Strachan: We won't win by a rugby score

Sep 21 2008 By Mark Guidi

CELTIC boss Gordon Strachan hasn't lost at Rugby Park - but he isn't about to get complacent.

On six trips to Kilmarnock he's enjoyed victory every time and recorded some goal feasts and milestones along the way.

Shunsuke Nakamura's wonder free-kick at the Ayrshire ground clinched the SPL title for Hoops in 2007.

And Strachan's men turned on the style on their last visit seven months ago when they romped to a 5-1 win in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.

The manager was thrilled with the display that day but is adamant there will be no repeat of that Rugby Park scoreline today.

He insists Killie are a much better side now - and fears his Hoops have still to find the consistency he wants. Strachan explained: "Yes, it was 5-1 the last time - but it won't be like that again, that's for sure.

"Jim Jefferies had injuries to his big players, his most important men, for much of last season and that brings problems.

"When you have a squad the size of Jim's it's impossible to do well when you have key players missing.

"That said, we will be concentrating on our game and what we want to achieve.

"We've had a couple of good performances this season but a couple as well when I expected better. We're still looking for a level of consistency.

"To do that you have to cut out mistakes. We made major errors in the second half against Rangers and that cost us.

"But we bounced back from that defeat to produce a fantastic first-half performance against Motherwell last Saturday.

"If we produce that same performance against Killie I won't be disappointed."

Strachan wanted Celts to show the same clinical finishing against Aalborg in the Champions League on Wednesday night - but it didn't go to plan. The 0-0 draw left the manager disappointed and he reflected: "We had a meeting after the game and talked through a few things.

"The Danes didn't have one shot on target - which was good.

"We had a lot of attempts on goal with plenty crosses in to the box. We also had a penalty saved and a good goal disallowed for offside.

"Against FC Copenhagen a couple of years ago we won thanks to a scrappy penalty but didn't play as well as we did the other night.

"We just couldn't produce the quality in the final third. There was a chance when Georgios Samaras went round the keeper and might have had a shot.

"People say we were unlucky - but I'm not so sure. It's unlucky if you shoot and a dog runs across the goal and blocks it! Yeah, that's unlucky."

Strachan has never had a problem winning away from home on domestic soil but doing it abroad eludes him.

He feels a change of fortunes coming on though and said: "Not beating Aalborg at home means we must do something away.

"I'm more comfortable now that we can go away and do something positive.

"With these players we can do it. They have learned in the past year or two and I have certainly learned as a manager."

After today's game, Celts entertain Livingston in the Co-op Insurance Cup and Strachan will use every member of his firstteam squad during the next 48 hours.

He said: "We have a squad and I will use it. Garry Pendrey said to me the other night that we had a really strong bench for the Aalborg game.

"Paul Hartley, Aiden McGeady, Glenn Loovens, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Mark Wilson and Marc Crosas were all subs.

"Yet we can't do that in SPL games because of the Under-21 rule.

"It means good, hard-working professionals are left out to accommodate a kid.

"It's not right. It means some senior players may ask to leave and you can understand their position.

Managers don't want this rule but chairmen do.

"It's time for the whole squad to get involved and I'll use as many different players as I can over the next two matches."

Crosas will feature at some stage and the manager made it clear there is room in the same side for McGeady and Shaun Maloney.

It has been suggested the pair won't play together under Strachan - but that is definitely not the case.

The Parkhead gaffer knows exactly what they are capable of but is finding out more by the day about Crosas, the young Spaniard signed from Barcelona.

Strachan said: "Marc only played five first-team games for Barcelona.

"I started him against Motherwell and he played well.

"He was shattered afterwards though and that's why I left him out of the Aalborg game."