So far this season, Aberdeen have performed as well as banking stocks. The most recent shock - a 2-1 home defeat to Hibs - sent them tumbling to the foot of the SPL. It's still early days, of course, and everyone expects them to recover sooner or later. But, as with Spurs in England, it's never too early in football for the word "crisis" to be dusted off again. We just love it.
How bad things get depends on how Aberdeen respond, of course, and the reaction from the weekend suggests that the current set up at Pittodrie still has it within themselves to pull away from the foot of the table. They were certainly unlucky to lose, with Hibs needing a hugely debatable goal to take the points.
But plenty of the fans aren't happy. There's no love lost between Jimmy Calderwood and a sizeable section of the support, sick with the "tactical tombola" and what's perceived as his moaning ways. Not to mention his tango tan, of course. We love fitba's got a lot of time for Calderwood to be honest - he did fine things at Dunfermline and has broadly done a good job at Aberdeen - but his undisguised ambition can, at times, come across as arrogance.
Mostly though, Calderwood seems to get the blame for the "sleeping giant" status of Aberdeen football club. They fans may claim they've stopped going on about the 1980s, but the club's achievements will be measured against the Alex Ferguson era for a while yet. Nowadays, Aberdeen are heavily in debt, and wondering whether or not to move out of their half-full stadium. Given the current state of the economy, this stasis will probably remain for a while yet.
It's a great shame, because if this one-city club re-established itself as a credible force, Scottish football would be much richer for it.
Showing posts with label jimmy calderwood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jimmy calderwood. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Fury as Aberdeen implode
What is it with the Scottish Cup? As soon as the authorities starting talking about taking away the automatic UEFA Cup place from the runners-up, as has been done when the winners have already qualified for Europe through the League, than the competition seems determined to throw lambs to the slaughter.
First off Gretna, who lost on penalties to Hearts in the 2006 final, and then were into the UEFA Cup, distracted (their minds were on a promotion push from Division 1) and quickly found out. Then Dunfermline, runners-up last year, went to Europe having been relegated from the SPL, and with the best will in the world, were not well prepared for it. And, come late summer, it's very possible that it will be Queen of the South who take up the mantle of representing Scottish football in Europe.
Yup, Queen of the South are through to their first Scottish Cup final. Congratulations to them - they deserve it - but it has to be said that Aberdeen threw it away. Calamity defending allowed QoS to score 3 times. Aberdeen hauled themselves level each time, but then QoS scored a 4th and Aberdeen had no reply.
Jimmy Calderwood, the Dons manager, is as passionate about the Scottish Cup as anyone, but he's also a brutally honest manager who calls it how he sees it. He was scathing about his team's performance after the game, almost lost for words as he attempted to explain how bad they were. Chick Young, the Beeb's man at Hampden, gave him a route to defend himself by reminding Calderwood that his team created further chances to level the match, but he wouldn't take them.
"We got what we deserved. Losing 4 goals... is a joke. We brought 14,000 people here. We let them down at Tynecastle in the CIS Cup and we've let them down again."
You could hear the man's hurt in his voice, but who knows if it will be enough to repair the damage. Much like Gordon Strachan at Celtic, Calderwood has plenty of critics on the terraces, and this latest blow has opened torrents of abuse across fans' messageboards. The fans have had enough of the "tactical tombola" (endless personnel changes) and reckon plenty of the signings just aren't good enough.
The strange truth is that Calderwood agrees with them, and the one certainty is that there will be a clear-out at Pittodrie this summer. Calderwood has said before that some players just aren't up to the task, and earlier in the season hinted that he might well leave if he doesn't get a big enough budget to rebuild the squad.
He was persuaded to stay, and Director of Football Willie Miller remains supportive in public, but the man who will decide the budget is chairman Stewart Milne, the construction mogul, and there are no guarantees he'll come up with the goods. Milne is seemingly filthy rich, but has so far been reluctant to pump more of his own cash into the side. To be fair, you can see why - the stadium issue remains unclear, the club is millions in the red, and the fans have, on the most part, been staying away. As an investment opportunity, the club hardly looks gilt-edged.
It would be tempting to describe Aberdeen as a sleeping giant, although it's hard to know if they qualify as being a giant anymore. The Alex Ferguson era is a very long time ago now, and it becomes harder and harder imagining Aberdeen ascending to those heights again.
Calderwood might decide he's taken the club as far as he can. Or that decision might be made for him. Either way, it will be a critical summer for AFC.
