*INJURY SWEAT FOR ANDERLECHT*

Martin O'Neill's pleasure in the aftermath of Saturday's emphatic 5-0 win over Hearts on Saturday was tempered by injury worries as both Alan Thompson and Chris Sutton face a fight to be fit in time for Tuesday's Champions League trip to Anderlecht. Sutton missed the Hearts game with a hamstring injury while Thompson was forced out of the game on the hour mark after a recurrence of the same problem, and O'Neill has revealed that their fitness is causing some concern. "Alan [Thompson] got to half-time and then continued then the idea was for him to come off in the next 15 minutes, but he felt it a bit towards the end. "Hopefully he is going to be all right, but that would be a wee bit of a worry because he has been performing wonderfully. "He is receiving treatment as we speak. He felt it there just as he went on a bit of a run.The doctor said that it was showing no resistance so we will see how it goes. "You never know what can happen. Chris trained on Thursday and you think he is going to be fine, but then he felt his hamstring on Friday. I am hoping that Chris will be okay for Tuesday - he's a big player for us." Stan Varga also came off during the second half to a racous reception after scoring and setting up a goal, but the defender is expected to be fine in time for Tuesday night. "He had a sore foot and got a cut but I don't think it's that serious," said O'Neill. In terms of the performance against Hearts, O'Neill was understandably delighted with the manner of what was a swaggering performance in which the Edinburgh side never once offered a genuine threat. "I thought we played great," said O'Neill. "Miller has been wonderful for us and scored and we never looked back after that. In the first half we were really great. "I was concerned about the game with Hearts coming back on a high after their magnificent result in midweek. "I told my players that if they didn't apply themselves properly then they would get beaten, but they were excellent." SOURCE: *LENNON: DREAM STILL ALIVE* It hasn't been an easy few days for Neil Lennon after the defeat to Anderlecht in Brussels, but as the midfielder's hangover gradually begins to fade the Northern Irishman has insisted that Celtic's Champions League dream remains firmly alive. Martin O'Neill's side are at the bottom of Group A with three points from their opening three games, but with only two points between them and table leaders Bayern Munich, there is still much to play for. Lennon acknowledged that Celtic's performance was below par on Tuesday evening but has revealed that the Hoops dressing room remains confident that a place in the second phase of the lucrative competition remains a possibility. "I am not too tired but I do still feel a bit flat," said Lennon. "It was a major blow for us but with the other game finishing up in a draw it keeps the group wide open. We need to improve. "Collectively I think it was the biggest disappointment we have had in Europe for years because we know we didn't play as well as we can. "We can't take anything away from Anderlecht because they played very well but we fell short on the night and that is disappointing. I don't know why that was the case but we seemed to be stretched the whole time. "Anderlecht seemed to be sharper than us all over the pitch and we gave a bad goal away. In the final third as well our play wasn't as good as what it can be and what it has been in recent weeks. "It is well within our capabilities to beat Anderlecht when they come here and I'm sure they'll see a very different Celtic side that night. "Nine points could be enough to take us through because it is so tight, I think it's one of the tightest groups there is, but we'll still want to take something from our trip to Lyon for the final game. "We knew that there would be a lot of big games for us when we got into the Champions League and after the Lyon game and the way we have been playing lately probably made the disappointment all the worse. "We have to regroup now and get ready to go again. The league is always our priority but I know all the players have set their sights on making the second group stages and our view is that there is still all to play for. "We talked over a few things yesterday, the same way that we did after Munich, and hopefully we can rectify the problems we had when we get out onto the park again." Aberdeen are Saturday's visitors and Lennon has warned that Celtic cannot afford to dwell on their midweek disappointment. Having put three points between themselves and Rangers at the top of the table, Lennon is well aware that the momentum in the league campaign cannot be affected by what has taken place in the European arena this week. "The hard part now is getting ourselves ready for Saturday and the game against Aberdeen," he said. "We can't allow ourselves to be distracted and once we've had a few days to reflect I'm sure we'll be up for it. "It is nice to be back at the top of the league but we have to keep our good league form going. The Champions League is the big carrot for us at the minute but winning the league will always be our main aim. "We have Anderlecht in a couple of weeks here at Celtic Park and we know that's a game we have to win, but at the minute it has to be put to the back of our minds as we concentrate on league business." *O'NEIL STILL HOPEFULL* Henrik Larsson netted his second hat-trick of the season on Saturday afternoon as Celtic eased their way to a 4-0 win over Aberdeen that opens up a five point gap at the top of the table. The Swede is in the final year of his contract and has maintained that he will quit Glasgow after seven years with Celtic at the end of the current campaign, but so far as Martin O'Neill is concerned he is still hopeful of talking the Swede into an extended deal. "I spoke to Rob Jansen (Larsson's agent) but it wasn't a long discussion we had," said O'Neill.  "The club, the chairman and certainly the board would want us to do our utmost to keep him here. "I want to keep as many of the good players for as long as I possibly can so we will do our best. "I haven't sat down with him yet and there's not that many weeks before Christmas to speak to people. "Every club in Europe will be aware that Henrik's contract is up and I'm sure he will do what he wants to do. All we can do is do our best or give a bit better than our best shot. "There's not much more we can do. I will, of course, speak to him and get him in the office for a week until he signs. "It's very strange in this day and age for a player to stay with a club for over two or three years. He has enjoyed it here. "In the next couple of weeks I will try to speak to them. But, if Henrik is of the mind that he is going, then I am not so sure anybody can change it." Chris Sutton netted Celtic's other goal from the spot after John Hartson had been fouled in the box, and with Rangers dropping points to Livingston earlier in the day, the result pushed Celtic furhter forward at the top of the league. O'Neill, however, greeted the result with characteristic caution. "It was only inevitable that we found out the scoreline from Livingston before we went out. It is bizarre to mention inevitability because I don't see it like that at all. "We have found games coming after European matches exceptionally difficult and the balance of power will shift one week to the next. "Rangers showed on Wednesday evening what a fine side they are, but we had to rectify what happened on Tuesday evening in the defeat by Anderlecht and we were definitely a bit down after it. "It was important to get that out of our system and I am pleased we won today. "We now have to start thinking about improving in the Champions League. I know how to do it but now we must try to win our next games."   Hartson eyes Champ League John Hartson has insisted that Celtic's Champions League dream remains alive and kicking, but the Welsh striker is aware just how vital Wednesday night's encounter against Anderlecht is. There are just two points between Celtic and Bayern Munich, and victory against the Belgians would leave Martin O'Neill's side in a decent position. Hartson netted Celtic's second goal against Kilmarnock on Saturday afternoon - a goal the 28-year-old needed to bolster his confidence - and he is now looking forward to Wednesday night's testing encounter. "I am a little bit surprised that they are not further away,'' said Hartson in reference to bayern Munich. "If we looked at the group at the start and someone told me that we had three points from the first three games I would imagine that teams would be further away from us. "So it's been lucky for us in that when we have dropped points other results have gone in our favour. "We are still right in the group and the good thing is we have two home games to come so it's in our own hands. But I'm a little bit surprised they are not further away.'' SOURCE:   Nervy Bhoys bounce back Scottish Premierleague, Saturday December 13, 2003, Celtic Park CELTIC… 3 Larsson 16, Balde 70, Kennedy 87 DUNDEE… 2 Fotheringham 20, Mair 90 Henrik Larsson, Bobo Balde and John Kennedy ensured that Celtic bounced back from their painful Champions League exit by netting the decisive goals in an entertaining battle with Dundee. They were goals that heaped further pressure on Rangers and ones which, for long periods, looked unlikely to materialise against a Dee side who could have made a strong case for having been worthy of a point. Nevertheless, aided by some excellent backing from their fans, Celtic pulled through to gain three much-needed points at the end of an otherwise miserable week. The main topic of discussion for those fans who successfully avoided the ordeal of Saturday afternoon Christmas shopping centred on who should, and who would, start in goal. In the end, Martin O’Neill opted for Rab Douglas, with midweek fall-guy Magnus Hedman not even finding a place on the bench. Douglas wasted little time in justifying his selection, though, emerging from his line to make a vital save from Nacho Novo with less than three minutes on the clock. Celtic, meanwhile, spent the opening quarter-of-an-hour toiling in their attempts to slice open Dundee’s well-marshalled defence, with their best early coming when Henrik Larsson volleyed over after latching on to a Chris Sutton knock-down. Alan Thompson’s delivery from the left flank was proving problematic for Dundee’s defence, however, and just two minutes later he helped Larsson make