Maloney Mauls Bairns, Vennegoor And McDonald Injuries Give Chris Killen Hope.

You start the day with a 51 goal partnership up front and you end it with two players who only met each other the day before doing a good impression of a partnership as fully formed as Cannon and Ball. Also, a bit part player who looked to be on the way out, suddenly becomes your 'change the game' option from the bench and the lesser spotted Riordon, usely seen wandering aimlessly around Edinburg or in deserted stadiums, getting a whiff of a last chance.

Maybe, that's a bit far fetched but you can bet your last thin dime that our successful olympian, Chris Killen, was glad that he let David Beckham replace him today's closing ceremony, as all the fireworks he needed was at CP yesterday.

With Scott McDonald being laid low with problems with his abductor muscle, rumours than it was groaning under the weight of his arse are unconfirmed, and Vennegoor tearing his tights, successful olympian Chris Killen, who came 2nd only to Usian Bolt as Olympian of the games, has got the chance to drag his carthorse pulling a train frame round CP and other unsuspecting Scottish grounds.

LoTW hopes that he is only seen when we are 3-0 up and we need to give Shaun Maloney or Samaras a rest. In saying that, Shaun made Sammy look like a player yesterday, in fact Shaun made functional and pragmatic Celtic look like a team in the second half.

Football is a simple game if you give the ball to footballers who can play football. If you give the ball to, say, Mick McManus, the chances are the will hoof the ball aimlessly up the park to no-one but..if Mick opens his eyes and see's Nakamura coming short for the ball and plays it to him then we maybe play something that resembles football.

We never got near anything that resembled football until Shaun Maloney came on. Shaun showed the kind of football intelligence that we lacked all last season. His link up play with Sammy was a delight and showed what we lack with Skippy and Vennegoor up front. He was a stick on for MOTM but how did the others fare...

Arfur Boruc, got his gloves dirty having to save a few long range efforts so he will be glad of the clean sheet bonus as he needs the money to pay the £50,000 fine that he got for having a bevvy in Rotterdam. I don't care that he likes a drink. As long as he plays the way he did then he can have cans of Special Brew in the net with him.

Andy Hinkel, had a ok game, he didn't do much but what he did do he done, eh, without much fuss. He still offered us nothing in an attacking sense. On the other flank Mark Wilson had another storming performance and he must be a stick on for the RB role when we do sign a LB or when Lee Naylor returns. Yes, LoTW feels that Lee Naylor returning is the lesser of 2 evils.

In the centre 'heid and hoof' had a new look. Loovens took the heid role and had a quiet game. Won a few headers, had a couple of nice sideward passes but did nothing to suggest that he is any better than what we have. Mick had another out of sorts game. He scored after he punched the ball into the net but his passing was woeful and he looked as mobile as a car with no wheels.

He needs to do the simple thing. Like pass the ball to Aiden or Nakamura. Nakamura once again showed why he should be the first name on the team sheet. He is always available and when he plays we play. We should be doing everything to ensure that the man fae Japan is here beyond this season as CP will be a poorer place with out him.

Aiden, had a decent 2nd period, linked well with Shaun and looked liked last seasons Aiden for at least 15 mins. In the middle, Hartley was Paul Hartley and Scott Brown threatened to become something other than an engima with a poor first touch. I don't understand his role in the team. When Marc Crosas came on for a 15min cameo, when he showed he is footballer, he dropped deeper and allowed Hartley to go further forward. This was noticeable but when Hartley and Brown are the pairing you don't know who is meant to do what.

Up front, Vennegoor spent the first 20 odd mins chasing Micks hoofs and might have been glad to get carted off as it looked like he was in for a unproductive afternoon and Sammy scored 2 goals, one was very lucky as the shot was as weak as Skol lager, missed a sitter and the jury is still out on him. Strikers are measured in goals so he is top dog at the moment for all his failings. Chris Killen, should have scored and did nothing of note apart from make LoTW wonder when Ben Hutchison would be fit. 

Shaun Maloney? I want to have his babies. The only thing that was missing was a goal.

3-0 flattered us as Falkirk had a few decent efforts but they lacked a cutting edge. Our backline was there to be tested but the lack of talent up front will hurt The Bairns. The North Stand 'instantsuccess' brigade went home happy, that we showed signs of life and they will get the chance to boo Chris Killen and pin the scapegoat card on him.

John 'Yogi' Hughes, the Celtic legend who has scored at Ibrox, took part in the new sport that is sweeping Scotland.....referee bashing. He moaned...

"I felt McManus handled it - and okay everyone makes mistakes, but you feel disappointed about it," I'm not going to say too much about the second goal, but from where I'm sitting, that one was offside."

....well, from where I was sitting it wasn't offside and a look at the stats show it wasn't offside. Yes, the first one was a handball but it took me 167 viewings to see it was a handball. The MIB, who is the worse ref in Scotland, wouldn't have had a hope in hell of seeing it.

But hey, lets not let that get in the way of a good moan. 

Our manager decided to ignore the useless MIB and bigged up our new players while ignoring the failings ..he said..

We maybe didn't play as well as we should have in the first half hour, but once we introduced Shaun, that helped as well. I was happy with Marc Crosas went he went on as well, but there wasn't really any disappointments with the team really." 

Shaun Maloney, Glenn Loovens and Marc Crosas should be beware that after their debuts the only way is down......

Highlights here.

Forza

Thanks to Number 7 on KDS for the picture.