'Whenever you play them...': Dundee United man reveals blueprint to beat Celtic as ex-midfielder lands managerial role
Dundee United skipper was colossal in Celtic victory.
Dundee United captain Ross Graham admits the pain of his injury-time own goal in the Dundee derby helped to power their impressive 2-0 victory over champions Celtic at the weekend.
The 25-year-old put in a colossal performance at the heart of defence at Tannadice on Sunday, as second-half goals from Will Ferry and Emmanuel Agyei seriously dented Celtic’s title chances, while keeping their own slim hopes of a top six finish alive.
In complete contrast to the feeling he felt a week previous, Graham says he was reluctant to show his face around the town after the dramatic 2-2 draw in the Dundee derby at Dens Park saw his side concede two stoppage time goals, including his own 96th minute own goal.
“After the derby, it was rock bottom,” said Graham. “It’s always difficult. especially being around the city. You can’t help but bump into fans of both teams. So, I tried to keep my head down, out of the way. It’s hard to describe how I was feeling. I’ve never felt that way before in football. I’m thankful to the gaffer for sticking by me.
“He knows that these things can happen in football. Although, it doesn’t help that it was one of the biggest games of our season in a derby. The boys were lifting my spirits straight away – and we always know in football, you’ve always got a game the next week to change things.”
Making two blocks, 13 clearances, and winning the majority of his aerial duels, Graham responded to his derby day nightmare in timely fashion. The result leaves Celtic five points behind league leaders Hearts in third, however, six points behind sixth-place Falkirk, it also gave Jim Goodwin’s side an outside chance at securing a second consecutive top-six finish going into their final two games against Rangers and Livingston before the split.
“Whenever you play Celtic, the defence and the whole team need to be switched on defensively and maintain the structure,” said Graham. “We did that. We know Celtic want to get the ball down and play, so we thought we’d press them high and be aggressive, especially on that pitch. It can take a few bad bobbles and stuff like that. So, we were brave in our press and we nipped the ball off them on multiple occasions. I thought the boys executed the game plan down to a T.”
Meanwhile, former Celtic midfielder Colin Kazim-Richards has been handed the first managerial role after being appointed the head coach of Crawley Town. The 39-year-old, who made 11 appearances for Celtic during the 2015/16 season, had been confirmed as Scott Lindsey’s replacement at the Broadfield Stadium, who was sacked on Monday following a run of 10 games without a win.
Kazim-Richards retired from playing in 2023 after a spell at Turkish side Fatih Karagumruk and was appointed as a youth team coach in the Arsenal academy shortly afterwards. "Following a thorough and highly competitive recruitment process, Colin distinguished himself as an outstanding candidate,” said Crawley owner Raphael Khalili.
“He is a natural leader with extensive experience in the dressing room and we firmly believe he is the right person to guide the club forward at this important time." Currently in 21st position in EFL League Two and five point from safety, Kazim-Richards has signed a deal until the remainder of the season.
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