amends with a neatly taken opener. In space on the left flank, Thompson bided his time before drilling over a low cross which Sutton allowed it to run through his legs for Larsson, and the deadly Swede gleefully accepted the dummy with a delicate dinked left-foot shot beyond the statuesque Speroni. It was a terrific goal, intelligently created and cutely executed, but if we thought it was to be the best the game would have to offer, we were soon to be proved very wrong. Ironically, the player doing the contradicting was former Celt Mark Fotheringham, and it would be fair to suspect that, even in his most fantastic dreams, the talented young midfielder could not have possibly imagined announcing his return to Celtic Park in such spectacular style. As it was, with a strong candidate for goal of the season, Fotheringham raced forward from a the centre circle and, with no other option but to shoot, casually curled a shot from fully 30 yards which crashed into the corner of the net via the underside of Douglas’ crossbar. Even the shell-shocked Celtic fans couldn’t help but applaud such an audacious effort and, to their credit, the Hoops faithful then took to roaring encouragement for their own team. It was pleasantly reminiscent of the old Celtic Park, and for a time it appeared to inspire O’Neill’s players into attacking action. Nevertheless, Dundee remained a potent threat on the counter-attack and, just a few minutes after equalising, they very nearly took the lead when Novo raced on to Fotheringham’s through ball and tested Douglas’ reflexes with a stinging low drive In fact, had the former Raith Rovers striker the composure to match his electric pace, Jim Duffy’s men could easily have been a couple in front by half-time such was the regularity with which he was sprinting clear of his markers. Celtic, by contrast, appeared almost devoid of ideas, with their only chance of the remaining first half minutes coming when Shaun Maloney spun on to a delightful flicked pass from Thompson to force Speroni into a smart reaction save. O’Neill’s gameplan simply wasn’t working, and he acknowledged this 10 minutes after the break, bringing on Jamie Smith for the largely ineffective Maloney.  Yet, while Smith moved into a role wide on the right, allowing Petrov to shift inside, it was from the other flank that Celtic eventually found a way to goal. Once again, Thompson’s delivery was magnificent, and when Sutton knocked his fellow Englishman’s measured cross back across goal, Bobo Balde was there, following in with an emphatic diving header to beat Speroni. John Kennedy, on for the injured Johan Mjallby, then added a third when he bundled home his first senior goal from a Thompson corner with three minutes remaining, but the scoreline at this stage flattered Celtic. Indeed, Dundee remained a threat, and when Rab Douglas flapped at a late corner, Lee Mair was on hand to take advantage with an opportunist close-range finish. Website Man of the Match: ALAN THOMPSON CELTIC (3-5-2): Douglas; Varga, Balde, Mjallby (Kennedy 63); Petrov, Miller, Lennon, Maloney (Smith 56), Thompson; Sutton, Larsson Subs: Marshall, Lambert, Wallace DUNDEE (4-5-1): Speroni; Mackay, Wilkie, Mair, Hernandez; Smith, Fotheringham, Rae (Linn 81), Sancho, Brady; Novo Subs: McCafferty, Cameron, Hutchison, McDonald O'NEIL: MILLER SHOULD HAVE STAYED!   Martin O’Neill this afternoon admitted defeat in his bid to keep Liam Miller at Celtic Park, and warned the youngster that he may live to regret turning his back on Paradise. Miller reported for training this morning nursing a groin injury which, it is claimed, will consign him to the sidelines for the next six to eight weeks, but he will know that – unless a deal can be struck to make him a Manchester United player sooner rather than later – the next few months are likely to be uncomfortable in the extreme. The majority of the club’s supporters are seething at what they view as an overt betrayal from a player who, having been coaxed through the ranks and nursed back from a string of injuries, has only recently begun to repay the faith invested in him. O’Neill, for his part, chose to voice his disappointment in more diplomatic terms than those venting their fury online and in newspaper hotlines. Yet he admitted to considerable disappointment that Miller had been drawn in by the bright lights of Old Trafford when, in his view at least, the youngster’s immediate future would have been better spent at Celtic Park.   “Obviously I’m very disappointed,” said O’Neill. “We made Liam and his agent an excellent offer and they didn’t take it, which, with six months left of his contract, was their prerogative to do. “I honestly felt that he was only just beginning to make good progress after spending at least half of the last three years out injured. We all knew he had ability, but it was only recently that he started to really progress and push on, like in our European matches, one of which Alex Ferguson obviously took in. “My own view, and I’m saying this not as the manager here but as a man with 30 years’ experience, is that, for at least another 18 months, he should have been looking to play regularly for Celtic. We can offer him all the things that would be absolutely ideal for a young lad looking to play football and enjoy it. “He’ll go on and do very well anyway, but my view that he would have been better served staying here. But, as I’ve often said here before, until everything’s signed and sealed, you can always be hopeful, but never certain.” Though reports of United’s interest have been circulating ever since Alex Ferguson was spotted at Celtic’s 3-1 victory over Anderlecht on November 5, news of Miller’s departure still came as a shock to many, given that both the player and his agent had publicly suggested that agreeing a new deal was likely to prove a mere formality.  