First off Gretna, who lost on penalties to Hearts in the 2006 final, and then were into the UEFA Cup, distracted (their minds were on a promotion push from Division 1) and quickly found out. Then Dunfermline, runners-up last year, went to Europe having been relegated from the SPL, and with the best will in the world, were not well prepared for it. And, come late summer, it's very possible that it will be Queen of the South who take up the mantle of representing Scottish football in Europe.
Yup, Queen of the South are through to their first Scottish Cup final. Congratulations to them - they deserve it - but it has to be said that Aberdeen threw it away. Calamity defending allowed QoS to score 3 times. Aberdeen hauled themselves level each time, but then QoS scored a 4th and Aberdeen had no reply.
Jimmy Calderwood, the Dons manager, is as passionate about the Scottish Cup as anyone, but he's also a brutally honest manager who calls it how he sees it. He was scathing about his team's performance after the game, almost lost for words as he attempted to explain how bad they were. Chick Young, the Beeb's man at Hampden, gave him a route to defend himself by reminding Calderwood that his team created further chances to level the match, but he wouldn't take them.
"We got what we deserved. Losing 4 goals... is a joke. We brought 14,000 people here. We let them down at Tynecastle in the CIS Cup and we've let them down again."
You could hear the man's hurt in his voice, but who knows if it will be enough to repair the damage. Much like Gordon Strachan at Celtic, Calderwood has plenty of critics on the terraces, and this latest blow has opened torrents of abuse across fans' messageboards. The fans have had enough of the "tactical tombola" (endless personnel changes) and reckon plenty of the signings just aren't good enough.
The strange truth is that Calderwood agrees with them, and the one certainty is that there will be a clear-out at Pittodrie this summer. Calderwood has said before that some players just aren't up to the task, and earlier in the season hinted that he might well leave if he doesn't get a big enough budget to rebuild the squad.
He was persuaded to stay, and Director of Football Willie Miller remains supportive in public, but the man who will decide the budget is chairman Stewart Milne, the construction mogul, and there are no guarantees he'll come up with the goods. Milne is seemingly filthy rich, but has so far been reluctant to pump more of his own cash into the side. To be fair, you can see why - the stadium issue remains unclear, the club is millions in the red, and the fans have, on the most part, been staying away. As an investment opportunity, the club hardly looks gilt-edged.
It would be tempting to describe Aberdeen as a sleeping giant, although it's hard to know if they qualify as being a giant anymore. The Alex Ferguson era is a very long time ago now, and it becomes harder and harder imagining Aberdeen ascending to those heights again.
Calderwood might decide he's taken the club as far as he can. Or that decision might be made for him. Either way, it will be a critical summer for AFC.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Dons dreaming of silverware
There isn't a happier man in Scotland today than Jimmy Calderwood. They say that to truly appreciate the highs, you have to experience the lows, and the Aberdeen manager can certainly claim to have had more than his fair share of bad days this season.
Consider this: after finishing 3rd and qualifying for the UEFA Cup last season, Calderwood lost some vital members of his squad and went hunting in the sales for some bargains. He had mixed results, and this term Aberdeen are currently languishing down in 8th place and struggling to make the top 6 before the split.
If Aberdeen do play out their final round of fixtures in the bottom half of the table, it will reduce the crowds still further, the fans already hacked off by lack of investment from the chairman, indifferent performances, and the "tactical tombola" which made it impossible to predict the line-up and system from week to week.
The criticism has hurt Calderwood, who has long felt under-appreciated in Scotland, aware that he is no longer a young, up and coming manager, but one whose career has not reached the heights he had hoped for. This season, he has felt let down by the board and let down by his squad. First he threatened to leave if not given certain assurances about his budget. More recently, he threatened a mass clear-out at the end of the season, saying that some of his players "weren't as good as they thought they were".
In contrast, the UEFA Cup campaign was generally regarded as a success, its high point coming when Aberdeen held Bayern Munich 2-2 at a rocking Pittodrie, reminding everyone of the passion the club can generate when circumstances are right. That evening was one to be cherished, though, because Aberdeen then got spanked in Munich, ending the adventure in no uncertain terms.
And then to the Scottish Cup, a competition that Calderwood reveres. Aberdeen were minutes from a shock win over Celtic, before a late equaliser took them to a replay in Glasgow. Calderwood seemed crushed - Aberdeen's chance had surely gone.
