:00:22. > :00:26.The SPL story continues into a New Year. The first action of 2012
:00:26. > :00:29.coming up. And Scotland manager, Craig Levein, is here. Craig was at
:00:29. > :00:39.Easter Road yesterday for the second Edinburgh Derby of the
:00:39. > :00:44.
:00:44. > :00:52.season. And there's been plenty going on since the first one.
:00:52. > :01:02.Hearts lead the Edinburgh Derby. Ince had sacked manager, Colin
:01:02. > :01:02.
:01:02. > :01:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:01:57. > :02:06.Calderwood. The does not a first his first win as the boss.
:02:07. > :02:19.
:02:19. > :02:28.Griffiths went down under pressure least it should have been on target.
:02:28. > :02:38.He began the move himself. Hibernian just a point from the
:02:38. > :02:45.
:02:45. > :02:55.time. The Hibernian masters of their own downfall. Stack brought
:02:55. > :02:55.
:02:55. > :03:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:03:36. > :03:42.Vigil goes on between Black and the first time this season. Was
:03:42. > :03:52.Stephen Elliott interfering with play? In an offside position as
:03:52. > :04:11.
:04:11. > :04:21.retaliation. It is 1-1. Zaliukas! This has come off the Hearts
:04:21. > :04:38.
:04:38. > :04:48.skipper. It was all about the power it. He was the closest that the
:04:48. > :04:48.
:04:48. > :05:29.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:05:29. > :05:34.front it would just six minutes to go. Could this be the Derby winner?
:05:34. > :05:44.He Verney in have tried their best. They may be in trouble. --
:05:44. > :06:24.
:06:24. > :06:34.They say he cannot play away from home. Hearts of scored as many
:06:34. > :06:34.
:06:34. > :06:38.games away from home as they have Nine Derby's unbeaten for your al
:06:38. > :06:42.team. Are you impressed with what the manager has been able to do
:06:42. > :06:49.with the team, bearing in mind the sideshow going on away from the
:06:49. > :06:54.pitch? He deserves enormous credit, as to the players, they have
:06:54. > :07:02.managed to focus on their football. There will be some men on big money,
:07:02. > :07:07.but a lot of the guys rely very much on their wage coming in. All
:07:07. > :07:10.credit to the manager and the players to keep their focus.
:07:10. > :07:14.penalty which Hibernian conceded to offer hearts the chance to take the
:07:14. > :07:20.lead was typical of what happened to them. A couple of individual
:07:20. > :07:25.errors? They are lacking in confidence. There has been a lot of
:07:25. > :07:29.upheaval at the club. No doubt the manager will get it right and turn
:07:29. > :07:34.it round. Booth is a smashing player, but in a team that is
:07:35. > :07:41.struggling it is difficult for young boy to carry other team mates.
:07:41. > :07:46.It is difficult for him. The team itself is struggling for confidence.