Take this comment from Eamon McLaughlin, one of Miller’s representatives, made in November: “The club want to keep Liam and he wants to stay… He has not even thought about moving as there are not many bigger clubs than Celtic.” Not to mention Miller himself making this staunch denial of the Man United rumours later in the month: “There's been a load of nonsense coming out in the papers, but this is the club I want to be at. Honestly, I wish I could say what I really think about the rubbish that's been printed recently, but all I can say is that I'm very happy here." Nevertheless, while O’Neill had evidently also been led to believe that Miller was perfectly content to pen a long-term deal at Celtic Park, he was philosophical about the fact that the opposite had proved to be the case. “That’s football,” he said. “I can only take people on face value and I thought that Liam was happy to play his football here at the time. Personally speaking, I thought staying would have been the right thing for him to do, but it’s other people’s decision to make - and they’ve made it.” O’Neill did become a little more animated was when it was suggested that Celtic might have acted a little sooner to secure the signature of one of their most promising young players. Indeed, while admitting that Manchester United’s Chief Executive had contacted Peter Lawwell to inform him of the Red Devils’ intentions towards the end of December, O’Neill insisted that he had been actively seeking to agree terms with Miller’s agents ever since the summer. “Well, funnily enough, we started negotiations in August,” he said. “Liam had started to show some really good form towards the end of last season, certainly with the under-21s, and that was with the encouragement of the coaching staff to get him turned and going at people rather than just passing the ball sideways. “I spoke to the agent during the summer and he told me that Liam wanted to play regularly. That was fine, but we had been involved in UEFA Cups and the like the season before, so it wasn’t like we were doing nothing. “But Liam felt that if he could get a little chance, he could show what he could do, and pre-season was excellent for him. It was then that we had talks, but unfortunately the agent then went on holiday for a few weeks – and time waits for no man. During that time, Liam started to do very well in our league games, and the better he did, the stronger his bargaining position became. “Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, but I would repeat that the offer we made was an excellent one considering the number of games that Liam had played at that particular time. To defend the club, I should also say that, during my time here, I’ve changed Didier Agathe’s contract three times, Stilian Petrov’s at least four, and I will continue to do that if players are deserving. “The fact is that we did make an excellent offer, and the player and his agent have chosen not to accept it. Manchester United is a fairly big calling, and that’s the way it goes.” The only matter for O’Neill to consider now is where he, the club and Miller go from here. Whether a deal can be done to bring forward the transfer remains to be seen, but it appears certain that, should the Irishman ever appear for the club again, a hostile reception would be assured.  Nevertheless, conceding that this is all a new and difficult learning experience for him, O’Neill appeared to leave the door open for the Cork lad to pull on the hoops once again. He said: “Well, first of all, he has a niggling groin problem which will take at least six to eight weeks to heal, so in the short term – regardless of who he will be with in July – we will work under the assumption that he will come back and be involved with us. “That’s the way we would like to run it because we have a long season ahead of us, and he remains our player until the 30th of June. In the short term, he’s not available for selection for no other reason other than that he has a deep-seated groin problem which was always going to require treatment as soon as we were through the Rangers game. “I wouldn’t have a notion of what the majority of Celtic fans would be thinking, but the situation is that he is with us and, when he recuperates, we’ll all have a look at the situation again. “It’s a new one to me, and clearly it’s a totally different situation to the one with Henrik, who’s made it clear for some time leaving the football club after seven years of fantastic service. I’ve never been involved with anyone who’s signed a pre-contract before, so all that I will experience over the next few months will be new to me.”