:00:20. > :00:23.It's been a stuttering start to the SPL season. The first three
:00:23. > :00:27.weekends have featured six games, then five and now four. Two games
:00:27. > :00:37.yesterday and two today. Action from all four coming up. And we'll
:00:37. > :01:05.
:01:05. > :01:08.hear from the manager of the league Motherwell manager Stuart McCall is
:01:08. > :01:11.with us. Even three weeks into the season, title challengers Celtic
:01:11. > :01:15.are playing catch-up after their Dublin city break last weekend.
:01:15. > :01:25.Today they were at Pittodrie to play Aberdeen who had a hell of a
:01:25. > :01:42.
:01:42. > :01:52.time against Neil Lennon's team This club has never received a
:01:52. > :01:54.
:01:54. > :02:02.beating like this before. Double The Aberdeen and this is today had
:02:02. > :02:06.to be on stopping Celtic from doing yet more damage. Rory McArdle
:02:06. > :02:16.returned to the defence. Celtic had to make a couple of changes to
:02:16. > :02:25.
:02:25. > :02:35.their back line. 19-year-old Adam now. He is being asked to perform
:02:35. > :02:49.
:02:49. > :02:53.at a role that is pretty unfamiliar is a good tackle. Izaguirre landed
:02:54. > :03:00.very awkwardly on that right ankle. His manager is concerned. He is
:03:01. > :03:10.right up in the tunnel area as Izaguirre is stretchered off. Last
:03:11. > :03:11.
:03:11. > :04:20.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 69 seconds
:04:21. > :04:30.Lion's share of the possession. goalscorer last season. The going
:04:31. > :04:59.
:04:59. > :05:09.to come back at his Aberdeen in! -- for Scott Vernon! Celtic is
:05:09. > :05:31.
:05:31. > :05:41.Commons. This is Stokes. And at Celtic finally make the break
:05:41. > :05:44.
:05:44. > :05:54.through. Celtic took full advantage. Stokes is deadly from that kind of
:05:54. > :06:11.
:06:11. > :06:18.range. He may well have fired hands of Celtic last season.
:06:18. > :06:24.Gonzalez didn't really get the power in he would have liked. Neil
:06:24. > :06:34.Lennon knows he is not far away from Ace next will -- from a second
:06:34. > :07:02.
:07:02. > :07:07.He is desperate to get that title back. As you say, it was 75 minutes.
:07:07. > :07:14.Just the relief. But it was a good goal and as you say he is delighted
:07:14. > :07:20.and rightly so. Mixed emotions for him this evening having lost a
:07:20. > :07:29.Player of the Season in the last campaign, Izaguirre. Yes, so in
:07:29. > :07:36.fortunate. -- unfortunate. An innocuous tackle. He knows he has
:07:36. > :07:42.it insult. It is just the way he lands. It is a real bad one. It is
:07:42. > :07:48.sickening for Celtic. They will struggle to get somebody as good as
:07:48. > :07:51.him. Just a bad blow. That upsets things financially for him. He
:07:52. > :08:00.would maybe have been looking to buy players in other positions and
:08:00. > :08:04.suddenly he has to replace him. you say, it is not something you
:08:04. > :08:08.want. He would probably have been looking at strengthening other
:08:08. > :08:13.areas. Aberdeen pulling their hair out because they did the hard bit
:08:13. > :08:19.in many ways and held out for the best part of 75 minutes, and then
:08:19. > :08:29.Ricky Foster did this. To be fair, Commons did exceptionally well to
:08:29. > :08:33.
:08:33. > :08:38.make it. He finishes it well. He does complain to the referee a bit.
:08:38. > :08:44.Commons pickpocketing. It is a lovely goal. Stokes has a great
:08:44. > :08:51.scoring record. That is a great front partnership. When you had
:08:51. > :08:55.Hooper and the midfield boys, they are a threat from every angle.
:08:55. > :08:59.Worrying for Aberdeen fans, not many goals there. One we look back
:08:59. > :09:04.over Aberdeen's first three games of the season, this is the closest
:09:04. > :09:08.they came to scoring. Back off the post. They really don't look to
:09:08. > :09:17.have a great deal of cutting edge at the moment. In fairness to them,
:09:17. > :09:25.they have three or four key players missing. Maguire, they have lost
:09:25. > :09:34.the goals and the creation in that Maguire. Vernon is doing his best.
