THERE were enough ghosts wafting about Celtic Park at the weekend to give the championship flag a spirited swirl on its unfurling.
The toast was almost exclusively celebratory but given the inherent darkness of the Scottish football fan there were nods to absent friends.
As Celtic overcame Ross County in a fine, vibrant match, there were mutters about the departed Gary Hooper as the champions missed a series of chances. These complaints, of course, are compromised somewhat by the reality that Anthony Stokes, the direct replacement for the Englishman, scored both goals and should have won a penalty that was denied wrongly by referee Willie Collum. The power of the argument is also diminished by the realisation that Hooper, a player of considerable gifts, had days when he was ineffective and innocuous.
The other ghosts were the missing Kelvin Wilson and Georgios Samaras. Both will have a strong bearing on Celtic's immediate future. Their omission from the team on Saturday was not heavily mourned because a disciplined and cleverly organised Ross County side were eventually overcome with Celtic showing pace on the ball and in moving it around the park. Speed of pass and thought created opportunities for Celtic with Kris Commons twice threading excellent through balls down the side of the County centre-backs.
The most tantalising aspect of Celtic's play, however, was the deployment of James Forrest and Derk Boerritger, the signing from Ajax, on the wings. The ability to select two direct, quick wingers has long been an ambition of Neil Lennon and the wide men offered much to encourage him in the 39 minutes the Dutch player completed before succumbing to a knock sustained when trying to convert a cross by Stokes. There is also pace at full-back, most notably from Adam Matthews who came on as a substitute.
Celtic therefore have the capability of breaking quickly and this will be a potent weapon in Sweden on Wednesday night and in Europe if reaching the group stages of the Champions or Europa League is achieved. Samaras is key to this strategy of springing into attack from defensive positions. It must be presumed he was rested on Saturday after his bruising encounter with the boots of Elfsborg players and he will start on Wednesday, either as a front man or, if Boerritger is injured, as the wide left player.
With Scott Brown and Joe Ledley in good form, it is only the ghost of defensive errors past that haunts Celtic ahead of a trip that is crucial to the success of the season. Efe Ambrose seems to have a constitutional right to commit one appalling error in every match. Domestically, this can cause irritation rather than lasting damage. His ill-advised blooter against Graham Carey produced a good opportunity for County that the willing and strong Kevin Luckassen could not exploit. European teams are not so forgiving. Sceptics should consult the case of Ambrose v Juventus.
There is an argument, then, for pairing Charlie Mulgrew, relatively solid in defence and the best central defender coming out with the ball, with Wilson against Elfsborg. This is all complicated by the exact prognosis, both physically and mentally, of Wilson. The English centre-half has been courted by Nottingham Forest and his manager has spoken of "attempts to unsettle" his defender. With Virgil van Dijk injured but in reserve, Wilson may be allowed to go with Celtic picking up the best part of £2m from a club who allowed the player to go to Glasgow for nothing.
This is good business but Celtic's financial results will be determined by what happens in Boras on Wednesday and in any subsequent Champions League qualifier. There will then be time for Lennon to take a breath and make his dispositions but he may be hurried into some decisions.
He still seeks a striker, with Wolverhampton Wanderers sending out indications that the price of Kevin Doyle is dropping. Most relevantly for Lennon, Stokes has still not agreed the deal that has been on the table for some time and Ledley's contract is running down. The Welshman is on a handsome wage as he came to Celtic on a free transfer from Cardiff City but, approaching 27, realises that this is a crucial deal for him.
"Everything is still on hold," he said after a good performance on Saturday. ''Hopefully, my agent can come up soon and sort everything out and the club offer me a new deal. As I said to the gaffer, I'd obviously like to concentrate on the pitch more than off the pitch. I'm very happy here and it's a fantastic club."
Stokes, too, has a decision to make as he is playing in the year's option exercised by the club. Lennon, who confirmed he had reached an agreement with the board on a new rolling contract, has to recruit and retain over the next few weeks. What happens in Elfsborg will have a major impact on his deliberations and his bargaining power.
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