McInnes’ plans end up hijacked
DEREK McINNES last night reflected ruefully on the fact his captain Ryan Jack was passed fit to play at Parkhead yesterday — before succumbing to a virus.
Despite being due to have a knee operation this week, Jack was pencilled in to the Dons starting line-up but was eventually ruled out because of a bug barely an hour before kick-off.
Reflecting on how a ‘comfortable’ Aberdeen performance had ultimately ended in a hefty 4-1 defeat, McInnes insisted the presence of the midfielder might have made a difference. ‘We set out to try to give up a bit of possession and then hit Celtic on the counter-attack,’ he said.
‘They took the lead with a terrific goal from Leigh (Griffiths).
‘We had worked with Ryan being in that area in the middle of park and sometimes a matter of inches can be the difference. He has scored on the half-turn.
‘The irony is that Ryan was passed fit this morning but the bug took a hold of him. Our preparation had been with Ryan in a specific role, so we missed him.’
Even without Jack, Aberdeen made inroads into the game, equalising Griffiths’ opener through Adam Rooney and then staying in the contest long after James Forrest had given Celtic a half-time lead.
‘The ref got involved and gave a penalty kick,’ added McInnes.
‘(Scott) Sinclair was never in control of himself and wasn’t able to stay on his feet. And the ref gives a free-kick in which (Tom) Rogic overruns the ball and falls down.
‘Celtic take advantage because they have quality but 4-1 was really harsh on us.’
McInnes admitted that, although he has already exhausted the club’s transfer kitty this summer, he would like to bring in a player to compensate for Jack’s absence before the transfer deadline on Wednesday night.