Aidenho Runs The Show As Bhoys Hammer Dons

By Tony Quinn

A brace from Celtic helped the Bhoys hammer Aberdeen 5-1 in the SPL on Sunday. Celtic were 3-0 at the interval and dominated throughout. They now have 52 points from 23 games in second place while Rangers top the standings on 56 from 23. Shunsuke Nakamura swept home an easy opener after 17 minutes following a great run down the left and cross from Aiden McGeady. McGeady made it 2-0 in 33 minutes with a low, curling shot from 25 yards into the bottom left. Australian striker McDonald slotted home a penalty 10 minutes later. Three minutes into the second period, McDonald headed in Celtic's fourth before Aberdeen pulled back a goal when Lee Miller thumped in a shot off the bar from 12 metres in 62 minutes. Substitute Barry Robson scored with his first touch of the ball for Celtic after signing from Dundee Utd by blasting a 20-metre freekick past keeper Jamie Langfield in 73 minutes.

After the game Gordon Strachan gushed with pride for his team's efforts: "That was our best performance of the season away from home - our ability and attitude was first class," said the manager. "Aiden McGeady dazzled throughout with his skills and you'll be hard placed to find a better individual performance."

Goal scoring new Bhoy Barry Robson admits his target now is a regular start at Parkhead. He said: "At a big club like Celtic there are so many players everybody needs to rotate a bit at certain times. But my aim is to play in the majority of games and play well. Everyone wants to play for a big club and I don't think there are bigger in the world than Celtic. It's a great club to be at and I want to play in the Champions League and win titles and cups. That's why I came here."

Newspaper reports suggest Artur Boruc claims Polish players have to be twice as good as other players in order to succeed at foreign clubs - and he claimed Maciej Zurawski was given "far too few" chances before leaving Celtic. Zurawski moved to Greek club Larissa on the final day of the transfer window in an attempt to secure some first-team football in order to earn a place in Poland's Euro 2008 squad. But Boruc said his fellow international deserved more chances at Parkhead. Boruc said: "Maciej wasn't given many chances. Far too few in my opinion. He is a good football player and I think if he had played frequently, he would have scored plenty of goals for us. It just shows how tough it is for a Polish player going to a foreign club."

Motherwell's twice-postponed SPL match against Celtic has been rescheduled for 15 March. Motherwell and Celtic had league fixtures against Rangers and Dundee United scheduled for that Saturday. However, those games were postponed after Rangers and United reached the CIS Insurance Cup final on 16 March.

Wigan Athletic boss Steve Bruce is prepared to cash in on Jason Koumas at the end of this season. Reports say Bruce has given the green light for Celtic to seal a £4m move for wantaway Wales international Koumas.

Barcelona defender Oleguer will miss both legs of his side's Champions League last 16 tie against Celtic after breaking a bone in his left hand during his side's 1-1 draw at Sevilla on Saturday. The club have said that the right back was expected to be out of action for around six weeks. Thierry Henry is also a doubt for the game after picking up a hip injury. The Frenchman played 90 minutes for his country in last week but had to be substituted in the 1-1 draw with Sevilla on Saturday. He will now undergo tests to determine the extent of the problem. Barca are already without Carles Puyol for the clash at Parkhead after he tore a leg muscle in the recent Copa del Rey game against Villarreal.