| Match Pictures | Matches: 2018 – 2019 | 2018-19 Pictures |
Trivia
- League Game 28 out of 38
- Celtic players are "psychologically fatigued" after the upheaval of recent days, said manager Neil Lennon after their goalless draw with Aberdeen.
- Celtic finally have a week off between games, first time in a long while.
- Celtic waste chance to move ten pts ahead in the league.
- Neil Lennon's first home game as interim manager (second stint): "I'm looking forward to going home".
- Sevco manager Steven Gerrard has admitted his side are no longer in a title race after Friday night’s draw with Hibs.
- Kano Foundation have helped their 9000th kid to Celtic games. Excellent
- Behaviour of fans in the spotlight following spat of trouble at matches, e.g. bottle thrown at Sinclair at Hibs game, chants at matches and one Hibs fan attacking a Sevco player on field.
- Celtic to play Aberdeen or Sevco in next round of Scottish Cup (semi-finals)
- Scott Sinclair’s future at Celtic remains uncertain as the winger is unsure whether the Parkhead hierarchy will extend his contract for another season.
- Scott Bain has credited Celtic captain Scott Brown with keeping the team together in the wake of Brendan Rodgers’ departure to Leicester City. “He keeps us together and drives us through in training and demands the highest standards. He is massive for the club, regardless of what has been going on outside the changing room,”
- Former Celtic assistant manager Chris Davies insists he’ll now be a fan of the club for life after the coach made the decision to follow Brendan Rodgers to Leicester City.
- A former referee insists there is a culture of bullying, cronyism and nepotism within the refereeing system in Scottish football. Derek Crothers claims the likes of Andrew Dallas have been fast-tracked to the top regardless of ability. The SFA have denied the accusations.
- Eric Caldow – ex-Rangers player & captain from 1960s has passed away. RIP
- Keith Flint, frontman in seminal techno/rock/punk act The Prodigy, found dead at his home. Died by suicide, RIP.
- Former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has had his Bearsden home broken into by thieves. Police were called to the property at 1:55am on Wednesday morning.Disgraceful by whoever done this.
Review
(The North CSC of KDS)
Disappointing result that we could have went ten points clear but considering the away form of Aberdeen they were always going to be difficult, plus Mcinnes has a really strong head to head record against Lenny too as managers, it's a pity the home 100% win record is gone weren't too far away from winning every single domestic home game this season, can't remember when that last happened.
But as disappointing a result it was, it hopefully taught Lenny many things in regards to squad selection going forward, some of them were….
Toljan isn't any better and may even be worse than Lustig, we might as well now play Lustig at RB for his experience in trying to get us over the line in the league and hopefully to help us lift the SC and complete the Treble Treble. So Lustig instead of Toljan
Boyata will be pivotal in keeping us solid at the back, Ajer/Jozo are good partners for Boyata but once Benkovic is fit enough he should be back in the team beside Boyata for the rest of the season.
Brown and Bitton won't work together, when McGregor is back fit it's one or the other, with Brown being the most likely player to remain in the team, when Christie and Ntcham are back fit then Lenny will have a decision on his hands, because I would prefer to see Christie/Ntcham beside McGregor for the rest of the season with Brown dropping out the side.
Sinclair shouldn't play another game, the guy isn't good enough, the inconsistency he shows is all to frequent for a player on the level of wage he is, thank him for his service but time to wave goodbye in the Summer, renewing his deal on his current£38K weekly wages would be madness.
Johnstone is not yet ready for first team football and should only make the bench if really needed.
Weah has to start getting more game time, preferably starts.
If Burke isn't going to play on the wing then he shouldn't be starting at all, his best position is a winger and starting him over Eddy up front is a toal nonsense, when fit, Eddy should start every game up front for the rest of the season.
Time to start seeing maybe more of Bayo and Weah in the team.
Above everything though we really have to be getting all our big players back, Benkovic, Ntcham, McGregor, Christie and Rogic are all huge influential misses who we need to get back into the team asap.
As for Lenny? As other have said we drew a few home games last year under Brendan at home and not a huge fuss was made, we had won every domestic home game this season so something had to give eventually and for it to be a team on the back of seven away league wins in a row most of us knew it would be difficult in Lenny's first game back at Paradise. Still needs time to get to know the squad and players can only do so much in less than two weeks with the squad.