:09:34. > :09:37.Three games, no goals, it has to be a little concerned.
:09:37. > :09:40.Who would have thought Dundee United against St Mirren would be a
:09:40. > :09:50.top of the table tussle? Jonathan Sutherland can talk us through the
:09:50. > :09:56.
:09:56. > :10:03.happened to St Mirren? 1-0 last weekend against Aberdeen after
:10:03. > :10:13.their first game draw with Dunfermline. Sadly, this game would
:10:13. > :10:14.
:10:14. > :10:19.begin in tragic fashion for Scott Severin. The diagnosis was
:10:19. > :10:29.horrendous. No malice in the incident, but Scott Severin was
:10:29. > :10:34.
:10:35. > :10:42.stretchered away with a triple leg- break. And Neil Thompson scored his
:10:42. > :10:45.first goal. Two players there who really epitomised the
:10:45. > :10:51.transformation of the team in the last season. Dundee United just
:10:51. > :10:58.didn't turn up in this -- in the first half. Hasselbaink was a
:10:58. > :11:08.constant danger. This shot was just wide. Next, another moment to the
:11:08. > :11:10.
:11:10. > :11:15.get for the defender Keith Watson. A fresh shot with the goal gaping.
:11:15. > :11:22.Overall, St Mirren were in charge in the first half. Paul McGann and
:11:23. > :11:27.with this shot over the bar. Then again changing moment - an arm
:11:27. > :11:32.lashed out by Hasselbaink made contact with pursuer Paul Dixon.
:11:32. > :11:37.The defender went down in a heap. The red card came out for
:11:37. > :11:45.Hasselbaink, prompting protests. The manager had to run onto the
:11:45. > :11:51.pitch to help quell disorder. Into the second half, with an extra
:11:51. > :12:01.advantage, Johnnie Russell did his best. His first effort was saved by
:12:01. > :12:02.
:12:02. > :12:11.some sun. His strike partner Jon Daly would also come close, but the
:12:11. > :12:21.equaliser just did not come. Then in the 67th minute, the cutback was
:12:21. > :12:23.
:12:23. > :12:26.there. And there was Jon Daly on hand to grab the equaliser. United
:12:26. > :12:32.manager after the game it describes his player's second half
:12:32. > :12:37.performance as Money doesn't. 19- year-old Scot Alan looks like he
:12:37. > :12:47.might have a big future after making his debut against Hearts. He
:12:47. > :12:58.
:12:58. > :13:01.almost conjured up a winner. It was St Mirren were outstanding for the
:13:01. > :13:07.first half of the game. The turning point was Hasselbaink being sent
:13:07. > :13:13.off. What did you think at the time? I couldn't see, I thought
:13:13. > :13:18.Hasselbaink would get a penalty. It is really silly. He is a young boy,
:13:18. > :13:22.20, he is in the clear. Normally when you find somebody of it is
:13:22. > :13:27.when you are grappling with you, but he is allowed -- a yard ahead.
:13:27. > :13:33.Now I have seen it again, I think the referee is spot-on. They will
:13:33. > :13:41.miss him. Certainly, he created a goal, if he had another two
:13:41. > :13:51.opportunities. Our defenders will be very pleased he is missing next
:13:51. > :13:57.
:13:57. > :14:00.week. MacGowan was excellent yesterday. Mixed emotions. Dundee
:14:00. > :14:05.United threw everything at them in the second half and when they
:14:05. > :14:09.scored early you expected them to win it. It has been difficult for
:14:09. > :14:16.Dundee United, because they have lost so many good players,
:14:16. > :14:23.Goodwillie, Conway, all automatic choices for them. Soak the pressure
:14:23. > :14:33.is on Johnnie Russell and Scot Alan the 19-year-old making his second
:14:33. > :14:42.
:14:42. > :14:52.start. Johnnie Russell did well against us last season. And the 19-
:14:52. > :14:53.
:14:53. > :14:59.year-old, a fantastic bit of skill. Fair play to St Mirren for holding
:14:59. > :15:06.on. A horrible moment was the injury to Scott Severin. It report
:15:06. > :15:15.leg-break. He is 32, and you just hope he will come back from this. -
:15:15. > :15:21.- 8 triple leg-break. Unfortunately for the kid, as you say, to have
:15:21. > :15:31.your leg break in three places was horrendous. A committed tackle,
:15:31. > :15:31.
