Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League away in London this week against an impressive Arsenal side, and what followed was a wave of criticism and negativity, directed straight at the Scottish game. In my opinion, it was way off the mark.

I have heard so many people phone in radio shows this week expressing their disappointment at the efforts of Tony Mowbray's men, and down south there was the typical headline or two about how easy it was for the Gunners, but let's not get carried away.

I have seen Arsenal this season, and they are playing as well as anyone right now, so Celtic should not lose confidence as a result of the scoreline. That match at the Emirates shouldn't be used as a marker to critique the Scottish game either. In fact, how many people said Everton were useless after they were dismantled 6-1 at home to Arsenal on the opening weekend of the English Premier League season? The answer is - very few.

Granted, Celtic would happily have taken on a lesser side this weekend than Hibs, so they could wipe the slate clean and get back on track, but they don't have that luxury. As a result of the fixture list, Mowbray faces his biggest SPL test to date, and he simply must pick his players up ahead of this vital clash.

In contrast, Hibs enter the game in good form and they will thoroughly examine Celtic's character, so The Bhoys better be ready, I watched John Hughes' new side come from a goal down at Falkirk last week, and as the game progressed they got better and better. Yogi started with an ambitious three-man frontline, which never quite worked in the first half, but he was brave enough to stick with his game-plan, and eventually it paid off. It'll be interesting to see if he's as attacking against Celtic.

Hughes has a number of attacking options now, and in particular two of them have a point to prove at Easter road in front of the ESPN cameras this weekend. Derek Riordan, who of course had a largely unsuccessful spell at Parkhead, will be desperate to impress - I'm sure of that.

New recruit Anthony Stokes will also be eager to score his first goal for the Edinburgh club after his transfer from Sunderland. It never quite worked out for Stokes down on Wearside, as he failed to make an impact under Roy Keane - he fell out with the manager and the two never patched up their relationship.

Stokes played against Falkirk a week ago and in truth he looked rusty, but that's understandable, as he has had played a limited amount of football in recent months. He missed a couple of chances at the Falkirk stadium that I would have expected him to convert, but it surely won't be long before he finds the net again.

Celtic will certainly have to be on top form to come away from Easter Road with all three points and their defending will have to be excellent on the day if they face that attacking trio.

John Hughes can certainly afford to have a go against Celtic, as this is a match they aren't expected to win anyway, and with two victories out of two so far, it's not exactly win or bust for Hibs.

So, expect an entertaining clash in the capital, and forget about the negativity from those who are keen to knock Scottish football down a peg or two. I accept that the top English clubs are streets ahead of both Rangers and Celtic right now, but that doesn't mean we should accept that the Old Firm can't compete in Europe.

The 12 teams in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League all have their own priorities. For Falkirk this season, it's a matter of preserving their top flight status: nothing more, nothing less.

A glance at the table after 2 games shows the Bairns have yet to pick up a point, and worryingly have conceded 7 goals. Yet there's no need to press the panic button. In Rangers and Hibernian, Eddie May's charges have faced a couple of stern opponents to begin the season. Dundee United away on Saturday will be no picnic either.

Having been on site at a sun-kissed Falkirk Stadium for our live ESPN coverage of the 3-1 defeat suffered at the hands of old boss Yogi Hughes and his Hibs team, I was fascinated to learn more about the building blocks in place at the Stirlingshire club.

May and managing director George Craig told me before Saturday's match that they're rightly proud of the fact that 16 members of the current first team squad have come through their own academy.

Scottish clubs have traditionally employed managers who supervised all aspects of the clubs from dealing with agents and the highest paid players on the staff, to making sure that the janitors and cleaners are doing their jobs.

The likeable May, previously director of the aforementioned youth academy, has ascended to the role of "head coach". In other words, his sole responsibility is to look after the first team, with assistance from former Falkirk and Scotland defender Steven Pressley and the highly respected Alex Smith.

