Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Celtic v Deek’s Diets

THE FRIENDLY GHOST – 6.5/10 – No calamity from Kasper as he was exposed like Jamesy’s third leg for both goals. Did his thing when he was counted on to defy them and provided the Celtic highlight of the day when he Panenka-ed the entire stadium with a perfect dinked clearance that triggered a few overly-sensitive souls’ anxiety complexes.

KATIE – 6/10 – Well, KT passed the isolation test, finding no problem playing in a back three and was solid enough, also providing the goal nobody in advanced positions could be bothered to…

OF JUSTICE – 5.5/10 – Liam was quiet, mainly because his big American cohort wouldn’t let him have a kick. When he did have it, his often precise passing failed to manifest and we never got the sweeping, forward changes of momentum he can bring. Did cope reasonably with Hearts’ skill-merchants.

CRUSTY THE CLOWN – 7/10 MOTM – “It’s ma ball and you’ll only get a shot of it when I decide…” For the majority of the game – certainly the opening 45 – it felt like Austin v Celtic v Hearts. He had more touches than Prince Andrew at a high school prom and seemed our only, if not main, distribution channel. Both Man of the Match and flaw in the system – too easy to isolate and too far from his wide-man to guarantee igniting attacks with perfectly accurate balls every time; thus he had to take a few strides which gave them a chance to reset and cover. For a lefty in such a solo, specialised role, he did pretty well, though.

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