Celtic 5-0 Saints

Last updated : 26 November 2011 By Stuart Gillespie

When you play as openly as we do, there is rarely any middle ground when you go to the Old Firm. It either works - like it did at Ibrox - or it doesn't and you get thrashed, like today. Narrow defeats don't really seem to come into it.

Danny Lennon said he had a few surprises in store for his namesake and certainly didn't disappoint, Steven Thompson being dropped to the bench. With Steven Thomson also out, it meant starts for Illias Haddad and Gary Teale - Graham Carey on the bench, where he was joined by the fit again Aaron Mooy.

When you play one of the Old Firm, you need to keep things tight for the opening 20 minutes or but we displayed some terrific passing in the opening few minutes. Marc McAusland - so solid in recent weeks - took a fresh air swipe at the ball and Samaras nipped in to score.

We were 2-0 down five minutes later when Anthony Stokes set up Gary Hooper for the first of many. Thankfully, we stemmed the tide after that and didn't concede any more goals until half-time.

Thompson was introduced at the break as we tried to get into things but it was 4-0 before the hour mark, Hooper grabbing a couple of goals to complete his hat-trick after good play with Stokes. A fine solo goal from sub Dylan McGeoch completed a bad afternoon.

A bit of a disaster all round then and the biggest defeat under Lennon - ironically days after he signed a new deal. Hardly a surprise though coming at Parkhead and we must bounce back against Inverness Caley Thistle next week.

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