:15:31. > :15:37.they both went in for it. The boy will be out for a long time.
:15:37. > :15:42.Mirren and Motherwell next weekend, sounds like that will be a good one.
:15:43. > :15:50.St Mirren really impressed. The Football yesterday was very good.
:15:50. > :16:00.The sending of changed the game. I am sure the fans of St Mirren
:16:00. > :16:02.
:16:03. > :16:09.Inverness work goalless and pointless yesterday. The first game
:16:09. > :16:15.of the SPL comeback. The first -- the last time they met
:16:15. > :16:22.was four years ago. Richard Hastings equalised with a free kick.
:16:22. > :16:26.The goalkeeper probably still has nightmares. McAllister was the
:16:26. > :16:31.winner but the deflection had a fair bit to do with it. It was a
:16:31. > :16:41.defeat which cent Dunfermline down to the First Division. The manager
:16:41. > :17:00.
:17:01. > :17:08.their first victory of the new season. That was almost a wonderful
:17:08. > :17:18.start. How was that kept out?! Dunfermline are coming forward once
:17:18. > :17:55.
:17:55. > :18:05.otherwise we would have seen the opening goal. That was player three
:18:05. > :18:38.
:18:38. > :18:48.Galahad. It was a nice height for Dunfermline have a deserved lead,
:18:48. > :19:06.
:19:07. > :19:16.of the second half for the visitors. Tansey made his own luck there. It
:19:17. > :19:31.
:19:31. > :19:41.just looked over and into the net. Dunfermline are back in front but
:19:41. > :20:13.
:20:13. > :20:23.where was the marking of the Caley would have to say so and the next
:20:23. > :20:31.
:20:31. > :20:41.argument was, was it over the line Caley Thistle although denied one
:20:41. > :21:02.
:21:03. > :21:12.Caley Thistle are certainly more in the game now than they ever have
:21:13. > :21:47.
:21:47. > :21:57.been. And incredibly, at Caley Hardy and he knows it. An injury-
:21:57. > :22:01.
:22:01. > :22:07.time equaliser for Dunfermline. The Sometimes, it must be difficult for
:22:07. > :22:17.a manager to evaluate. Inverness were appalled but they were 3-2 up
:22:17. > :22:18.
:22:18. > :22:24.in the last minute. Yes, he has scored last week in the last minute.
:22:24. > :22:28.It was deeply disappointing but Dunfermline apparently deserved it.
:22:28. > :22:35.What the manager will be pleased about is that he looks to have
:22:35. > :22:45.found a good goalscoring midfielder IND Tansey. You had delicate him as
:22:45. > :22:46.
:22:46. > :22:54.well, didn't she? Yes, we knew all about him. He did ever so well at
:22:54. > :22:58.stop well last season. He got a lucky deflection but he has
:22:58. > :23:04.terrific feet and is a good striker. He will be looking to get double
:23:04. > :23:13.figures from the midfield. He tackles the ball well. He is brave
:23:13. > :23:18.to? Yes, he was in there and he is a big as it. When Dunfermline got
:23:18. > :23:22.the free kick in the 90th minute yesterday, I think John Macintyre
:23:23. > :23:31.thought it was too far out. Martin Hardy thought otherwise and he was
:23:32. > :23:37.right. Yes, with that opportunity, you would say that nine times out
:23:37. > :23:42.of 10 you would be happy but it was a postage stamp goal. A tremendous
:23:42. > :23:52.finish and a deserved point. It was good for Dunfermline yesterday, the
:23:52. > :23:52.
:23:52. > :23:59.performance, because I thought there was not much about them
:23:59. > :24:03.yesterday -- before but yesterday it was encouraging. Fans pay to see
:24:03. > :24:13.goals. And they were good goals as well. It is a building block and
:24:13. > :24:27.
:24:27. > :24:33.another point. They are unbeaten. It is cringing! A great little
:24:33. > :24:40.header but there is no doubt he is of sight. But it is school Balkans
:24:40. > :24:46.-- schoolboy stuff. You just want to get it on the scoresheet. I'm
:24:46. > :24:50.sure the manager had a few words with him. Three goals yesterday,
:24:50. > :24:59.they created a lot against Hibs and they had a good few chances at your
:24:59. > :25:04.place? Yes, defensively the goal last week was a bit sloppy to give
:25:04. > :25:12.it away. Maybe the keeper could have been slightly better but I
:25:12. > :25:17.think he has been pleased with the attacking play. And the players
:25:17. > :25:24.school -- school build score -- score goals midfield but
:25:24. > :25:28.defensively they need to be better. Seven days is a long time at hearts
:25:28. > :25:38.and it was Paulo Sergio who was the latest managerial hiring to follow
:25:38. > :26:12.
