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| <-Page | <-Team | Sat 04 Nov 2006 Celtic 2 Hearts 1 | Team-> | Page-> |
| <-Srce | <-Type | Herald ------ Preview | Type-> | Srce-> |
| Eduard Malofeev | <-auth | MARK WILSON | auth-> | Craig Thomson |
| 25 | of 073 | Andrius Velicka 72 Jiri Jarosik 86 ;Gordon og 94 | L SPL | A |
Strachan puts European defeat on the back burnerMARK WILSON November 04 2006 The Hearts supporters at Parkhead this afternoon may take every opportunity to remind Gary Caldwell of his Champions League calamity, but for Gordon Strachan it has already been forgotten. Celtic will conduct no public autopsy of their 3-0 defeat against Benfica on Wednesday night and, even within the squad, it has yet to be properly discussed. The opportunity to open a 13-point lead over the Tynecastle club, currently second in the Bank of Scotland Premierleague, has focused minds away from regret and recrimination. Caldwell's years at Hibernian mean sympathy from the visiting fans will be in short supply over his errors that led to two of the three goals in Lisbon. Not that Strachan believes the defender needs a shoulder to cry upon in any case. Celtic, as he again emphasised, lost as a team and no individual, however willing, will be allowed to shoulder excessive responsibility. Business as usual was the theme at Parkhead yesterday afternoon. The manager insisted no consideration had been given over whether Caldwell, after his confidence-bruising stumble around the Estadio da Luz, should retain his place in the side. The towering frame of Bobo Balde, it appears, will continue to be folded on to the bench. "That's not a dilemma at all," said Strachan when asked about Caldwell's position. "It's not even a thought. "We just get on with it. Thomas Gravesen took the blame for us losing at Manchester United and I'm just not having that. It's not about any individual saying it's their fault. It's about us . . . it's always about us. "Someone made a mistake, but if someone else did better up front and scored two goals then we wouldn't be talking about it. We can always help each other out. I never went along with individual blame as a player and I'm certainly not having it as a manager." Celtic have responded well to adversity under Strachan's management. The serious setbacks of last season, against Artmedia Bratislava in the Champions League and Clyde in the Tennents Scottish Cup, were followed by renewed vigour in subsequent outings. "The group has changed a bit over the 18 months but the reactions always seem to be good, no matter what players we send out," said Strachan. "The moment the training session started this morning, it was all about Hearts. That's all we were talking about and it is only right we have that focus. They are always good games and I think this one will be the same." Analysis of what failed Celtic against Benfica will focus on the collective. It will be delivered to the players from a cool perspective of time passed and will not be transmitted outwith the club. "We've had five minutes for a general chat," said Strachan. "I have looked at the game but there has been no time for me to speak to the players about it. That comes next week. "I have some reasons for what happened and they will be told to the players, but I really don't think I need to make it public. I think it's for our use only. "It's about learning. People always think there has to be blame somewhere along the line, but this is a brand new squad. They are brand new to what I think is the hardest competition in the world, bar the World Cup itself. "It's brand new for me also. I really don't think I need to tell the world what we did right, what we did wrong and what we can do better. That would give our competitors an insight into what we do and I don't want that." One Irish-based bookmaking firm has stated it will pay out on Celtic winning the championship if they defeat Hearts this afternoon. Such eye-catching stunts neither irk nor amuse Strachan, but the truth is his team will pass another staging post on what does seem an inexorable march to the title if they emerge with all three points. "It would put us in a far stronger position, that's for sure," admitted the manager. "It's a publicity stunt for the bookmaker and I don't know if it's the same one that lost a lot of money by paying out on Manchester United a few years ago. It's part of the game we all play through the media." Celtic's one SPL defeat this season came in a 2-1 reverse at Tynecastle in August and Strachan retains a wary respect for Hearts. He does not consider their most recent bout of turmoil, when Steven Pressley, Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley went public on the level of dressing-room disaffection, to be a factor in today's outcome. "They change things around but keep a nucleus to their side," said Strachan. "Whatever goes on, these strong-minded players are in the team. They are a threat to us. "It's not my domain to talk about how another club operates, all I know is they have good players. Those players can make it hard for us." In other words, this is not a day for Celtic to indulge in further self-inflicted wounds.  Taken from the Herald |
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