Shaunaldinho shows instant return in Managers Faith.
What a game! What a performance! What an atmosphere! I have almost forgotten what fun you can have at Celtic Park at a non-Euro game. Celtic looked up for this one from the first whistle till the last and what joy it was to witness good attacking football.The man of the match award can obviously only go to one man, and he wasn't even on the pitch for the entire match! When Big Jan had to go off with an injury to be replaced by Shaunaldinho the match was heading that tense period that Celtic always have to endure between scoring their first and second goals until once deft flick of Maloney's boot played in Samaras with as good a through ball as you will see in the SPL and the points were remaining in Glasgow.
As impressed as I was by that pass, what was to follow in the later stages of the match was to eclipse the brilliance of the second goal in two touches as Maloney again linked up with Samaras in a perfectly executed one-two that tool out the entire Falkirk defence to allow Samaras to get his second goal.
Is this a partnership that has the potential to eclipse the excellent return of Skippy and Jan last season? That remains to be seen but I don't think that either the Dutch hitman or the diminutive antipodean can be guaranteed first team football when they return from injury based on the sublime performances of Maloney and the finishing of Samaras.
The introduction of Marc Crosas was also a major positive in this match, andif he can pass like that whilst under pressure in the break-neck speed of an SPL match then it looks as though we could have finally found the missing link in our midfield that has been so evident since the departure of Petrov.
Top of the League, and there to stay!
Yours in Celtic
Clydebuilt
