Thursday, March 13, 2008

Celtic Play Well But Stumble Into 0-0 Draw. . .



Scottish Premier League
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Celtic Park, Glasgow

CELTIC… 0

DUNDEE UNITED… 0


CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura, Brown, Sno (Robson 62), McGeady; McDonald, Samaras (Vennegoor of Hesselink 62).
Subs: M Brown, O’Dea, Hartley, Donati, Riordan.

DUNDEE UNITED (4-5-1) Zaluska; Kovacevic, Wilkie, Kenneth, Grainger; O’Brien, Robertson (Flood 75), Buaben, Kerr, Conway (Daly 84); De Vries (Hunt 77).
Subs: McLean, Dillon, Dods, Swanson.

It was a disappointing return to league business for Celtic after the recent demands of the UEFA Champions League and Scottish Cup as Gordon Strachan's side dropped two points in a goal-less draw with Dundee United.

Despite carving out the better chances and having the bulk of possession, the players could not break down a resilient United side.

The game initially started well for Celtic who got out the blocks quickly and largely dominated proceedings in the first half hour of the match.

Playing entertaining football, the team carved out a couple of early chances, with Shunsuke Nakamura the first man to clip the United post with just three minutes on the clock.

This was followed by good chances for Scott McDonald and Georgios Samaras and as Celtic kept possession, the on-form Aiden McGeady and full-back Andreas Hinkel were influential on either flank.

Then, in the 31st minute, McDonald was the next man to hit the post, showing great strength to hold off Garry Kenneth as he was put through by a Scott Brown pass.

But as the half wore on, Celtic allowed their opponents into the match and United duly created the chance of the half.

Article.

Not a good result, but we have to keep the faith!

Hail! Hail!

TomC

Montecristo Edmundo

Size: 5 1/3" (135 mm)
Gauge:52

Weight: 15.00 grams

Vitola: Edmundo
Country of Origin: Cuba
Tobacco
Procedence: Vuelta Abajo (Pinar del Rio)

Factory: H. Upmann


Appearance
: This is one nice looking Cuban puro. A bit toothy but very well constructed, evenly packed and a joy to behold. There was a tiny chip on the foot of the cigar but but that was no issue because by the end of lighting the blemish was gone.

Pre-Light: The clip was easy and the pre light draw was free and easy. Much like the other Montcristos I have had, the pre light notes were of that trademark habano earthiness and some great peppery spiciness.


Burn/Draw: The large ring gauge of this cigar did concern me a bit. I have been trending toward smaller cigars as of late and hoped that the cigar would not be uncomfortable to smoke, or have burn problems. In general, it did not. The burn was a little funky (but I seem to get that in all Montecristo cigars) but it really never got horrible, so I could tolerate it. The draw on the other hand was great, and yielded volumes of beautiful blue grey, flavorful smoke. the ash, while mottled, was very firm and held on forever.

Flavors: This cigar was very similar to the Montecristo No. 2, but kicked up a notch. I figure this has to do with the larger cut of this cigar compared to pyramid shape of the No. 2. The first half of the cigar had notes pepper, damp organic earth, and french roast coffee on the middle of the tongue, contrasted with an interesting tangy note around the edges. This contrast is probably what I would consider the defining aspect of the cigar, what makes it different for the No. 2. Over the last half of the cigar first became sweeter and the smoke took on a real creamy feeling, then became more spicy during the last quarter, first with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, then finally more powerful like the pepper that started the stogie off. Overall this is a great cigar, and while I think I prefer the N0.2, this one is quite worth having around. RECOMMENDED.

TomC