Dundee Utd v Celtic - Sun Mar 22

Hartley hates the huns and was a driving force to us winning the league last year but there is no point playing him when we have crosas gathering dust on the bench.

Another thing to come out of yesterday’s game is that Hesselink seems completely finished. His most recent injury that kept him out for three months up to Christmas looks like it’s taken its toll and he was embarrassingly off the pace yesterday. I genuinely think he was included primarily for his physicality and also to defend set pieces (given we were without Loovens and McManus) but he couldn’t get near the ball to hold it up and their equaliser was headed in from the corner within Jan’s ‘zone’ in Strachan’s ridiculous zonal marking system. I definitely think we’d be more of a threat going forward in a fluid 4-5-1/4-4-1-1 with McGeady and Naka taking turns in the free role as Jan and Samaras are really off the pace. Maloney would also be useful to get back for the run-in, as he’s got a bit of guile to open up a defence and a good shot too.

Paddy Crerand

Crerand blasts ‘dreadful’ Rangers
Former Celtic star Paddy Crerand has described Rangers as “dreadful” and branded Ibrox defender Kirk Broadfoot a “Junior” player.

Crerand played for the Parkhead club in the early 60s before joining Manchester United, where he was part of the Old Trafford side which won the European Cup in 1968 against Benfica at Wembley.

The former Scotland international keeps a keen eye on the Hoops, although he is still based in England and scoffed at suggestions that Celtic had blown their chances of retaining the Scottish Premier League title by only drawing against Dundee United at Tannadice on Sunday when a win would have taken them five points clear of the Light Blues.

Pointing back to last week’s Co-operative Insurance Cup final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden in which the Parkhead side deservedly won 2-0 after extra-time, Crerand was scathing of Walter Smith’s side and of Broadfoot in particular.

“Celtic will win the title,” he told Talk Sport. "I watched the League Cup final between Celtic and Rangers last week and Rangers were dreadful.

"Who is that player Kirk Broadfoot? He should be playing Junior (non-league) football.

"You’ve got to ask, is that how far Rangers have gone down if he is playing for them?

“But when you look back to the Scottish players in my day, then the standard of football up there is dreadful.”

Thing is, they played no differently in that cup final than they did in their run to the UEFA Cup Final last season. They’re painful to watch, but they can be effective with it. As to the point on the general standard of player, I don’t think anyone would dispute that Scotland produced better players in the 1960s than they do now. A certain homegrown Celtic team that won the European Cup is fairly conclusive evidence of that.