SPL Betting: Aberdeen v Celtic

Scottish Football / Michael Lintorn / 05 August 2011 / Leave a Comment

Struggling Aberdeen boss Craig Brown won't be shown sympathy by Celtic

"Aberdeen collected only six points from a possible 54 against top-half clubs in the previous campaign."

Aberdeen have offered little so far this season to indicate that their dreadful recent record against Celtic can be brought to an end at Pittodrie on Sunday.

Rangers aren't in action in the SPL this weekend, opting to use the friendly joker that Celtic utilised to enter the Dublin Super Cup last week to welcome Chelsea to Ibrox, so last season's runners-up have a chance to climb back above the champions.

The Bhoys' decision to head to Republic of Ireland instead of hosting promoted Dunfermline means that they kick off the campaign with two away games, however Neil Lennon won't be too concerned given the ease with which they triumphed in the capital against Hibernian in their opener.

Aberdeen are less likely than Hibs to cause a shock having failed to score in either of their first two fixtures, not an encouraging statistic considering the opposition were bottom-half regulars St Johnstone and St Mirren, especially as they lost all five of their clashes with the Bhoys in 2010-11.

It is no surprise that the Old Firm side are [1.37] favourites, with likely odds of around [2.1] worth snapping up on the visitors keeping another clean sheet given how toothless the Dons have looked going forward since losing two of their top three scorers last term, Chris Maguire and Paul Hartley.

In total, Aberdeen haven't beaten Celtic in ten attempts now, their most humiliating defeat in that period coming 9-0 at Parkhead last November.

Then boss Mark McGhee was gone within a month and though Craig Brown appeared a shrewd appointment as his successor, a promising start has made way for yet more disappointment, with just two of their last 14 SPL matches ending in victory, compared to eight in defeat.

They are [9.8] to claim a long-awaited and potentially destiny-changing win over the Hoops, but you'll do well to find trends that support such a wager, not least because they collected only six points from a possible 54 against top-half clubs in the previous campaign.

It has taken less than a week for Rangers boss Ally McCoist to be made fully aware of the intense pressure involved when it comes to managing one of the SPL's Glasgow giants....

Ally McCoist is [1.4] to enjoy a victorious start to his tenure as Rangers manager when they get the 2011-12 SPL season underway in front of the TV cameras at home to Hearts on Saturday lunchtime....

Rangers start their latest SPL title defence at Hearts on Saturday, but it remains uncertain whether Carlos Cuellar will be involved, as they attempt to push through a move....

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SPL Betting: Celtic favourites to win slowly evolving league

Scottish Football / Michael / 01 June 2011 / Leave a Comment

Celtic manager Neil Lennon salutes his captain Scott Brown after a goal against Rangers

"That Rangers were able to top the table with the largest points haul in six years at a time when they were bankrupt suggests that the gap won’t be closing any time soon."

Celtic haven't won the SPL in any of the last three seasons yet they are the early favourites to be crowned champions of Scotland in 2011-12 at [1.85], with Rangers [2.16] to sustain their dominance in the absence of Walter Smith, who is being replaced by rookie manager Ally McCoist.

But the loss to the league of a ten-time title winner is far from the main problem in Scottish football, as the owners of every SPL club strive to find a format that makes the division more interesting. It's a tricky task given that regardless of whether there are ten, 12 or 14 teams involved, there will still be two significantly stronger than all the others.

The idea of downsizing from 12 to ten is unworkable, according to promoted Dunfermline's chairman John Yorkston, who is unsurprisingly keen on a setup that boosts his side's chances of a sustained spell in the top-flight. His preferred plan is for there to be a pool of 14, though it remains to be seen whether having a dozen lambs to the slaughter will be more entertaining than ten.

So what can be done? One utterly outrageous concept that would understandably be laughed out of Glasgow by the Old Firm but would, in this writer's opinion, succeed in livening things up would be to make double points available against the Big Two, so that a draw against Celtic would gain Kilmarnock two points and a victory over Rangers would earn St Mirren four.

Of course, there's almost no incentive for either of the country's two giants to accept the proposal, however it would have the bonus benefit of preventing Neil Lennon from moaning about the rest of the league not performing to their potential against Rangers, as they'd never be short of motivation.

The other more plausible prospect that gets pundits talking is to march the Gers and Bhoys off into the English football pyramid, yet while that would undoubtedly make for a more competitive SPL, it would see both interest levels in the division and an already unflattering UEFA coefficient plummet.

That Rangers were able to top the table with the largest points haul in six years at a time when they were bankrupt suggests that the gap won't be closing any time soon. Further evidence that the Old Firm's pulling power is still relatively intact is provided by the fact that Reading star Shane Long is rumoured to be on the verge of snubbing Premier League suitors to join Celtic.

