Craig Robertson Post Celtic
Saturday, 16th Sep 2006No team is over ambitious when they come to Parkhead or Ibrox. The second half we had better possession without really threatening Celtic's goalkeeper
Assistant Manager Craig Robertson met the press after the match:-
"Defensively I thought we did very well. At times we kept the ball very well but going forward, and I am not getting at the front two here, we didn't do enough when we were on the ball in forward areas.
"The game plan was the same as last season when we played at Celtic Park; to try and frustrated them and hit them on the break which every team does when they come.
"Apart from a mistake at a corner when someone didn't pick up; sorry they were picking up but not in the right manner, we are disappointed that we didn't get something.
"No team is over ambitious when they come to Parkhead or Ibrox. The second half we had better possession without really threatening Celtic's goalkeeper."
Craig recognised that Dorus de Vries in goal played his part:-
"You saw Celtic away to Manchester United on Wednesday. Celtic were the underdogs on Wednesday and their keeper played well. Your goalie has to play well but that is what he is paid for."
The second half performance was better after an adjustment to the tactics:-
"We pushed Shieldsie and Aaron a little further up and at times it caused them a bit of trouble. That is what we wanted to do but our final ball into the box wasn't good enough.
"I have been here with Aberdeen teams full of internationalists and got humped by four or five."
Celtic Manager Gordon Strachan said:-
"I enjoyed the first half and we should have been more comfortable at half time in terms of goals. To have as many chances, as many crosses and keep possession as much as that and virtually not give away a chance, you cannot ask for any more than that. In the second half for fifteen minutes, had we kept it to five it might have been alright, we relaxed and went one dimensional as well.
"Everything was short, short, short whereas first half we got in behind, there were diagonal balls and we had them thinking. In the second half the other team didn't get a chance but it didn't waken up the players. I was worried that they'd get a chance but they didn't really get a chance.
"We didn't vary it enough, it was too similar every move and it was easy for Dunfermline to get that mind set. If we had switched the play quicker and played it wide in the last half hour it would definitely have been alright. I am happy with today's work because to come back after an emotional night like Wednesday night usually you find that the first half is poor and because the Manager gets ripped into them, the second half is gets a bit better but I didn't need to do that at half time. I found that very strange but all's well."
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