:07:46. > :07:52.Stack made up for his mistake with the penalty save. A blatant offside
:07:52. > :07:57.for the opening goal? At the game, I did not realise because you're
:07:57. > :08:01.looking from a poor ball. When I see this again, is he interfering
:08:01. > :08:08.with the goalkeeper's line of sight and the answer is yes. So for me,
:08:08. > :08:15.it is offside. It Stephen Elliott was not there, there is every
:08:15. > :08:19.chance Stack saves that. I think Hibernian were hard done by. If the
:08:19. > :08:24.assistant and the referee had got together they may have decided he
:08:24. > :08:28.was in a line of fire and maybe a few feet offside? At the game, it
:08:28. > :08:33.just looked like there were bodies in the box. When you see it like
:08:33. > :08:37.that, it was blatant. At the time is the perception looking at the
:08:37. > :08:41.side for the officials is difficult to tell. It is probably a
:08:41. > :08:48.combination to try to work out, is he in the line of sight, is he
:08:48. > :08:53.offside? Between the two of them. What should have been good for
:08:53. > :09:00.Hibernian is that they hit back immediately? They did. At the start
:09:00. > :09:04.of the second half they played so much better. They look positive and
:09:05. > :09:09.this is a dangerous ball four any defender to deal with. It is on the
:09:09. > :09:13.goal side, when you are coming back towards the goal. It is a difficult
:09:14. > :09:19.one, particularly when the ball has bounced in front of him. I have
:09:19. > :09:23.seen that happen and I have done it a few times myself. It is a great
:09:23. > :09:27.ball across the face of the goal. They Benin had struggled for
:09:27. > :09:33.confidence and to get a goal so quickly after they lost a goal must
:09:33. > :09:39.have been great for the players and their manager. Hearts first and
:09:39. > :09:43.second goals owed much to the presence of set pieces? It was
:09:43. > :09:50.interesting for me, in the first half they did not use this tactic
:09:50. > :09:55.more often. Sutton was on by this time of course. His physical
:09:55. > :10:00.presence in the box allow them to get an opportunity. It is a great
:10:00. > :10:06.finish. This was the icing on the cake. Hibernian or pushing to try
:10:06. > :10:12.to get back in the game. It is a great ball from John Sutton. He has
:10:12. > :10:16.scored a lot of important goals in his time for Hearts. At that stage
:10:17. > :10:22.in the game, it was all or nothing and had then you have to push.
:10:22. > :10:29.MacGowan be hearing from the compliance officer? He gets irate
:10:29. > :10:34.because of the tackle from Sproule. It was a silly thing to do. I saw a
:10:34. > :10:44.similar situation with Scott Brown and Lafferty, head-butted into the
:10:44. > :10:45.
:10:45. > :10:51.midriff. What about the role of the compliance officer, does it
:10:51. > :10:55.undermined the officials? No, it is the transparency and the clubs
:10:55. > :11:00.agreed before this new system was put in place that it was a better
:11:01. > :11:04.system. They have been teething problems, of course, but the idea
:11:04. > :11:07.behind it is to move things a little bit quicker and also to be
:11:07. > :11:09.fair. It was bottom against top at East
:11:09. > :11:19.End Park. Celtic had overhauled title rivals Rangers in the last
:11:19. > :11:19.
:11:19. > :12:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:12:31. > :12:41.because of illness and Jason Thomson has gone back to Hearts.
:12:41. > :13:15.
:13:15. > :13:25.Jon Potter came in at the back and able to saved that, it is a corner
:13:25. > :13:37.
:13:37. > :13:44.curling effort. Anthony Stokes without a goal in his last seven
:13:44. > :13:52.matches set Celtic ahead. It came down from Samaras. The control was
:13:52. > :14:02.perfect. He tipped it into the corner and left the goalkeeper with
:14:02. > :14:02.
:14:02. > :14:42.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:14:42. > :14:52.defending from Dunfermline. He the volley past the goalkeeper. The
:14:52. > :15:06.
:15:06. > :15:16.Kenny got caught out and Celtic are Dunfermline to test the Celtic
:15:16. > :15:28.
:15:28. > :15:38.takers to finish off the run from James Forrest. His Scottish
:15:38. > :16:01.
:16:01. > :16:11.international was putting it on a not done that too often this
:16:11. > :16:44.
:16:44. > :16:51.should have dealt with this one. Got caught out flat footed at
:16:51. > :17:01.almost. Celtic get a simple goal from all groups. Number four for
:17:01. > :17:26.
:17:27. > :17:32.goalkeeper. The goalkeeper has So 10 straight wins from Celtic,
:17:32. > :17:42.but Dunfermline defending was not a terrific? When you are struggling
:17:42. > :17:49.you don't want to be playing against a rampant Celtic team. You
:17:49. > :17:56.can't afford to give him a sort of time on the penalty box to pick his
:17:56. > :18:01.spot. His marker was attracted to the ball, which is a danger when it
:18:01. > :18:11.is a man on man-marking. Does this opened the defending debate?
