Dutch renaissance lifts Celtic

Celtic 2
(Vennegoor of Hesselink 44, McDonald 55)

Aberdeen 0

IF EVERY challenge turns out to be as powder-puff as the one Celtic swatted aside yesterday, the five wins in a row needed to guarantee a fourth consecutive title won't be the slog anticipated for Gordon Strachan's men.

But it is inconceivable that, in the five post-split games awaiting the champions after a warm weather break in La Manga, their opponents will allow the sun to set on them with the resignation of Aberdeen. It was as if the visitors, from the very outset, accepted they would lose. They duly did, allowing Celtic to stretch their Premier League lead over Rangers to four points, a deficit the Ibrox men will seek to reduce to a single point when they face Hibernian at Easter Road this afternoon.

In fairness to Jimmy Calderwood's men they were missing a number of key players and lost Zander Diamond, Jamie Smith and Derek Young in the course of hostilities. Yet that didn't explain the number posted missing who were actually on the park clad in red. Fortunately for them, Celtic simmered rather than came to the boil, save perhaps for the probing and piercing runs of the ever-enterprising Aiden McGeady. Unfortunately for them, they became the latest team to suffer thanks to the amazing renaissance of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.

A fortnight ago, with not a goal to his name in the past seven months, he was the lost Bhoy. Now he's like Kris Boyd. His opener on the stroke of half time was his fourth goal in as many games. If the Dutchman keeps this up, he could end the season in double figures. Maybe it wasn't fully appreciated just how debilitating the groin problem was that cost him the last three months of 2008. He certainly is a more mobile figure, even if his opener yesterday was his third penalty-box poached effort since the start of his revival.

With his strike partner Scott McDonald making sure of the points early in the second period courtesy of a goal the Dutchman played a pivotal role in crafting, Strachan's side can now rely on their forwards for goals. Not so very long ago they were looking to all other departments of the team.

With the score at 2-0 Celtic had so little to fear from Aberdeen that McDonald set about making his own amusement by appearing hell bent on earning himself a red-card. He went berserk after Scott Severin escaped any sanction after taking him out with a wild tackle from behind, and would not stop going ape at Dougie McDonald, even after the referee brandished yellow at him. Calderwood admitted he feared for the squat forward, with Lee Naylor shoving the Australian away furiously.

Elements of Celtic's first half performance summed up why their supporters are twitchy about the run-in, and their slender advantage over their ancient adversaries. It wasn't that they weren't driven, bright or engaging; in healthy measure they were all three. It was just that they weren't effective in turning domination into tangible superiority. Not that Aberdeen did much to prevent them doing so. It was as if a game was taking place around them that, every so often, they just happened to contributed to in the most minor fashion. "It was not the Aberdeen we know," Calderwood claimed afterwards.

It was always going to count against the Pittodrie men that they were without the suspended Lee Miller and the injured Darren Mackie. Chris Maguire did as well as could be expected with the scant service he received, which was not very well at all. In itself, this could be a summing up of the three months Aberdeen have endured since their pyrotechnic 4-2 defeat of Celtic at Pittodrie.

Since then, a Scottish Cup exit at home to Dunfermline and league form that has brought them only two victories has heaped the pressure, and the opprobrium of a bloody-thirsty support, on Calderwood's shoulders.

The body language of the Aberdeen manager told it all. He was throwing hands up in the air, to the ground, and shoving them into his pockets so violently it was a wonder they didn't pop out again at his ankles. His players weren't so animated, in part because Celtic began with real tempo and intent. Within two minutes Shunsuke Nakamura had flashed a header just past, and quarter of an hour later a wonderful diagonal ball on the halfway line from McGeady released Vennegoor of Hesselink. Despite not catching the ball cleanly, he still forced a stop from Jamie Langfield.

The visitors only produced one break in the entire first half, with Artur Boruc saving a Gary McDonald shot from close range, before Gary Caldwell mopped up the danger by heading clear after the ball had bounced up of the Polish keeper. Calderwood attempted to present that as a turning point, but the point at which Celtic would score was always going to arrive. It did within seconds of the interval, with a Nakamura corner, knocked into the path of Vennegoor of Hesselink by Glen Loovens, via his marker Andrew Considine, allowing the towering striker to gleefully pounce and fire in from six yards.

The deciding goal was a far prettier and polished thing. Celtic were at their sharpest and sleekest in the 55th minute move that began when Andreas Hinkel chipped a ball forward to Vennegoor of Hesselink, who laid it off into the path of McDonald to burrow forward and drive low under the body of Langfield. Celtic had opportunities to bolster their goal difference but the most notable moment late on was the introduction of Shaun Maloney, who appeared in the closing minutes following three months sidelined with a hamstring problem that has blighted his season.

It will be a fortnight before Celtic return to action, with next weekend set aside for the Scottish Cup semi-finals. All Strachan's men know is that on the first weekend of May they won't be facing Rangers from the teams occupying the top six. They would surely settle for a rematch with their vanquished opponents yesterday. Could the SPL 'computer' be so cruel? We shall find out today when the post-split fixtures are announced.

Miracles do happen, quips champions' rejuvenated striker
WITH everybody else being deprecating about him, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink opted for a little of the self-variety yesterday as the Celtic striker reflected on his transformed fortunes in front of goal that have brought him four goals in as many games – twice as many as the previous 23 had yielded this campaign.

"Unbelievable. Miracles happen all over the world," the Dutchman offered mockingly. In reality he considers the turnaround as not so much miraculous as inevitable. "It was a talking point, for sure, but I knew if I trained hard, did my bit for the team, the goals would come, and it came." The 2-0 win has, the striker believes, "put the pressure on the other team" in the title race, the Dutchman relishing the opportunity afforded by yesterday's victory to be "the first team to win" ahead of Rangers' meeting with Hibernian today.

Vennegoor of Hesselink, meanwhile, will go in to the final straight with two consecutive fives on his mind. In the first post-split game, he will be hoping a fifth scoring appearance on the spin to take him another step towards a fifth straight title in his career, following two for PSV Eindhoven. A fifth title would be very nice," he said. "You can never get enough of it."

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan never gave up on Vennegoor of Hesselink during his drought that last from the end of September until the start of this month, albeit with forward sidelined through injury for almost three months in between. "It is always good to have the manager's faith and you hope to repay him for that," the player said. "He is really good at the mind games and always does things to keep you on your toes and help you out of a dip."

Strachan praised the quality of his side's win that he felt delivered both the points and entertainment, and was lavish with his commendations for his born-again Dutch goalscorer. "It is tremendous and we are proud of him," the Celtic manager said. "He came through a spell without moaning and groaning and never let it affect the way he trains and relates to his team-mates."