So it seemed last night, as the first half was pretty much one way traffic, with Celtic on the attack and Aberdeen on the rocks. Calderwood may be a passionate and animated character on the touchline, but this masks a surprisingly reflective and observant side to his personality, and he was honest enough to admit that Aberdeen "rode their luck at times". Yet the luck held out, and a rare attack in the 68th minute yielded the only goal of the game, as Darren Mackie put Celtic out.
Aberdeen's prize is a semi-final against 1st Division Queen of the South, who are combative but limited. Aberdeen are clear favourites to go through, probably to meet Rangers in the final, assuming they dispose of Partick Thistle and then St Johnstone.
To lift the Cup, then, Aberdeen will probably have to beat both sides of the Old Firm. Not easy. But what an opportunity.
Consider this: after finishing 3rd and qualifying for the UEFA Cup last season, Calderwood lost some vital members of his squad and went hunting in the sales for some bargains. He had mixed results, and this term Aberdeen are currently languishing down in 8th place and struggling to make the top 6 before the split.
If Aberdeen do play out their final round of fixtures in the bottom half of the table, it will reduce the crowds still further, the fans already hacked off by lack of investment from the chairman, indifferent performances, and the "tactical tombola" which made it impossible to predict the line-up and system from week to week.
The criticism has hurt Calderwood, who has long felt under-appreciated in Scotland, aware that he is no longer a young, up and coming manager, but one whose career has not reached the heights he had hoped for. This season, he has felt let down by the board and let down by his squad. First he threatened to leave if not given certain assurances about his budget. More recently, he threatened a mass clear-out at the end of the season, saying that some of his players "weren't as good as they thought they were".
In contrast, the UEFA Cup campaign was generally regarded as a success, its high point coming when Aberdeen held Bayern Munich 2-2 at a rocking Pittodrie, reminding everyone of the passion the club can generate when circumstances are right. That evening was one to be cherished, though, because Aberdeen then got spanked in Munich, ending the adventure in no uncertain terms.
And then to the Scottish Cup, a competition that Calderwood reveres. Aberdeen were minutes from a shock win over Celtic, before a late equaliser took them to a replay in Glasgow. Calderwood seemed crushed - Aberdeen's chance had surely gone.
So it seemed last night, as the first half was pretty much one way traffic, with Celtic on the attack and Aberdeen on the rocks. Calderwood may be a passionate and animated character on the touchline, but this masks a surprisingly reflective and observant side to his personality, and he was honest enough to admit that Aberdeen "rode their luck at times". Yet the luck held out, and a rare attack in the 68th minute yielded the only goal of the game, as Darren Mackie put Celtic out.
Aberdeen's prize is a semi-final against 1st Division Queen of the South, who are combative but limited. Aberdeen are clear favourites to go through, probably to meet Rangers in the final, assuming they dispose of Partick Thistle and then St Johnstone.
To lift the Cup, then, Aberdeen will probably have to beat both sides of the Old Firm. Not easy. But what an opportunity.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
After missing out on Euro 2008, can Scotland make it to the next World Cup?
Football doesn't allow much time to dwell and reflect anymore. Scotland may have only played their last Euro 2008 qualifying game a week ago, but already it's time to forget about the disappointment of that game and look ahead. Club supporters are already immersed in the domestic season again, while today's 2010 World Cup qualifying draw gives a chance to focus on the next challenge.
It's hardly an easy draw, but it could have been worse. Scotland are in the only group with 5 members instead of six, and will face Holland, Norway, Iceland and Macedonia. The route to qualification goes like this - secure the maximum 12 points against the two weakest nations, share the points with Holland, and two wins against Norway should do the job. Easy, eh?!
Of course, what no one yet knows is whether Alec McLeish will still be in charge of the side. The Scottish Football Association want him to stay, not surprising given that he's got Scotland playing their best football for a decade. But the rumours that he's about to jump into the vacancy at Birmingham are getting stronger by the hour.
Is fighting for Premiership survival, in a club with a large "For Sale" sign around its neck, really a more attractive job than the chance to take your nation to its first major tournament for 12 years? Birmingham probably wouldn't be McLeish's first choice, but he was chastened by his experience last year, when he spent 6 months waiting for the phone to ring. McLeish felt that his achievements at Rangers earnt him a crack at a job in the English Premiership, but clubs like Middlesborough and Charlton preferred to look elsewhere.
There's also the small question of money. The SFA will offer improved terms on his current £350k a year contract, but any Birmingham offer will be much more than that. McLeish may feel that this is his only chance to crack the lucrative English managerial marketplace, and if so he will be gone within a week.
