Romanov dismisses Celtic as Lennon brands Skacel 'lowest of the low'

AGAINST the backdrop of a row between the two clubs over spitting, Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov last night issued a withering critique of Celtic.

Romanov dismissed the new champions, claiming they were not Hearts' strongest rivals, and highlighted their poor showing in Europe this season.

The controversial Lithuanian was speaking after his side's 3-0 win over Celtic at Tynecastle on Sunday, a match which put Hearts in pole position to clinch second place but also saw home midfielder Rudi Skacel accused of spitting at visiting captain Neil Lennon. Skacel strenuously denied the claim but Lennon was adamant and branded the Czech international "the lowest of the low".

While not commenting on the spitting row, Romanov chose to belittle Celtic, despite the Parkhead side winning the SPL title last month with six games to spare.

"With our team it was all perfect," Romanov said of Sunday's victory. "I was saying for quite a long time that it is not the most difficult thing in the world to beat Celtic. I don't think they are our strongest rivals. In Europe, for example, they showed they are quite low."

Celtic were eliminated in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League after losing 5-0 away to Artmedia Bratislava in Parkhead manager Gordon Strachan's first competitive match in charge. If Hearts beat Aberdeen tomorrow they will be able to play at the same stage of Europe's elite club competition next season. Perhaps only then will Romanov be able to compare the two clubs.

The Lithuanian's remarks are unlikely to foster goodwill between the SPL's top two sides and follow an acrimonious exchange between Lennon and Skacel. Hearts emphatically denied a claim by the Celtic captain that he had been spat at by Skacel in the course of Sunday's match.

"Rudi strenuously denies any of the reported allegations made by Neil Lennon," a Hearts spokesman said. "The player is deeply offended and is furious at the associated implication of these remarks. Having played a key role in the comprehensive victory over Celtic, Rudi refuses to be distracted and is concentrating fully on the important game against Aberdeen."

Skacel implied that Lennon's comments may have been motivated by nothing more than sour grapes. "For Lennon's spirit it might have been difficult," the Hearts player said. "He was maybe a little angry because it was 3-0, and that can happen in football. but I don't have a problem. To me, it doesn't matter."

The two midfielders were involved in a brief series of incidents in the second half of the match until Strachan intervened by taking Lennon off. By then both players had been booked - Lennon for an off-the-ball push on Skacel after the pair had been involved in a tackle, and the Czech some minutes later for a foul on his adversary.

Lennon said: "Skacel spat at me - no doubt about it. I was walking away and it flew past my shoulder. I understand the TV pictures didn't catch it. I don't know if there were any other cameras in the ground that might have caught it, but he definitely spat at me and that's why I turned around and reacted the way I did.

"He is a total disgrace and it's not the first time he has done it since he moved to Scotland. I've been involved in plenty of Old Firm games, heated matches, but never had to deal with anything like this. The guy is the lowest of the low."

In February Skacel was accused of spitting at Dundee United's Stuart Duff. Again, there was no evidence other than the claim by the player, and a Hearts spokesman said the club "would be very surprised if the alleged incident took place as the player concerned [ie Skacel] is extremely conscientious".

Lennon also denied Skacel's suggestion that the fact his team were losing 3-0 had been the real cause of his disgruntlement. "That's funny, because the scoreline was still 2-0 at that time and that had nothing to do with what happened," said Lennon. "I went in and won the ball, the pictures clearly show me moving up the park as Skacel is getting up from the ground and then I turn around and confront him as the spit has flown over my shoulder.

"That's the truth, and if he says anything different then he is a liar. I don't mind going on record and saying so, because I know what happened."

By the time Lennon was replaced Hearts had scored their third, but the Northern Irishman was at least right to say that his running feud with Skacel had begun when the score was 2-0. That, however, is a minor detail in a controversy which will probably go no further, as Lennon later accepted that there was no action he could take. "The referee told me he did not see anything so I will leave it at that, but it's important I set the record straight."

Taken from the Scotsman