:18:11. > :18:14.
:18:14. > :18:19.does, but man marking, there is always a danger of getting blocked.
:18:19. > :18:29.Ledley gives Killie a nudge. So it is enough to get a couple of yards
:18:29. > :18:33.of space. Great delivery and a great finish. The third goal, it
:18:34. > :18:41.charlie his lethal from these situations. Smith will look at that
:18:41. > :18:45.and think maybe he should have done better. The Old Firm win for Celtic
:18:45. > :18:51.round an amazing turnaround at the top of the SPL. How significant do
:18:51. > :18:55.you think this win it will prove to be? Were Celtic take some stopping
:18:55. > :19:02.in their race towards the title? They have momentum and it is a huge
:19:02. > :19:07.thing. I was having real problems, financial problems at Rangers were
:19:07. > :19:12.as at the same time Neil Lennon, after the Kilmarnock game when they
:19:12. > :19:17.were 3-0 down at half-time, and he galvanised the troops. I looked at
:19:17. > :19:26.the strength of their squad. I was going through the substitutes,
:19:26. > :19:32.Kevin Wilson, fruiter macro, quality on the bench. If you of the
:19:32. > :19:37.national players. Bash macro fruiter macro unless Rangers can
:19:37. > :19:43.come up as some money, it will be difficult to keep tabs on what I
:19:43. > :19:48.say is a rampant Celtic side. It is grim for Dunfermline. The facts and
:19:48. > :19:58.figures don't make good feeling for their fans. Not winning at home in
:19:58. > :20:00.
:20:00. > :20:05.10 opportunities, just four points The goals against column tells a
:20:05. > :20:11.story. You cannot give away three and four goals most weeks and
:20:11. > :20:18.expect to win matches. They need to tighten up and get a couple of
:20:18. > :20:23.draws. Jim Macintyre is working with his hands tied behind his back,
:20:23. > :20:29.and it is extremely difficult for managers. And getting good players
:20:29. > :20:35.in, in January is not easy. He has got a tough job. But he will relish
:20:35. > :20:44.the challenge. Is it heads against Dunfermline for the drop and can
:20:44. > :20:52.had spent their way out of it? -- can Hibs? I think Hibs will spend
:20:52. > :20:59.money in January. I am not sure whether Dunfermline can. Inverness
:20:59. > :21:09.maybe just creeping into trouble, just five or so points in front of
:21:09. > :21:10.
:21:10. > :21:14.Hibs. It is early days. It looks like heads on Dunfermline. -- it
:21:14. > :21:20.looks like Hibs, or Dunfermline, but if any of those teams can
:21:20. > :21:25.Pickup two victories, then the picture changes. Rangers faced
:21:25. > :21:30.Motherwell at Ibrox. Nikica Jelavic was not in the Rangers team, and
:21:30. > :21:33.was said to be injured, although France their speculation continues.
:21:33. > :21:43.David Healy came in for his second David Healy came in for his second
:21:43. > :21:47.start of the season. Stuart McCall chose Tim Clancy in defence or the
:21:47. > :21:57.attacking qualities of Omar Daley. A minute's silence in memory of
:21:57. > :22:09.
:22:09. > :22:15.those who died in the Ibrox the top of the SPL. It is important
:22:15. > :22:21.that Rangers return to winning ways. Good play from Sone Aluko. This
:22:21. > :22:26.looks dangerous. And off his line comes Darren Randolph, the
:22:26. > :22:36.Motherwell goalkeeper making a good save. Some appeals for offside from
:22:36. > :22:47.
:22:47. > :22:53.away from Stephen Hughes. And what a chance for a David Healy to get
:22:53. > :23:03.Rangers in front. I don't think he can quite believe he managed to get
:23:03. > :23:17.