Let's face it, it's probably better than leaving half-way through a qualifying campaign, as Walter Smith did. And, impressive though his time in charge has been, this might be as good as it gets for McLeish as Scotland manager. As discussed on this blog in January, McLeish's managerial career has thus far followed a familiar patttern - excellent first year, followed by decline. Maybe it's for the best if he goes now.
Who to replace him? Well, the rank awfulness of the Berti Vogts era means the SFA will not appoint a foreign coach again for a long time. So the shortlist will be exclusively Scottish. This is how it will happen.
Gordon Strachan has already been rejected for the job once and won't put himself forward again. There's as much chance of David Moyes being interested as Alex Ferguson. Billy Davies could be out of a job soon but hasn't done enough to convince yet. Craig Levein and John Collins are both strong candidates, but will probably not want to leave their clubs at this time.
That leaves Jim Jefferies, the Kilmarnock manager, and Jimmy Calderwood at Aberdeen. Both have been in their jobs for a while, both are experienced, and they both might feel that they have taken their current clubs as far as they can. Calderwood is currently in talks about extending his contract at Aberdeen, but is understood to be reluctant to do so without the promise of more money for his squad. Money that isn't going to be made available. He's looking increasingly frustrated at Pittodrie, and may decide that the Scotland job would be a welcome fresh challenge.
So, there we go... 2 real candidates, both with decent records in the Scottish game but nothing like the record of achievement McLeish could point to. Calderwood looks the choice, though... he has some experience of the UEFA Cup, and has worked in Holland before. That should be enough to sway the decision his way.
It's hardly an easy draw, but it could have been worse. Scotland are in the only group with 5 members instead of six, and will face Holland, Norway, Iceland and Macedonia. The route to qualification goes like this - secure the maximum 12 points against the two weakest nations, share the points with Holland, and two wins against Norway should do the job. Easy, eh?!
Of course, what no one yet knows is whether Alec McLeish will still be in charge of the side. The Scottish Football Association want him to stay, not surprising given that he's got Scotland playing their best football for a decade. But the rumours that he's about to jump into the vacancy at Birmingham are getting stronger by the hour.
Is fighting for Premiership survival, in a club with a large "For Sale" sign around its neck, really a more attractive job than the chance to take your nation to its first major tournament for 12 years? Birmingham probably wouldn't be McLeish's first choice, but he was chastened by his experience last year, when he spent 6 months waiting for the phone to ring. McLeish felt that his achievements at Rangers earnt him a crack at a job in the English Premiership, but clubs like Middlesborough and Charlton preferred to look elsewhere.
There's also the small question of money. The SFA will offer improved terms on his current £350k a year contract, but any Birmingham offer will be much more than that. McLeish may feel that this is his only chance to crack the lucrative English managerial marketplace, and if so he will be gone within a week.
Let's face it, it's probably better than leaving half-way through a qualifying campaign, as Walter Smith did. And, impressive though his time in charge has been, this might be as good as it gets for McLeish as Scotland manager. As discussed on this blog in January, McLeish's managerial career has thus far followed a familiar patttern - excellent first year, followed by decline. Maybe it's for the best if he goes now.
Who to replace him? Well, the rank awfulness of the Berti Vogts era means the SFA will not appoint a foreign coach again for a long time. So the shortlist will be exclusively Scottish. This is how it will happen.
Gordon Strachan has already been rejected for the job once and won't put himself forward again. There's as much chance of David Moyes being interested as Alex Ferguson. Billy Davies could be out of a job soon but hasn't done enough to convince yet. Craig Levein and John Collins are both strong candidates, but will probably not want to leave their clubs at this time.
That leaves Jim Jefferies, the Kilmarnock manager, and Jimmy Calderwood at Aberdeen. Both have been in their jobs for a while, both are experienced, and they both might feel that they have taken their current clubs as far as they can. Calderwood is currently in talks about extending his contract at Aberdeen, but is understood to be reluctant to do so without the promise of more money for his squad. Money that isn't going to be made available. He's looking increasingly frustrated at Pittodrie, and may decide that the Scotland job would be a welcome fresh challenge.
So, there we go... 2 real candidates, both with decent records in the Scottish game but nothing like the record of achievement McLeish could point to. Calderwood looks the choice, though... he has some experience of the UEFA Cup, and has worked in Holland before. That should be enough to sway the decision his way.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Aberdeen given UEFA Cup draw
Dear God, that's harsh.
