I WON'T GIVE THE GAME AWAY

GORDON STRACHAN says he knows the precise reasons why Celtic fell apart in Lisbon and lost three goals to Benfica.

But the manager sees no reason why he should share his opinion on what went wrong with the media or the Celtic fans left bemused by the team's sudden loss of nerve on the big Champions League occasion.

Strachan's critics will rush to say his defiant attitude is typical of someone who'll never learn how to win friends and influence people.

Others will say he doesn't want to show his hand because he'll need to admit his players froze on the night. Or, to put it more plainly, bottled it.

But Strachan's refusal to discuss the subject out in the open is for psychological reasons. He doesn't want to give future opponents, and the next visitors to Celtic Park in the Champions League are Manchester United, an insight into his squad. He wants their strengths and weaknesses to be for his memory bank only.

He said: "I know why we lost the way we did but why should I make that public? I won't give our opponents any more information about us than they can obtain for themselves.

"I've had a five-minute chat with the players about Lisbon but that was only to tell them we wouldn't be discussing that match until we get Hearts out of the way first of all. We'll do all of that sometime next week.

"As soon as our training session started I told them everyone's mind had to be focused on Hearts because if we beat them it puts us in an even stronger position in terms of the championship."

It would, in fact, put Celtic 13 points in front of the Tynecastle side. And that's the kind of gulf which yesterday convinced one Irish-based bookmakers to say they would pay out on Celtic as the title winners if Strachan's side get a home victory.

The manager's reaction to that was to share his opinion of publicity seekers with anyone who'd listen rather than spare the bookies' feelings.

Strachan said: "It's a stunt and one that backfired on a bookie a while ago when they paid out on Manchester United as Premiership winners and were ultimately proved to have got their sums wrong."

The respect shown to Hearts was then extended into sympathy and understanding when the Celtic boss refused to say whether the chaotic goings on at Tynecastle since Valdas Ivanauskas went on sick leave and the even more excitable Eduard Malofeev took interim control of team affairs disadvantaged Hearts.

"I think I should worry about my own team," he said before feeling it was in order to congratulate some of the Hearts players for showing determination on the park and integrity off it while their club stumbles from one PR gaffe to the next.

"People say that Hearts are in a constant state of change but they always keep a strong nucleus of players. The strong-minded always play for them and they're a threat to us."

The manager could hardly stifle conversation on whether it was a good idea to face Vladimir Romanov's club days after Celtic sunk beneath the surface in Portugal in a way the old submariner would have understood.

Celtic have come back to face Dunfermline and Motherwell after their two previous Champions League ties. The performance was mediocre on both occasions and odd-goal wins were achieved while hanging on towards the end.

But games against Hearts are crucial to a Celtic support who feel the Gorgie club are their least favourite opponents after Rangers. And only strong minds tend to win this fixture.

Celtic's comeback from a two-goal deficit to win at Tynecastle on New Year's Day effectively ended Hearts' championship challenge last season.

And when Roman Bednar sensed vulnerability on Celtic's part in the second league game of this season's championship the Czech scored twice to rub it in.

Strachan said: "It is a good game to come back to after Europe. We started off well against Dunfermline and Motherwell and then died a bit. It can't be that way this time.

"In fairness to the players, the group's changed a bit over the last 18 months but the general reaction to a setback always seems to be good.

"It's about learning from where we've been. We've got players who are brand new to the greatest club competition in the world. Some are brand new to it at the age of 19 and some are brand new to it at the age of 35.

"We get on with it because that's what we do best."

Paul Telfer comes into the veteran category and Evander Sno represents the teenage element. The full-back's time at Celtic comes to an end with the expiry of his contract at the end of the season.

Sno's career has blossomed, Wednesday night apart, since he left Feyenoord for Glasgow, so much so he's now been named in the Dutch squad to play England in a friendly later this month.

Strachan said: "I think it's a fantastic development for him and a terrific compliment to Ray Clarke, our continental scout.

"Ray's done this for me once before, when he discovered George Boateng and brought him to Coventry City when I was there for a £250,000 fee."

The question now is how Sno and the rest of the Celtic players recover from the loss of their reputation for mental strength in Lisbon.

That's how the media and fans see it. The manager couldn't possibly comment.

Taken from the Daily Record