In the innovative Ross Wilson, Falkirk have a new man in charge of football development. In Spain or Germany, Wilson would likely be described as "sporting director" but you get the point that his job is distinct from that of May. There's a strong element of the continental model about what the Bairns are doing.

They are helped greatly by an association with Stirling University, just a few miles up the road. The training facilities there are the envy of many a club in Scotland. Penning this blog en route to the USA makes me wonder if we might in the future see young, education conscious American players enticed by the prospect of combining a Scottish degree with the possibility of an SPL experience. Stranger things have happened!

Falkirk are a club hell bent on giving up and comers a chance. If you remove 35 year-old Jackie McNamara and 28 year-old Burton O'Brien from Saturday's starting eleven, you find an average age of 21.5.

They have already produced a Scotland player in club captain Darren Barr and it will be interesting to follow the development of Scott Arfield, Tam Scobbie and Saturday's scorer, Ryan Flynn, as the season progresses.

The harsh reality for the Bairns is that some of their own "bairns" (Scottish word for youngsters for those of you not from Scotland!) need to be sold on for the system to work. Arfield has been linked with a number of clubs south of the border, and it's surely a case of when, rather than if, Falkirk will have to let go.

The trim stadium now has a new south stand and I'm looking forward to returning for the visit of Aberdeen, when we broadcast ESPN matchnight live on Monday, 14 September.

At a time when Scottish football desperately needs a harvest of new homegrown football talent, there would be no harm in others examining the Falkirk way.

New Hibs manager John Hughes takes his side to The Falkirk stadium on Saturday, but how will he be received by his former club, where he managed for over 6 years?

When John "Yogi" Hughes walks into the away dug-out at The Falkirk Stadium on Saturday, many people will listen to the reaction of the home fans. I'm in no doubt he will be applauded by the majority, but there may be some who deliver a much more hostile message, and that's because after six and a half years at the helm of Falkirk his reign came to a controversial end in May.

Some fans wanted him out after a poor run in the SPL last year - "The Bairns" avoided relegation on the very last day of the season - yet many other fans supported him until the end.

Those who did keep the faith in Yogi outnumbered the doubters, but both facets will make their feelings clear before the game against Hibs, I'm certain of that.

Hughes, who left for Hibs in the summer, has dismissed all talk of the divide in support in the lead up to this game; instead he's concentrating on his new side. The season started well for the Edinburgh club a week ago when they defeated St. Mirren 2-1.

In that game some of the Hibs' youngsters excelled – David Wotherspoon was a revelation in midfield, and I'm sure he'll be in the starting line-up again this weekend. The other bonus for Hibs' fans was the return of Benji. The man who wanted to get out of Scotland for so long now appears to be happy to stay, and that showed against the Buddies. His diving header sealed the points on the opening weekend, and he gives Hughes another option up front.

Whether Benji plays or not depends much on the status of Anthony Stokes – a surprise signing from Sunderland on Friday. Stokes launched his career at Falkirk under John Hughes a few years ago, scoring an incredible 16 goals in 18 games, and that prompted then-Sunderland boss Roy Keane to acquire his services. Stokes' career never really took off in England, but it's likely he'll be a hit again in Scotland, as he enjoyed playing for Hughes so much at Falkirk. If he makes his debut he'll be back on familiar turf. Partner Stokes with Derek Riordan (or Benji, or Colin Nish) and you have a formidable front-line.

Falkirk, on the other hand, are looking for their first SPL win under new manager Eddie May. May was in charge of Falkirk's youth set-up while Hughes was the boss, and was promoted during the summer. He's credited with bringing through many of Falkirk's young talents in recent years, including Tam Scobbie, Darren Barr and Scott Arfield, so he should do well at the club as he is working with familiar faces, under tight financial constraints.

Arfield is still a Falkirk player by the way, despite interest from many Championship clubs this week. In fact, Falkirk rejected a fresh bid for him only a couple of days ago. If he plays against Hibs then it's an indication that no deal is close to being finalised, and if he's absent (and not injured) it'll be clear he's on his way.