Aberdeen today found out who their opponents will be in the UEFA Cup group stage, and it's not easy reading for the Pittodrie faithful. Panathinaikos, Lokomotiv Moscow, Atletico Madrid and FC Copenhagen make for a formidable quartet of fixtures. What makes things even worse is that only one of these clubs, Atletico, comes from one of the "big" football markets in Europe, which will affect television revenue for these ties.
Finishing anything other than bottom of this group looks a tough ask: FC Copenhagen are the only other club even vaguely comparable in terms of their player budget, but they have much more European experience in recent years.
Still, if Jimmy Calderwood can successfully negotiate a way out of these matches, and keep Aberdeen in the mix at the right end of the SPL, it will rank as an achievement as great as any in his management career to date. He has always expressed a desire to test himself: it looks as if his wishes have just come true.
Aberdeen today found out who their opponents will be in the UEFA Cup group stage, and it's not easy reading for the Pittodrie faithful. Panathinaikos, Lokomotiv Moscow, Atletico Madrid and FC Copenhagen make for a formidable quartet of fixtures. What makes things even worse is that only one of these clubs, Atletico, comes from one of the "big" football markets in Europe, which will affect television revenue for these ties.
Finishing anything other than bottom of this group looks a tough ask: FC Copenhagen are the only other club even vaguely comparable in terms of their player budget, but they have much more European experience in recent years.
Still, if Jimmy Calderwood can successfully negotiate a way out of these matches, and keep Aberdeen in the mix at the right end of the SPL, it will rank as an achievement as great as any in his management career to date. He has always expressed a desire to test himself: it looks as if his wishes have just come true.
Monday, January 22, 2007
“Season-defining” week leaves Hibs chasing the dream, but Aberdeen licking their wounds
As soon as Barry Nicholson scored a last-minute equaliser to set-up a Scottish Cup replay at Easter Road, the pundits started talking about Hibs and Aberdeen having a week that would define their seasons. It was time to see if these two proud clubs – marginalised for years by an acute lack of resources compared to Celtic and Rangers, and now contending with a Hearts team operating outside the normal rules of financial prudence – could make this season one to cherish.
Aberdeen is an oasis of top-flight football in the North East, illustrated by the fact that matches against Inverness Caledonian Thistle – a club based 80 miles away – represents the closest they get to a regular derby match. Aberdeen have yet to lose to Caley in the SPL, but they came mighty close this time, relying on a last gasp goal from Steve Lovell to rob a point from a game they should have lost.
Hibs big week didn’t start until Monday night. They were away against Kilmarnock, a team who have proved a big thorn in their side in recent years, which made it all the more surprising when John Collins decided to give debut starts to three 19 year olds from the academy – Lewis Stevenson, Kevin McCann and Ross Campbell. It was a big, big gamble, but it paid off, with Hibs surviving a fairly turgid first half and then scoring twice through Ivan Sproule and Steven Fletcher.
Then came the Cup tie on Thursday night, with Barry Nicholson again instrumental as he opened the scoring against Hibs. But that was as good as it got for Aberdeen – 2-1 down by half-time after poor defending from corners, they then fell apart at the beginning of the second. Abdessalam Benjelloun, Hibs’ Moroccan striker, has talent, but has struggled at times with the pace of Scottish football. Inexplicable, then, that twice Aberdeen held off him rather than closing him down. And twice Benji, as he is universally known, exploited the space to punish his opponents.
Jimmy Calderwood is the kind of manager who heads every ball and contests every decision from the touchline, but he is not blinkered, and was fulsome in his praise of Hibs at the end of the game. He was somewhat less impressed with his own team’s efforts, though, bemoaning their uncharacteristic defensive lapses. He tried to talk positively about the rest of the season, but his admission that “the dream is over for another year” betrayed his dismay at being out of the Cup.
It is Hibs, though, that dream about lifting this trophy more than any other club. They have not won it since 1902, a record that stands as one of the biggest burdens to carry in British football, and an easy source of mockery for rival fans. They now go on to a 4th round home tie against Gretna, who they spanked 6-0 in the League Cup earlier this season. That won’t stop their own fans having kittens as the game approaches, however.
Following the mid-week replay, both clubs were back to league business at the weekend. Or should have been: Aberdeen’s visit to Motherwell was cancelled because of the poor pitch, which probably pleased Calderwood, who had bitterly complained that the match had not been moved to Sunday to give his team more time to recover from the Hibs match. Motherwell refused to reschedule because it would have cost £30,000, claimed club secretary Stewart Robertson, which “is a lot of money; it could pay a player’s wage”. And no, Premiership fans, he is not talking about their weekly wage. Still, re-arranging the fixture will cause less of a congestion headache for Aberdeen now.
