Champions fail to inspire in Low Key Friendly Outing – by Beyemystic

SPL champions Celtic triumphed in their re-match with Dutch cracks Feyenoord tonight, despite
another disjointed performance which did little to enhance Manager Gordon Strachan’s credibility
ahead of the new season. Following the mauling from Tottenham just days earlier hopes were high
that, with the result immaterial, the meeting with 1970 European Cup Final opponents might
yield a less humiliating performance from the men in the hoops.

To this end, star man Aiden McGeady was pushed into an advanced role behind Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Giorgos Samaras with McDonald consigned to the bench. While the midfield comprised the disappointing Scott Brown and Paul Hartley with the much maligned Massimo Donati playing in the anchor role ahead of a back four of Wilson, O’Dea, Caldwell and Naylor. Artur Boruc was the goalkeeper charged with playing behind this collection of superstars while the bench only contained 5 of the permitted 6 substitutes, one of whom was ‘forgotten man’ Bobo Balde.

The Feyenoord side comprised a number of old friends, not least the great Wim Jansen who is currently the assistant boss at the Kuip Stadium. Also in evidence were the ageing ex-Rangers duo Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Michael Mols, the latter still playing at the ripe old age of 37 and continuing to resemble Mumm Ra from the Thundercats TV series with his trademark lank hair and pockmarked coupon. Internationalists Denny Lanzaat and Tim de Cler also lined up alongside a cosmopolitan collection of youngsters and journeymen. Roy Makaay was at the Olympics keeping Evander Sno company in the Netherlands team.

inadequacy

As the match kicked off it quickly became clear that all was not well in the Feyenoord rearguard.
Shorn of regulars Ron Vlaar, Kevin Hofland and Henk Timmer, Ekramy the stand-in Egyptian goalkeeper and his two bungling centre halves looked completely and utterly out of their depth. Which is perhaps understandable, given that this is the club who made the great Bert Konterman their captain and lynchpin. Therefore after an opening ten minutes remarkable only for an injury to Mark Wilson and Scott Brown offering ’square go’s to various opponents, Celtic went ahead through two quickfire goals which had more to do with Feyenoord’s defensive inadequacy than anything else. The first on 13 minutes was a hopeful punt into the box from Hartley which Samaras brought down, completely unmolested, before flicking a tame shot beyond the flailing ‘keeper. Three minutes later an uncharacteristically Guppy-esque delivery from Lee Naylor was nodded in by Vennegoor of Hesselink who had casually ambled into position past a totally static oppostion defence.

With the match proceding as classic pre-season fayre between two poor sides Celtic somehow found themselves two goals to the good. And events were to take a yet more surreal turn with 39 minutes on the clock when Vennegoor of Hesselink helped himself to his second and Celtic’s third of the evening. Some sensational play from McGeady culminated in a threaded pass for which the Feyenoord defence pushed up, with the exception of right back Danny Buijs who somehow failed to notice the 6 foot 4, 13 stone figure of his compatriot Jan standing immediately behind him. The big man unleashed a textbook effort across Ekramy into the far corner.

unorthadox

Following half time the game petered out even further as numerous substitutions disrupted what little
pattern had been discerable. Feyenoord’s changes included the exotically named Kermit Erasmus – a teenage South African prospect with a peroxide mohican – while Celtic gave run out to the lumbering Hinkel and Balde, the diminutive McDonald and McGowan and the sturdy understudy Mark Brown. The mildly impressive Leroy Fer grabbed a consolation on the hour after Brown had already produced a couple of unorthadox stops using his face.

With the SPL opener against St. Mirren looming, it is to be hoped that a decision over Strachan’s future can be made one way or the other so the side can begin to move forward again after this poor showing in the Feyenoord Jubilee tournament.

Scottishfootballnews man of the match: Aiden McGeady