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Review
Pish pish pish, apart from Scott Brown
Teams
Newcastle Utd team:-
Given, Carr, Rozehnal (Edgar 70), Ramage (Taylor 46), Huntington (N'Zogbia 46); Solano (Pattison 46), Geremi, Butt (Harper 79), Milner; Martins (Troisi 65), Luque (Carroll 46).
Celticteam (4-4-2):-
Boruc (M Brown 46), Caddis (Jarosik 77), Kennedy, McManus, Naylor; Hartley, S Brown, Donati, McGeady; Vennegoor of Hesselink, Zurawski (Miller 66).
Referee:
Attendance:
Articles
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Articles
Newcastle inflict heavy defeat on sloppy Celtic Newcastle Utd 4 Celtic 1
CELTIC supporters have long since learned to pay little heed to the results of pre-season matches, but that accepted wisdom will not totally diminish the concerns of those who watched them slip to defeat in Newcastle last night. Sam Allardyce's team, who do not start their season for another two weeks, looked much sharper and more fluent than the Scottish champions as they took advantage of defensive frailty to race into a 3-0 half-time lead.
While Celtic improved after the break, with Scott Brown scoring once and missing two other clear chances, James Milner's stoppage-time strike condemned them to a hefty defeat. Celtic have one more fixture, at home to Parma on Sunday, to iron out the creases in their play and they will hope, like last season, that it all comes right when it matters most. Stephen McManus again wore the captain's armband for Celtic as he partnered John Kennedy in central defence and while Gordon Strachan has yet to formally name Neil Lennon's successor for the job, the presence of Steven Pressley on the bench suggested the younger man is likely to get the nod.
Celtic made a lively start, with new midfield recruit Massimo Donati displaying good awareness with a through ball which almost sent Maciej Zurawski clear, only for the Polish striker to be denied by the altertness of Newcastle keeper Shay Given. It was the English Premier League side who made the early breakthrough, however, with a well-taken goal from their perspective but not one which would have impressed Strachan. After McManus made a blocking tackle on Stephen Carr on the edge of the penalty area, his fellow defenders were slow to react as Nolberto Solano drove the ball back across goal for the unattended Obafemi Martins to guide a right-foot shot low beyond Artur Boruc's left hand from 16 yards.
Zurawski should have produced a quick leveller for Celtic, but his first touch was poor as he latched onto Paul Hartley's pass after some good hold-up play from the midfielder and he scuffed his shot wide. The action ebbed and flowed pleasingly enough to hold the attention of the appreciative crowd and Geremi, one of Newcastle's close-season signings, had the home fans on their feet with a 25-yard shot which sailed narrowly over. The home team did double their lead in the 30th minute, with Celtic's defending again open to serious scrutiny.
James Milner eluded Hartley to deliver a cross from the left which picked out the unmarked Albert Luque some eight yards out. The Celtic players raised their hands as one to claim for offside, but Kennedy had played the Spanish forward onside and he bundled his close-range shot past Boruc. The scoreline began to take on a worrying look for Strachan three minutes from half-time when Luque made it 3-0. Solano, who was causing Lee Naylor all sorts of problems down Newcastle's right, swept over a cross which found Luque at the back post. The striker stole a yard on Kennedy and sidefooted first time past Boruc from close range.
Celtic replaced Boruc with Mark Brown for the second half and the substitute goalkeeper did well to prevent Newcastle adding a fourth goal nine minutes after the restart. Naylor saw his short passback intercepted by Andy Carroll whose shot was well blocked by Brown. The second half was a far more ragged affair, with the inevitable flow of substitutions from both sides, including the bizarre sight of Newcastle sending reserve keeper Steve Harper on as an outfield player for Nicky Butt. Celtic pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute, Aiden McGeady finally producing a moment of creativity with a chipped cross for Scott Brown to plant a firm header beyond Given. Milner restored Newcastle's three-goal winning margin in stoppage time with a low 20 yard drive which beat Mark Brown low at his right hand post.
Newcastle Utd: Given, Carr, Rozehnal (Edgar 70), Ramage (Taylor 46), Huntington (N'Zogbia 46); Solano (Pattison 46), Geremi, Butt (Harper 79), Milner; Martins (Troisi 65), Luque (Carroll 46). Subs not used: Krul. Celtic: Boruc (M Brown 46), Caddis (Jarosik 77), Kennedy, McManus, Naylor; Hartley, S Brown, Donati, McGeady; Vennegoor of Hesselink, Zurawski (Miller 66). Subs not used: Balde, Riordan, Gravesen, Pressley, McDonald, Killen, Irvine.
The Scotsman