Hibs did play their fixture on Sunday but wished they hadn’t, getting spanked 3-0 by ICT, who were probably still smarting about their failure to beat Aberdeen the previous week. Talent and consistency win you prizes in football, and while Hibs have plenty of the former, they lack the ability to perform week in, week out. Centre back Chris Hogg had a real nightmare. Hibs have scored more goals than anyone else apart from Celtic in the SPL this season, but have conceded more than any of the teams above them.
Both these clubs can still have successful seasons. Aberdeen remain in the chase for 2nd place, while Hibs can see a road to Hampden opening up ahead of them. Their real defining moments are yet to come.
Celtic 5-1 St Mirren
Kilmarnock 1-0 Dundee Utd
Dunfermline 0-1 Rangers
ICT 3-0 Hibees
Motherwell p-p Dons
Hearts 1-0 Falkirk
Aberdeen is an oasis of top-flight football in the North East, illustrated by the fact that matches against Inverness Caledonian Thistle – a club based 80 miles away – represents the closest they get to a regular derby match. Aberdeen have yet to lose to Caley in the SPL, but they came mighty close this time, relying on a last gasp goal from Steve Lovell to rob a point from a game they should have lost.
Hibs big week didn’t start until Monday night. They were away against Kilmarnock, a team who have proved a big thorn in their side in recent years, which made it all the more surprising when John Collins decided to give debut starts to three 19 year olds from the academy – Lewis Stevenson, Kevin McCann and Ross Campbell. It was a big, big gamble, but it paid off, with Hibs surviving a fairly turgid first half and then scoring twice through Ivan Sproule and Steven Fletcher.
Then came the Cup tie on Thursday night, with Barry Nicholson again instrumental as he opened the scoring against Hibs. But that was as good as it got for Aberdeen – 2-1 down by half-time after poor defending from corners, they then fell apart at the beginning of the second. Abdessalam Benjelloun, Hibs’ Moroccan striker, has talent, but has struggled at times with the pace of Scottish football. Inexplicable, then, that twice Aberdeen held off him rather than closing him down. And twice Benji, as he is universally known, exploited the space to punish his opponents.
Jimmy Calderwood is the kind of manager who heads every ball and contests every decision from the touchline, but he is not blinkered, and was fulsome in his praise of Hibs at the end of the game. He was somewhat less impressed with his own team’s efforts, though, bemoaning their uncharacteristic defensive lapses. He tried to talk positively about the rest of the season, but his admission that “the dream is over for another year” betrayed his dismay at being out of the Cup.
It is Hibs, though, that dream about lifting this trophy more than any other club. They have not won it since 1902, a record that stands as one of the biggest burdens to carry in British football, and an easy source of mockery for rival fans. They now go on to a 4th round home tie against Gretna, who they spanked 6-0 in the League Cup earlier this season. That won’t stop their own fans having kittens as the game approaches, however.
Following the mid-week replay, both clubs were back to league business at the weekend. Or should have been: Aberdeen’s visit to Motherwell was cancelled because of the poor pitch, which probably pleased Calderwood, who had bitterly complained that the match had not been moved to Sunday to give his team more time to recover from the Hibs match. Motherwell refused to reschedule because it would have cost £30,000, claimed club secretary Stewart Robertson, which “is a lot of money; it could pay a player’s wage”. And no, Premiership fans, he is not talking about their weekly wage. Still, re-arranging the fixture will cause less of a congestion headache for Aberdeen now.
Hibs did play their fixture on Sunday but wished they hadn’t, getting spanked 3-0 by ICT, who were probably still smarting about their failure to beat Aberdeen the previous week. Talent and consistency win you prizes in football, and while Hibs have plenty of the former, they lack the ability to perform week in, week out. Centre back Chris Hogg had a real nightmare. Hibs have scored more goals than anyone else apart from Celtic in the SPL this season, but have conceded more than any of the teams above them.
Both these clubs can still have successful seasons. Aberdeen remain in the chase for 2nd place, while Hibs can see a road to Hampden opening up ahead of them. Their real defining moments are yet to come.
Celtic 5-1 St Mirren
Kilmarnock 1-0 Dundee Utd
Dunfermline 0-1 Rangers
ICT 3-0 Hibees
Motherwell p-p Dons
Hearts 1-0 Falkirk
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