Teams
Celtic
· 29Bain
· 2Toljan
· 20BoyataBooked at 41mins
· 35Ajer
· 63Tierney
· 6Bitton
· 8Brown
· 49Forrest
· 52Henderson Substituted forEdouardat 45'minutes
· 11Sinclair Substituted forJohnstonat 45'minutes
· 25Burke Substituted forWeahat 78'minutes
Substitutes
4Hendry
15Hayes
22Edouard
23Lustig
24de Vries
30Weah
73Johnston
Aberdeen
· 1Lewis
· 21Ball
· 4Considine
· 5McKenna
· 29Lowe
· 7StewartBooked at 75mins Substituted forMayat 88'minutes
· 19Ferguson
· 3Shinnie
· 27McLennan Substituted forRossat 90+3'minutes
· 16Cosgrove
· 9Wilson Substituted forCampbellat 45'minutes
Substitutes
8Gleeson
14Halford
17May
18Devlin
24Campbell
30Craddock
33Ross
Referee:
Craig Thomson
Attendance:
59,123
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Forum
MOTM
- Voting Thread
- Result Thread
- Winner –
Stats
Celtic
Aberdeen
Possession
Home66%
Away34%
Shots
Home8
Away6
Shots on Target
Home2
Away2
Corners
Home11
Away3
Fouls
Home9
Away11
Articles
Celtic 0 – 0 Aberdeen: Neil Lennon’s side held in return to Celtic Park
Video Player is loading.
Remaining Time -1:30
Andrew Smith
Published: 16:55 Saturday 09 March 2019
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/competitions/premiership/celtic-0-0-aberdeen-neil-lennon-s-side-held-in-return-to-celtic-park-1-4886608
The Celtic homecoming of Neil Lennon descended into tedium for those of a green-and-white persuasion. For visitors Aberdeen, there was an altogether different slant to their taking up temporary home in the Glasgow area.
In becoming the first Scottish side to avoid defeat at Parkhead since they won here on the closing Premiership afternoon last season – all of 18 domestic encounters ago – Derek McInnes’ men will have emerged emboldened in their conviction that Tuesday night’s Scottish Cup quarter-final replay in Rangers’ backyard need hold no fears. The second game of a Glasgow double-header, Aberdeen will now set up base in the vicinity to spare any travel distractions.
Other diverting issues seemed at play yesterday. Indeed, there was an odd sense that the Ibrox side informed how the encounter unfolded. The failure of Steven Gerrard’s men to win at Easter Road the night before took an edge off the hostilities for Celtic. The game felt like so many to have taken place at the stadium in recent years when the outcome would have no bearing on the destination of the title. Lennon’s side may have failed to extend their lead at the top of the table to ten points but there is simply no way they will squander an eight-point advantage with only nine games remaining.
The sturdiness and combativeness of McInnes’ men in setting themselves up for a cup replay on which their season will pivot appeared more the tale of their latest Glasgow tussle.
Lennon admitted Celtic were flat following the victories away to Hibernian and Hearts the previous week that came against the backdrop of Brendan Rodgers’ beeline to Leicester City and his own dramatic return. They were flattened, in part, by the effective manner in which their visitors put the squeeze on them.
The only chance of note in a dull opening period came from a mazy run by Kristoffer Ajer after half an hour that ended with his low drive being clawed round the post by Joe Lewis. The Aberdeen keeper then thwarted Odsonne Edouard – one of Lennon’s two half-time substitutes, with Mikey Johnston the other – after the Frenchman had tangoed beyond Scott McKenna, before Johnston came close. The contest ended with Aberdeen almost nicking it when Stevie May was presented with a headed opportunity inside the six-yard box, only for the forward to get under the ball and arc it over the bar.
In some senses, it was the calm before the storm for Aberdeen because there is guaranteed to be nothing tame about their Ibrox assignment. It’s importance was strengthening belief within the Pittodrie side’s camp that they can tame Steven Gerrard’s side once more this season.
“Every game we play against them [Celtic and Rangers], we seem to get better and better. We try to get into them with confidence rather than fear now,” said Aberdeen centre-back McKenna. “We maybe need to express ourselves a wee bit more at the top end of the park [but] another clean sheet against one of the Old Firm and we have already beat Rangers at Ibrox and Hampden [this season], so it’s a game we’re looking forward to and we know if we turn up we have a right good chance of winning it.”
Those prospects McKenna believes can only be enhanced by not having to go north and back again inside three days. “It helps us massively,” he said. “It takes six to 12 hours driving out of the legs and you can really concentrate on recovery. We actually did it earlier in the season after the League Cup final [when they faced Rangers in the league three days later] and got a positive result on the back of that, so hopefully it can be the same.”
McInnes will have to do without the suspended Sam Cosgrove for the cup replay but expects to have wingers Niall McGinn and Gary Mackay-Steven in his squad after both missed out with minor knocks yesterday.
“We had a lot of young players out there today and this will help them going into Tuesday,” said the Aberdeen manager. “The intention is to get the club into a semi-final.”