:23:17. > :23:21.Hutchinson, in fur David Healy, and it is 1-0. In his first SPL start
:23:21. > :23:26.of the season, his first goal of the season. Hutcheon soon should
:23:26. > :23:36.have done better. And even with his back to goal, David Healy knew
:23:36. > :23:44.
:23:44. > :23:53.exactly what to do. Rangers ahead, We have seen little from them, so
:23:53. > :23:59.far. And that is Michael Higdon. They have had so little of the
:23:59. > :24:05.match, Motherwell, but they might have squared the game here. Michael
:24:05. > :24:11.Higdon, unable to hit the target. Stuart McCall looks pretty
:24:12. > :24:19.deflected in that under it. And from Sone Aluko, and they header
:24:19. > :24:26.from Carlos Bocanegra, cleared off the line by Tom Hateley. Former
:24:26. > :24:34.Rangers manager Walter Smith is watching. Good work from Maurice
:24:34. > :24:41.ego, so industrious. Now, it is opening up for a Sone Aluko, it is
:24:41. > :24:50.2-0! 10 minutes into the second half, and Sone Aluko scores his
:24:50. > :24:54.first goal Rangers. Good build up and then a gap appeared, for Sone
:24:54. > :25:03.Aluko to fire past Darren Randolph, and you would not think there was
:25:03. > :25:07.any way back, for Motherwell. Steven Davis gets it back from
:25:07. > :25:17.David Healy. And that is a good strike from the Rangers captain.
:25:17. > :25:23.
:25:23. > :25:33.Plenty of power behind this, pushed that is clawed away by the
:25:33. > :25:42.
:25:42. > :25:50.goalkeeper. It could so easily have middle, from Morrissey do. And Lee
:25:50. > :26:00.Wallace charging down the line. -- from Maurice Edu. Still trouble
:26:00. > :26:00.
:26:00. > :26:10.here for Motherwell. And that is an own goal. Flashed into his own net,
:26:10. > :26:11.
:26:11. > :26:17.of the boot of Stephen Craigan. And Rangers have a 3-0 lead. Lee
:26:17. > :26:27.Wallace forced this back in be on the back post. And in it goes, or
:26:27. > :26:34.
:26:34. > :26:40.Stephen Craigan. -- off Stephen Craigan. Desperate defending by
:26:40. > :26:44.Motherwell, and Sone Aluko hits his shot, wide. Damage limitation at
:26:44. > :26:54.this stage. For Motherwell, conceding three goals has probably
:26:54. > :26:57.It was important Rangers got themselves back on track. That was
:26:57. > :27:02.a potentially awkward game against Motherwell who have been doing so
:27:03. > :27:08.well. I do not think anyone could have expected the one-way traffic
:27:08. > :27:16.that it turned out to be. I have only seen a highways but it looked
:27:16. > :27:20.like one-way traffic. They have managed to put on a good
:27:20. > :27:27.performance, after the Old Firm game. Motherwell have played some
:27:27. > :27:32.fantastic stuff and a are likely Inter place in the league. But they
:27:32. > :27:39.just did not turn up. Lee Wallace is good on one side of the pitch,
:27:39. > :27:45.Sone Aluko on the other. That is good news for Scotland? Yes, Lee
:27:46. > :27:51.Wallace, in recent games, he looks like he is finding form, which is
:27:51. > :28:01.important. He is earmarked for being involved in the national team.
:28:01. > :28:02.
:28:02. > :28:09.We are just waiting on him finding that level of consistency and form.
:28:09. > :28:13.Good to see David Healey getting a goal after sitting on the sidelines.
:28:13. > :28:17.Rangers lost Kyle Lafferty with a hamstring injury after eight
:28:17. > :28:23.minutes. He was stretchered off and it looks like six weeks minimum, he
:28:23. > :28:29.is going to be out. Nikica Jelavic did not play, allegedly because of
:28:29. > :28:39.injury, Steven Naismith out for the season, there is a lack of striking
:28:39. > :28:42.