It'll also be interesting to see how Patrick Cregg is received by the home fans. He followed Hughes to Hibs in the summer from Falkirk, and he'll no doubt be fired up for this fixture.

That's what kind of match this is – there are sub-plots everywhere. I'm sure they will keep things interesting on and off the pitch. Keep an eye on Yogi though this weekend live on ESPN – before, during and after the game – as he's the focal point. It's certainly going to be an emotional return for the man who not only managed Falkirk, but also played for The Bairns more than 200 times in his career.

As some of you know, the next nine months will be rather akin to entering the tardis for this commentator. It's a great thrill and and a tremendous honour to be back broadcasting Scottish football. Craig Burley, Darrell Currie and I certainly had a cracker to cover in our first ESPN game from the Clydesdale Bank Premier League at Tannadice Park.

I must admit to having smiled to myself when informed that Tannadice was the venue for the opening fixture. As a young broadcaster in the Eighties, I spent many a happy afternoon and evening commentating on Dundee United as they bucked the trends of the time under the shrewd management of Jim McLean.

In a strange sort of way, as walked along Tannadice Street on Monday night for the first time in quite a while, I half expected McLean to slide out from his old office and ask me to show him my press pass.

These days of course, Craig Levein is the United boss and I very much enjoyed the pre-match chat we had with him before the meeting with his old club, Hearts. Levein is one of the game's deep thinkers and he has put together a squad that must have an excellent chance of finishing third in this season's Scottish Premier League.

The star of the Monday show was of course Danny Cadamarteri. Clearly very motivated to make an impact on Tayside, Cadamarteri's movement and general know-how gave a makeshift Hearts back four plenty to think about. That he was named man of the match was entirely justified and not just on the strength of an impressive two goal contribution.

You might not immediately think of Cadamarteri as the ideal striking partner for young David Goodwillie, but Levein has no other options at present with last season's top scorer, Fran Sandaza and Jon Daly out injured. Goodwillie, scorer of five goals in an undefeated pre-season, also put in a tremendous shift, leading us to wonder if this might be his time to make a significant climb up the footballing ladder.

Csaba Laszlo and Werner Burger, the Hearts managerial duo, were also good enough to spend a couple of minutes giving me their thoughts before the game. Laszlo and Burger studied for their coaching licence together and view football very much through the same prism.

You have to feel a bit for Hearts as this is no ordinary week. Three games in six days – two away from home, one tester in Europe and the small matter of defending SPL champions Rangers at home. That's no bargain.

Apart from the over-exuberant performance of captain Michael Stewart, who was rightly sent off, there were many plus points for Laszlo's team. They were in the game for long spells and kept plugging away even after being reduced to ten men early in the second half.

It's clear though, that a proven goalscorer remains the biggest signing priority for Csaba Laszlo. Christian Nade is an effective enough leader of the line, but by no means a prolific finisher.

As for Tannadice itself, it hasn't changed much over the years and for me that's reassuring. Tight and compact, it was always one of my favourite grounds. Unfortunately, amid the scrambling to get ready for our first broadcast of the season, I didn't have time to sample any Tayside pies.

I'll just have to save that culinary treat for my next visit.

Goalkeeper - Jamie Langfield (Aberdeen):
It might seem perverse to hand this accolade to somebody whose team was trounced 3-1 by Celtic, but Langfield worked tirelessly to prevent the match degenerating into a rout, especially during an opening 45 minutes when Celtic might have led 6-0 or 7-0. Langfield won't look back on this tussle fondly, but at least he helped keep his side from being completely embarrassed.

Defender - Andreas Hinkel (Celtic):
The word on the grapevine is that this talented German player will not be overstaying his welcome in the SPL, en route to the English Premiership, with several clubs bidding for his services. On this performance, that confirmation would be a blow for Parkhead supporters, because Hinkel was exciting going forward and a dumper truck, when required to be, at the back.