club side IK Start for a short period. He also has experience of working in sporting director roles at Rosenborg in his native Norway and most recently at Aarhus in Denmark. It’s also our understanding that Rangers are in no rush to announce a new CEO or sporting director, happy to take time to make sure they get those appointments right. Rangers will be looking for defensive cover, a holding midfielder and more striking options as they look to bolster Rohl’s squad for the rest of the season.
Derek McInnes provides an injury update ahead of the big game this weekend.
The Hearts boss spoke with media today ahead of their clash against Rangers this Sunday providing an injury update on some key players. “Beni Baningime and Calem Nieuwenhof are both close to being available for the weekend” “Beni is one that we’re hoping to try and get him on the training pitch Friday” The Hearts midfielder has been missing since November 9th due to a muscle injury. The last game he played was in a 4-0 victory over Dundee at Tynecastle. Speaking on Nieuwenhof he said: “Calem done a wee bit today and if there is no reaction then maybe do a bit tomorrow and we will see where he’s at as well”. The Australian has been missing since August with a hamstring injury. This has been an injury that has seen him sidelined previously. “Ageu is due back from Portugal on Friday after being out there for three weeks” The Striker has had an unfortunate start to his career with the Jambos and is now in a second period of injury with his hamstring. He has been sidelined since the beginning of November as well. The final update was provided on 21-year-old Finlay Pollock who was on loan at Raith Rovers last season. He joins the list of hamstring injuries for McInnes and has yet to be involved this season due to this injury. “Finlay Pollock has been on the grass running as well, trying to make a wee bit of headway with that” The manager did say that there is a “a bit of a bug at the minute” but has not affected the main squad as much. The update confirms no further injuries for the Gorgie side in their preparation for the final game before Christmas.
What matters at the Old Firm: Are modern managers trading determination for data, and steel in favour of statistics?
The days of running up Gullane Beach or receiving a hairdryer to the head are firmly in the past – some may argue justifiably. But have modern managers gone soft? Have they forgotten how to win? And what does this all mean for Scotland’s two biggest clubs. Rangers fans may laugh at the calamitous start to Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic tenure, but they are still bearing the bruises of a similarly bad managerial experiment in Russell Martin. Comparing these two managers isn’t entirely straightforward, one cut his teeth in the highly-competitive world of English Championship football and the other in the up-and-coming MLS in the United States, but there is one area both have displayed a serious lack of understanding that will rightly worry legions of loyal supporters. These managers share a troubling knowledge gap of what these two Glasgow giants are all about. Both have made equally as concerning and mystifying statements in their respective press conferences, and the pair are seemingly incapable of understanding what the key performance indicators are at the Old Firm: winning games, cup progression, and three points. It is a simple concept that both managers have, quite incredibly, managed to complicate. They’ve introduced a modern jargon that previously had no place in the changing rooms of Ibrox or Celtic Park, where grit and questionable language from captains have dominated. It is a jargon that would have never entered the vocabulary of Walter Smith, Sir Alex Ferguson or Martin O’Neill and it is completely unfathomable that these managerial legends would concern themselves with millennial concepts such as “XG” or “Patterns”, their driving motivation was to win the football game at any cost. Wilfried Nancy and Russell Martin have both made statements that have angered more than they’ve appeased, and shown aesthetically-pleasing performances and converting training routines into playing routines take priority over winning games. When did this become the defining factor in either of these two clubs’ seasons? You don’t need to be multilingual to understand the message from the paying-supporters of these clubs, or as Russell Martin once said, “have a foreign sounding name”. It is really quite simple, it doesn’t take an army of scientists, analysts, coaches, or dieticians. It is a fairly straightforward concept that has formed the basis of these two clubs for generations: win. Just win. Win however it takes. Win from the penalty spot in the 96th minute. Win from a VAR decision.