:28:42. > :28:48.options, there. A bench, Fleck, Mackay, Macmillan, Salim Kerkar.
:28:48. > :28:54.Yes, I would not, could anything at this stage in the season between
:28:54. > :28:58.the Old Firm, Rangers going into the second half of the season with
:28:58. > :29:02.that group of players on the bench, they cannot compete with the
:29:02. > :29:07.strength in depth that Celtic have got. That is a packed. Unless there
:29:07. > :29:11.is more money available for bringing in better players. And if
:29:11. > :29:17.they get they offer for Nikica Jelavic in the transfer window, you
:29:17. > :29:21.would imagine, given the chance their -- financial predicament,
:29:21. > :29:31.they would have to take it. Yes, they might have to take the offer,
:29:31. > :29:31.
:29:32. > :29:39.if it comes. Other McCoist is not Wigan manager, I was going to say
:29:39. > :29:45.Jong - he is inexperienced. And that is a difficult situation. The
:29:45. > :29:50.starting 11 it are good players, but their strength in depth, it is
:29:50. > :29:53.a worry. Kilmarnock and St Mirren have played some of the best
:29:53. > :30:03.football in the SPL this season and they are chasing a place in the top
:30:03. > :30:08.That was a teasing ball in from Dixon, and that is turned in by Jon
:30:08. > :30:16.Daly. It opens up and he dips that in perfectly. It is a lovely ball
:30:16. > :30:25.across, and that is a great header. Here is Steve Mackie, unmarked, off
:30:25. > :30:32.the line and back in by Murray Davidson and his son does it. --
:30:32. > :30:36.there is Francisco son does a, 2-0. Gary Harkins broke his ankle in
:30:36. > :30:46.training and does it for six weeks for St Mirren, replaced by
:30:46. > :31:05.
:31:05. > :31:09.helping the goalkeeper. It stayed in glee. And it sits up nicely for
:31:09. > :31:19.Thomson. Punched away by Cammy Bell. Kilmarnock eventually clear the
:31:19. > :31:25.
:31:25. > :31:33.danger. That is a lovely pass up to the chest of Heffernan. He was
:31:33. > :31:41.poised to shoot. Good defending. Kenny Shiels, will wrap up for this,
:31:41. > :31:49.as his side defence. And McAusland, off the crossbar. The danger not
:31:49. > :31:58.still clear. And another corner kick for St Mirren. Great pressure
:31:58. > :32:08.early on from the visitors. Coming so close with that effort. Lee
:32:08. > :32:08.
:32:08. > :32:12.Mair! And, this time, it is a goal! St Mirren have been threatening and
:32:12. > :32:22.they have the opening goal. Cammy Bell could not keep it out, the
:32:22. > :32:24.
:32:24. > :32:31.powerful their there from -- powerful header from Mair. That is
:32:31. > :32:40.a magnificent save by Craig Samson to deny Dean Shiels. Nice trickery
:32:40. > :32:49.from the forwards. And a brilliant hand by Sampson to divert it wide.
:32:49. > :32:59.Can Kilmarnock find an equaliser? It is scrappy. And it is an
:32:59. > :33:03.equaliser. It is Paul Heffernan. No surprise that it is the Irishman
:33:03. > :33:13.scoring for, Mark. St Mirren could not clear their lines. And Paul
:33:13. > :33:15.
:33:15. > :33:25.Heffernan, in a crowded penalty box, and also passed Craig Samson. --
:33:25. > :33:25.
:33:25. > :33:35.angles past Greg Samson. It was Liam Kelly with the challenge. That
:33:35. > :33:42.
:33:42. > :33:49.looked to have the-50, didn't it? - - looked to be 50-today. -- 50-50.
:33:49. > :33:52.Bobby Madden, the referee, sees nothing amiss with that challenge.
:33:52. > :34:02.Paul McGowan was found outside the area, but having said that it
:34:02. > :34:06.
