SUTTON: DO DONS HAVE THE BOTTLE?
It’s the perfect time for Dons to prove they are big-game players by dumping champs
THERE’S so much more than just three points at stake at Celtic Park today – especially for Aberdeen. The Dons can finally shrug off this big-game bottlers label they’ve been hit with – which I actually think is unfair – and can also blow the title race wide open. Derek McInnes’s side will never have a better chance because Celtic are at their most vulnerable they’ve been since Brendan Rodgers came to the club. It’s a huge weekend for Aberdeen. They have barely managed to lay a glove on Celtic in recent years despite being far and away the second best side in the country. This bottlers’ tag might be a bit harsh because there is no doubt they’re up against it when it comes to resources. But that doesn’t mean they should not be doing better in the crunch matches. It’s not just the Celtic games either. Their heads went against Rangers twice in a week and they must be kicking themselves when they look at the league table. But the good news for the Dons is the response they’ve had to those clashes with the Ibrox men. Their performance against Hibs last weekend was the best Aberdeen display I’ve seen. Seriously. They were absolutely outstanding. They completely destroyed a decent Hibs side and they surely must be confident today. Celtic are not playing particularly well and look like a team counting down the minutes to the winter break. They were shocking at Tynecastle last weekend and although they responded against Partick Thistle it was hardly vintage stuff. Aberdeen will still be massive underdogs and it’s unfortunate Ryan Christie won’t be allowed to play against his parent club. But the Dons simply have to take advantage and if they can it will set up the second half of the season. Rodgers wants to go in to the break with a 10-point cushion but if it’s down to two we will have a race to talk about. There are a lot of questions around Celtic at the moment – none more so than the Moussa Dembele issue. I can’t understand why he wouldn’t be starting – unless he’s off in January.
You can’t tell me he’s behind Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths in the pecking order. There’s talk of £20million-plus bids but it’s hard to justify that price tag if you can’t get in the Celtic side.
My suspicion is he’s going to go when the window opens and Edouard coming in from nowhere is a way to prepare.
Brighton are definitely interested but there will be a few others and if the money is right there will only be one conclusion.
It’s going to be an interesting January at Parkhead. Rodgers has moved early to bring in Marvin Compper and the reaction has been mixed to say the least.
Come on though, give the guy a chance. He’s been written off before he’s kicked a ball.
Compper might be 33 on his next birthday but his age doesn’t bother me. He’s an experienced defender with decent pedigree over the years.
You can’t just sign up 19-year-olds with potential all the time – not if you want to have a chance of actually winning games when it matters.
It was a no-brainer shoring up the backline and a blind man could have seen it was needed. We all know it should have been done in the summer but at least it’s been addressed.
He won’t be eligible to play in Europe this year, which is a bit of a strange one, but obviously Rodgers has an eye on the qualifiers next year.
From what I’ve heard Compper hasn’t played much this season but he’s played for a number of years at a decent level in Germany.
Celtic have also looked at the way Leipzig play and will think he can slot in without too much fuss.
The German coming in means the writing is on the way for Erik Sviatchenko.
He started the campaign injured but has been fit for a while now and I think it was pretty clear his future lies elsewhere when Kris Ajer was put in ahead of him against Thistle.
I’d expect a few more fringe players to go in January as well as Rodgers has said he doesn’t want a bloated squad.
However, I can’t say I’m too chuffed with his talk about not being able to stand in players’ way if bids come in.
He wasn’t speaking directly about Dembele but I’ve never been comfortable with the talk about moving on to bigger and better things. It’s not the way big clubs talk and it doesn’t wash with me.
I accept development and selling players on is part of the business plan at Parkhead. But Celtic are a big club in their own right – not just a stepping stone.
My old club need to think big as well – and the same goes for Aberdeen today.
Their heads went against Rangers twice and they must be kicking themselves SCOTT McDONALD JOINS RECORD CELTIC PODCAST