THE 122nd Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park last Saturday may not go down in history as one of the classics, but if nothing else, it proved that Celtic are the outstanding team in the SPL and unless one of their rivals finds a huge amount of improvement over the summer then we're likely to see more of the same next season.
The game itself started off brightly with Dunfermline playing a more attacking style than many expected. Their manager, Stephen Kenny, has shown himself to be a very shrewd operator in the last few months and he deserves credit for opting to match Ce
ltic's 4-4-2 formation rather than playing with a more cautious 4-5-1 or 3-5-2.
The pace of Mark Burchill and the guile of Jim McIntyre was a combination which gave a few problems to Celtic's defence in the first half and had Burchill converted his chance early on in the match we may have seen a different outcome.
Perhaps it's been due to his lack of games, but Burchill has looked a little out of sorts this season, which is surprising when you consider only a year ago he was Dunfermline's leading striker with 16 goals. His weak finish from McIntyre's clever pass was typical of a player low on confidence and it emphasised how much the Pars missed Tam McManus, who was of course, missing the match due to being cup-tied. On that subject, it's clear the rule is unfair and should be changed before next season. Everyone understands that if you've played in the Cup for another team, you have to miss out, but to be an unused substitute and still be ineligible for another club is absolute nonsense and it would be nice to think the football authorities recognise that and put it right before someone else is forced to sit out potentially the biggest game of their career.
Dunfermline went into this match, for one reason or another, without four of their most influential players - Tam McManus, Stephen Glass, Jim O'Brien and Gary Mason - and there's no question they were much weaker for it. Glass, like McManus, knew his fate some time ago as he had played for Hibs in an earlier round.
O'Brien was probably more hopeful, than confident that his actual manager, Gordon Strachan, would allow him to play in the final against his employers, but as much as I felt sympathy for the player I'm sure common-sense prevailed because if O'Brien had played at Hampden and put in a match-winning performance it would've left Celtic open to any amount of criticism from their own supporters.
Mason was another player who had to suffer the consequences of another controversial rule. Having picked up two bookings in the earlier rounds of the Scottish Cup meant he was suspended for the final and I feel this is something else that needs to looked at by the sport's governing body. Nowadays, a player can get booked for the smallest infringement and with that in mind I feel the punishment should be far more lenient - perhaps missing the first cup tie from the following season's competition.
Celtic put in another performance that typified their season. They weren't anywhere near their best, but once again they got the job done and in that respect you have to admire them. Perhaps the only surprise in Gordon Strachan's team selection was to see Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe at right-back in place of Gary Caldwell. He's only played in a handful of games this season, but he seems comfortable in possession and strong defensively so there must be a strong chance Celtic will look to retain his services for at least another year.
Kenny Miller may have struggled for goals over the nine months, but to my mind, of all the options open to the manager he's still the best foil for Vennegoor of Hesselink and it will be interesting to see which of the current strikers are still at Celtic next season.
Strachan once again showed he's not afraid to make the big decisions by leaving out both Gravesen and Jarosik from his final squad of 16 and particularly when substituting Neil Lennon with half an hour to go in what was his last game for the club.
Caldwell is a very good passer and I wonder whether he may have been earmarked for the midfield holding role next season.
Arguably, the player under the most pressure to retain his place in the side will be Paul Hartley. His form may improve on the back of a good pre-season, but he'll never get a game in front of Scott Brown so with that in mind, competition for places will be intense.
It's still noticeable that Gordon Strachan has yet to win over many of the club's supporters, but having reached the last 16 of the Champions League and with a League and Cup double in the bag, his contribution to making Celtic a dominant force in Scotland is there for all to see.
The full article contains 852 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