:26:12. > :26:22.the latest firing by the axeman, got on. Commentary from Paul
:26:22. > :26:22.
:26:22. > :27:07.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 69 seconds
:27:07. > :27:17.Mitchell. behind by a Kello. Jennings was
:27:17. > :27:17.
:27:17. > :28:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 69 seconds
:28:15. > :28:25.a yellow card. The referee is quickly out with the card for the
:28:25. > :28:48.
:28:48. > :28:54.off his line. Randolph was alert. Ian Black has gone over the top.
:28:54. > :28:58.O'Reilly didn't hesitate. Straight to the back pocket. It doesn't look
:28:58. > :29:04.so bad from that angle but Ian Black is off. It looked hasty from
:29:04. > :29:14.him. No chance to win the ball he just went over the top of the
:29:14. > :29:40.
:29:41. > :29:50.Sergio. A Jamie Murphy, and on the hour, Jamie Murphy gives them the
:29:51. > :29:52.
:29:52. > :29:55.lead. Great construction in the move. Lovely passing. Not the
:29:56. > :30:05.greatest of first touch as but his persistence paid off. It is his
:30:06. > :30:26.
:30:26. > :30:32.first ever goal against Hearts, and Motherwell continued to have the
:30:32. > :30:42.upper hand. Murphy trying to get outside, sliding in there. The ball
:30:42. > :31:02.
:31:02. > :31:12.ended by Keith lastly, this could be trouble! That means red. For the
:31:12. > :31:14.
:31:14. > :31:22.last five minutes of the game, the Top of the league and you can throw
:31:22. > :31:26.the title away now. It has been a good start, nothing more. We have
:31:26. > :31:31.got players that can consolidate going forward. A big turning point
:31:31. > :31:37.in the game was the sending-off of being black. Television can tell a
:31:37. > :31:41.different story sometimes, what did you think watching it back?
:31:42. > :31:51.watched it again and I thought they would two committed players going
:31:52. > :31:53.
:31:53. > :32:02.for the ball. That was slightly behind. Dangerous though, wasn't
:32:02. > :32:10.it? Yes, I think the referee got it right. That does not help hearts in
:32:10. > :32:20.their discipline record. Murphy's Gold, obviously modesty forbids you
:32:20. > :32:20.
:32:20. > :32:30.from saying it you switch the players and sat at up. A good ball,
:32:30. > :32:30.
:32:30. > :32:36.a good forward run. A good, crisp pass across. Delighted for him and
:32:36. > :32:43.everyone. I think the second half, it is not always easy. You have to
:32:43. > :32:49.move the ball quickly. You went to disappointed to find out the
:32:49. > :32:55.Hasselbaink is suspended. Not so pleased about the two yellows here
:32:55. > :32:59.though. No, he got there as quick as he could but he was a split-
:32:59. > :33:09.second late. It is a committed tackle again. Certainly it was
:33:09. > :33:11.
:33:11. > :33:16.yellow. This one, yes, no doubt it was a foul. Not every fowl is a
:33:16. > :33:23.yellow card but I think the referee just about got it right. Two wins
:33:23. > :33:31.and a draw. This was the opening weekend victim -- victory. Is there
:33:31. > :33:40.a worry that the squad is then? yes, there certainly is. And the
:33:40. > :33:44.window is closing in a couple of weeks. They are playing well, we
:33:44. > :33:48.have young boys coming in. Naturally, like every manager, you
:33:48. > :33:53.want more players and. Hopefully before the window closes we will
:33:53. > :33:58.get one or two more. But we work with the budget like everybody does.
:33:58. > :34:08.We have quality on the side, but depth is not as good as we would
:34:08. > :34:30.
:34:30. > :34:33.like. Let us have a look at the That's it for tonight. We'll have
:34:33. > :34:36.highlights for you of Scotland's friendly against Denmark on
:34:36. > :34:38.Wednesday night at 22.45. More SPL action next Sunday night at 22.25.