Neil Lennon's agent Martin Reilly is adamant that the Celtic boss won't be forced out of the club by those making his life hell, ahead of what promises to be a thrilling finale to a gripping SPL title race.

Something has to give at Parkhead this Sunday as both Celtic and Rangers put their 100% records on the line in a bid to top the SPL.......

Tobias Gourlay imagines that Neil Lennon's first-ever European tie as a manager will end in defeat....

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5 footballers who played for both Celtic and Rangers

/ Dan Fitch / 21 April 2011 / Leave a Comment

The only way this man can cause more controversy is by rejoining Celtic.

Dan Fitch profiles the five players to have crossed the Old Firm divide.

Rangers play Celtic on Sunday in the Old Firm derby. It's the most passionate local rivalry in football and their is absolutely no love lost between the two Glasgow giants.

There are a handful of players who have a unique perspective on the Old Firm clash, having played for both teams. Here are the five footballers who have played for Celtic and Rangers.

The first post-War player to play for both Old Firm sides was the winger Alfie Conn. Starting his career at Rangers, Conn was part of the team that won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1972 and also played in Rangers' 3-2 Scottish Cup victory over Celtic in 1973, in which he scored his team's second goal.

Conn's performances attracted the interest of Tottenham, who paid a then large fee of £140,000 in 1974. He would spend three years at White Hart Lane, before Celtic came calling. Conn's desire to play for Jock Stein saw him make the move to Parkhead.

"He was one of those managers I always wanted to play under. Rangers hadn't come back in for me and I thought I could still learn a lot. So when Stein asked me, I didn't hesitate. Several  people warned me against it but it was only after I signed when I flew back into Glasgow, with all the press and TV, that I realised it was bigger than I first thought. That's when it hit home. It wasn't easy hearing the team that used to cheer for me throwing insults but at least it kept the city talking."

By far the most controversial instance of a player playing for both Celtic and Rangers came when Mo Johnstone was signed by the Ibrox boss Graeme Souness. Having joined Celtic in 1984, Johnstone was a prolific scorer for the club, until he was bought by Nantes in 1987.

After two years in France, Johnstone appeared at a press conference at Parkhead, with Celtic having reputedly agreed a £1.2m deal to bring the striker back to the club. At the time Johnstone was quoted as saying: "I didn't want to leave Celtic and I don't intend to now. There was some rubbish about me wanting to join Manchester United but it never entered my head to play for any other club. In fact, there is no other British club I could play for apart from Celtic."

Due to financial complexities the deal never went through and less than a month later Johnstone signed for Rangers, whose fans seemed even more appalled at the deal than those of Celtic, with many burning scarves and handing in season tickets.

Hailed as the 'new Richard Gough, Steven Pressley was a product of the Rangers youth system, but struggled to establish himself as a first team regular and eventually left the club in 1994, signing for Coventry.

After a short spell in England, Pressley returned to his homeland with Dundee United, before moving to Hearts, where he made over 300 appearances and became the club captain. After becoming a free agent, the then 33-year old Pressley was signed by Celtic. In 2007 'Elvis' was part of the Celtic side that won the Scottish Cup and became the first player to have won the trophy with three different clubs.

Another Rangers youth product who eventually ended up at Celtic was the goalkeeper Mark Brown. He would make just five first team appearances for Rangers, before moving to Motherwell in 2001, where he spent a single season until their financial problems forced them to release Brown from his contract.

The keeper then moved to Inverness CT where he would spend five years. When his contract due to expire in 2007, Celtic swooped to sign Brown for an undisclosed 'six-figure fee', where he would serve as backup to Artur Boruc. As was the case at Rangers, Brown was unable to establish himself between the posts at Celtic and made just 13 appearances for the club, before signing for Hibs in 2010.

Of the five players who have played for either side of the Old Firm in the modern age, Kenny Miller is the only one to have crossed the divide twice. Signed by Rangers in 2000 for £2m, Miller spent just over a season at Ibrox before moving to Wolves on a loan move that turned permanent.

Miller would spend five years in England with Wolves. His contract expired in 2006, allowing Miller to make a controversial Bosman move to Celtic. After failing to score in his first nine games, his debut goal for the club inevitably came against Rangers. The striker never became at regular starter for Celtic and he was quickly sold to Derby.

In 2008 Miller made history when he was signed by Rangers for the second time. It was an unpopular move amongst a proportion of Rangers' support. Walter Smith spoke out against the fans that booed their own player: "If people don't think he's good enough then that's fine but it's my opinion that matters and I happen to think he is good enough.

"That's how I look upon it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but if their reason for not liking him is because he used to play for Celtic, then I thought those days were in the past. They are for me."

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