:34:06. > :34:10.probably was not a free-kick. Not great defending. Moy With the final
:34:10. > :34:17.shot match should have hit the target from this distance. That is
:34:17. > :34:24.a decent opportunity. St Mirren advance again. Steven Thomson has
:34:24. > :34:31.done well. Another penalty claim from St Mirren, and another one
:34:31. > :34:39.that has fallen on deaf ears from the officials. He tries to pull his
:34:39. > :34:49.arm away, is that ball to hand, or hand to ball? St Mirren feeling
:34:49. > :35:04.
:35:04. > :35:09.hard done by, in terms of the That was an easy take or Cammy Bell.
:35:09. > :35:19.It was a hefty clearance from there Kilmarnock goalkeeper to stop that
:35:19. > :35:24.
:35:24. > :35:34.could cause problems. Can he find room for the shot? What a fantastic
:35:34. > :35:35.
:35:35. > :35:40.goal! He surely wins it for Kilmarnock! Look at this, for skill.
:35:40. > :35:48.It might have just deflected off David van Zanten, but takes nothing
:35:48. > :35:58.away from the technique, and, Kilmarnock wrapping up all three
:35:58. > :35:59.
:35:59. > :36:05.St Mirren reckoned they should have won a penalty when Stephen
:36:05. > :36:09.Thomson's cross was handled. What do you think? I wonder whether he
:36:09. > :36:15.deliberately handled the ball. Whether it is just his running
:36:15. > :36:20.movement and he has tried to take his hand away at the last minute.
:36:20. > :36:27.This is the corresponding game, the same two players. It was given on
:36:27. > :36:36.that occasion. But it was not given yesterday. His arm was behind him
:36:36. > :36:43.yesterday, how do you differentiate? For me, it is very
:36:43. > :36:48.difficult. In the second one, his hands behind him. But it is given.
:36:48. > :36:54.I do think he is trying to remove his hand, to get it out of the way.
:36:54. > :37:00.The ball was heading into the six- yard box. I don't know if that has
:37:00. > :37:06.any bearing on the rules, as such. Honestly, I don't know. Whether
:37:06. > :37:12.Portstewart up been penalties, or neither of them penalties. --
:37:12. > :37:22.whether both of them should have been penalties. It was a special
:37:22. > :37:23.
:37:23. > :37:28.goal to win the game from Raki. What a moment of composure this was.
:37:28. > :37:32.I don't think he will ever score a goal as good as this. Great
:37:32. > :37:39.composure inside the box. His awareness of where the goalkeeper
:37:39. > :37:48.was, and where he was, and the discipline to finish. A sand iron,
:37:48. > :37:53.a little bit of backspin? Yes, and it ends up in the goal. In recent
:37:53. > :38:00.weeks, this shot from him was touched on to the post by petering
:38:00. > :38:07.common. And at 2-0 down at Celtic Park he scored a cracker. Maybe he
:38:07. > :38:10.proves that Aires calling the lower leagues in England. Yes, Kenny
:38:10. > :38:16.Shiels is good at. He digs up players also Paul Heffernan has
:38:16. > :38:23.come up from down south. He does well to go searching through the
:38:23. > :38:27.Law League's. You can find players restricted to the end of her
:38:27. > :38:32.neighbourly, physical game who can come up here, and the football has
:38:32. > :38:39.better up your, technically, deems to try to play. We have seen a lot
:38:39. > :38:49.of that this year. And he will not see many better technical skills
:38:49. > :38:51.
:38:51. > :38:55.than from Raki there. Aberdeen against Dundee United at Tannadice
:38:56. > :39:00.pulled and a crowd of 14,500. pulled and a crowd of 14,500.
:39:00. > :39:03.Jonathan Sutherland lost it. The cross from Johnnie Russell bounced
:39:03. > :39:09.across the face of the Aberdeen goalkeeper, Jason Brown. It would
:39:09. > :39:13.have been more painful if it had been an own goal. No doubt about it.