BBC
From the section Scottish Premiership 159
Aberdeen managed to contain Celtic to earn a rare point at Parkhead
Aberdeen managed to contain Celtic to earn a rare point at Parkhead
Celtic missed the chance to stretch their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 10 points as they were held at home by Aberdeen.
Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard went closest for the hosts, who were unable to earn manager Neil Lennon a win on his Parkhead return.
Dom Ball and Connor McLennan passed up the best of the Dons' chances.
The draw means Celtic are eight points clear of second-placed Rangers and 16 ahead of Aberdeen in third.
The hosts had the better of the opportunities but could find no way through as these sides shared a goalless draw for the first time since 1994.
Celtic 'psychologically fatigued' – Lennon
Reaction & as it happened
Both sides fail to cut through
Injury deprived Aberdeen of Gary Mackay Steven and Niall McGinn, but there were still plenty of attacking options in Derek McInnes' XI.
Sam Cosgrove, Greg Stewart, James Wilson and Connor McLennan all started and it was a brave approach from the away side, who were on a club record-equalling run of seven away wins in a row.
That was always going to be tricky against a Celtic side aiming to go 10 points clear, but it would work for the majority of the first half, with Wilson, Graeme Shinnie and Lewis Ferguson going toe to toe with Scott Brown, Nir Bitton and Ewan Henderson in the middle of the park.
Chances were hard to come by. There was a huge penalty shout from the home crowd when Oliver Burke went down under challenge from Andy Considine, but there was not enough in it for the officials.
The game needed a moment of individual brilliance to open things up. Ajer cruised forward to the edge of the box, the Norwegian defender unleashing a low shot which Joe Lewis just managed to push wide. It would be the closest either side would come to making the breakthrough in a quiet first half hour.
Then right on the stroke of half-time, Ajer would have another go. This time, the centre-half bulleted a header into the net from a free kick, but the flag was up for offside.
Stevie May spurned a late header
Stevie May spurned a late header for Aberdeen
Celtic had dominated in terms of possession in the first half but there was a much more even feel to the early stages of the second half.
First, Aberdeen worked their way into the Celtic box, Ball with a near-post shot well saved by Scott Bain. And at the other end there was a chance from a similar angle for Celtic substitute Edouard, but Lewis made the block.
Timothy Weah had a great chance for Celtic from a header but he misjudged his leap slightly and the chance was gone. Another substitute, Mikey Johnston, then flashed an effort across the face of the Aberdeen goal. Minutes later he would squander another chance, firing well wide.
Ferguson would test Bain with a free-kick from 20 yards and there was an even better chance for Stevie May in the 90th minute, but his header from just four yards out flew high over the bar.
'Decent outcome for both sides' – analysis
Celtic Park was packed for Lennon's homecoming, but it would fall slightly flat as the champions 100% domestic record at home this season finally came to an end. However they remain in complete command of the Premiership, eight points clear of Rangers in second place.
This was also the end of the remarkable Aberdeen away record. But in the end this would be very decent preparation for McInnes' side ahead of their Scottish Cup quarter-final replay with Rangers at Ibrox on Tuesday. Aberdeen were organised, resolute and worthy of their point.
BBC
Neil Lennon: Celtic boss says side 'fatigued' against Aberdeen
From the section Scottish Premiership
Celtic were 'psychologically fatigued' – Lennon
Celtic players are "psychologically fatigued" after the upheaval of recent days, said manager Neil Lennon after their goalless draw with Aberdeen.
The champions' lost their 100% home record in the Scottish Premiership and missed the chance to move 10 points clear of Rangers.
The Parkhead boss, who replaced Brendan Rodgers 11 days ago, believes the managerial upheaval has taken a toll.
"We were far too pedestrian with the ball," Lennon told BBC Scotland.
Celtic held by Aberdeen
Reaction & as it happened
"We looked leggy, little bit fatigued, and I understand that. Psychologically, they're a little bit fatigued, too, after everything that's happened. There was always going to be a lull and hopefully that's over now.
"If you can't win it, don't lose it, and it's a point going forward. That's three really difficult games in 10 days and we have come out unscathed. The gap is still eight points so we move on."
Lennon also said the squad is still "very light" due to injuries but is hopeful midfielder Callum McGregor will return to training this week.
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes praised his side's resolute performance and feels they were well worth a point.
The Pittodrie side are now unbeaten in eight away games, albeit their winning run on the road has been halted.
"I'm very pleased," said McInnes, who confirmed that Gary Mackay-Steven and Niall McGinn could return for Tuesday's Scottish Cup quarter-final replay against Rangers at Ibrox.
"We came here to get something and the defensive work of the team was excellent in the first half. We had enough opportunities to maybe get the goal we were looking for but I'd have taken 0-0."