:39:13. > :39:18.Dundee United were the better team than the first half. This cross
:39:18. > :39:24.from Paul Dixon might have lacked finesse, but Jason Brown had to
:39:24. > :39:28.make sure it did not just under the crossbar. It looked like it was
:39:28. > :39:33.shaping up to be a happy new year for the Tannadice side. United
:39:33. > :39:37.fielded at the same starting 11 for the 4th match in a row. That
:39:37. > :39:42.continuity look as if it was working for our Dome side. Finally,
:39:42. > :39:47.the breakthrough came from Jon Daly, firing home his 14th goal of the
:39:47. > :39:55.season, giving Dundee United 1-0 League that their overall play had
:39:55. > :40:00.deserve. And then, things started to go wrong for Peter the son's
:40:00. > :40:03.side. Johnny Russell went down in the box under a challenge from
:40:03. > :40:12.Andrew Considine but there was no penalty award from referee Stephen
:40:12. > :40:16.McLean. Russell denied a clear goalscoring opportunity and Andrew
:40:16. > :40:23.Considine lucky to stay on the pitch. United then have a throw-in
:40:23. > :40:28.decision given against them. Again, the assistant referee in the
:40:28. > :40:32.spotlight. Normally getting a throw-in against you is not be end
:40:32. > :40:37.of the world, but then Mahmood Chalali came on as a substitute for
:40:37. > :40:41.Aberdeen and, with his very crossed touch of the ball, the Algerian
:40:41. > :40:49.equalised for the away side. The throw-in decision now a major
:40:49. > :40:56.problem for United boss, Peter Houston. To rub salt in the United
:40:56. > :41:00.wins, jury Russell was then done the defender who had denied a bus
:41:00. > :41:06.will be shot at goal, escaping a penalty and the red card, with a
:41:06. > :41:09.fine block. Harsh words had been voiced at half-time in the away
:41:10. > :41:19.dressing room, and Aberdeen come out much improved in the second
:41:20. > :41:22.
:41:22. > :41:28.half. Or were caught 1,000 Aberdeen fans made the trip south. Four
:41:28. > :41:34.minutes from time, they got their reward. This strike from Kari
:41:34. > :41:39.Arnason from 35 yards, crashing in off the underside of the crossbar,
:41:39. > :41:45.an absolute pile-driver, and there were the now, with a 2-1 lead. The
:41:45. > :41:50.scoreline, harsh on Dundee United after all that it happened. All
:41:50. > :42:00.three points headed up back north, to the granite City. Aberdeen now
:42:00. > :42:02.
:42:02. > :42:08.10 points clear of bottom club, Peter Houston wasn't happy about
:42:08. > :42:14.that. It should have been a red card as well? I have every sympathy.
:42:14. > :42:22.The ball is out of his reach. He leans into him, so he cannot pull
:42:22. > :42:32.the trigger. I think it is a penalty kick. I can understand
:42:32. > :42:36.
:42:36. > :42:43.Peter Houston being angry. Maybe the quick break, the speed, the
:42:43. > :42:47.officials could not keep up with it. It looked like a penalty to meet.
:42:47. > :42:57.He was so angry about the penalty not being given he was getting
:42:57. > :43:00.
:43:00. > :43:06.angry about the throw-ins. I would separate these things. The throw-in
:43:06. > :43:16.results in a goal and the linesman should see that. It's came off Ryan
:43:16. > :43:17.
:43:17. > :43:26.Jaques. There is still an opportunity to defend this. There
:43:26. > :43:36.is still two touches before that goal. And it was Considine, coming
:43:36. > :43:43.
:43:43. > :43:53.on as a substitute. It was a good decision. -- Chalali. This was
:43:53. > :43:55.
:43:55. > :44:00.special as well from Arnason. was swerving, it was dipping and
:44:00. > :44:08.difficult for the goalkeeper. You have to credit the player with that.
:44:08. > :44:12.Do it was from 40 yards out, it is incredible. It will be 45 or 50 by
:44:12. > :44:16.the time they stopped telling the story. There were more than 4,000
:44:17. > :44:21.Aberdeen fans, fantastic travelling support. It shows you what is
:44:21. > :44:29.possible for Aberdeen in the way of backing if they get back to a half
:44:29. > :44:34.decent level? This fixture at New Year, always bring a lot of
:44:34. > :44:44.supporters down. It has been disappointing for them over the
:44:44. > :45:08.
:45:08. > :45:15.last few seasons, but hopefully Scotland, 2012 is a massive year
:45:15. > :45:24.coming up. I am interesting -- interested about Darren Fletcher
:45:24. > :45:32.who is out of action with Manchester United, how will that go
:45:32. > :45:37.on? He needs for months complete rest. This isn't so long ago, and
:45:37. > :45:41.he was suffering at this time. He is a fantastic example to the rest
:45:41. > :45:47.of his team-mates about fortitude and desire. He wants to play every
:45:47. > :45:51.single match. Probably to the detriment of his health. So for
:45:51. > :45:56.Mons complete rest to allow his body to recover, and then reassess
:45:57. > :46:03.and take things from there. Would you expect to have him for the
:46:03. > :46:08.qualifiers? I am desperately hoping. He is such an important player, not
:46:08. > :46:13.just on the field, but the way he behaves himself, his attitude on
:46:13. > :46:18.the park and off. How he inspires all the players within a team. Him
:46:19. > :46:23.being out is a huge Glass, not just his performances but the influence
:46:23. > :46:29.he has. I'm sure there is another Fletcher you would like to have in
:46:29. > :46:33.your squad, Steven Fletcher. He has been scoring lots of goals in the
:46:33. > :46:37.English Premier League for Wolverhampton Wanderers. This is
:46:37. > :46:42.his only Scotland goal. As soon as he indicates to me he wants to play
:46:42. > :46:47.for Scotland, I will consider him. Can you not ask the question of
:46:47. > :46:53.him? Presumably it will make your life easier if you have a great
:46:53. > :46:58.penalty box goalscorer? The rules are there for everybody. It might
:46:58. > :47:02.be he does not want to play for me, I do not know because I have not
:47:02. > :47:06.had that conversation with him. All the correspondence I have had is
:47:06. > :47:16.that he does not want to play for Scotland. Until he tells me
:47:16. > :47:26.otherwise, things will stay as they are. It is simple. Look at the
:47:26. > :47:44.
:47:45. > :47:51.ready for 2013. We do have a tough group. It is different from the
:47:51. > :47:55.last group when we had Spain in the group. Everyone is expecting Spain
:47:55. > :48:02.to win the group. I do believe in this group there is two places
:48:02. > :48:06.available. Very good teams in the group. The teams supposedly below
:48:06. > :48:16.us and a roundabout Thos stronger than we liked, and the top two
:48:16. > :48:17.
:48:17. > :48:25.I will be hopeful going into December next year. You have made
:48:25. > :48:29.progress. You have to take another step? The difficulty is working out
:48:29. > :48:35.a pot four. A few seasons ago we were working out a pop two. I
:48:35. > :48:40.firmly believe we have got players who are improving. Results are
:48:40. > :48:42.improving, performances are improving and in September, the
:48:43. > :48:47.players will be another 10 months older.
:48:48. > :48:50.We've more Scottish football action for you this weekend. It's the
:48:50. > :49:00.William Hill Scottish Cup 4th Round. Dundee against Kilmarnock is live
:49:00. > :49:02.
:49:02. > :49:05.ties at 10:20. And the best of the ties at 10:20. And the best of the
:49:05. > :49:08.Sunday Cup action at 10:00. You can get SPL highlights online any time