I LOST THE PLOT AFTER GETTING EARACHE FROM CELTIC'S BENCH

JOHN McGLYNN reckons Tynecastle is fraught with technical area tension now Hearts are genuine title contenders.

The Jambos coach admitted he was wrong to react after growing "irritated" at comments from the Celtic dug-out during his side's dramatic 2-1 win on Sunday.

McGlynn has apologised after being sent to the stand with Gordon Strachan following a verbal bust-up near the end of the first half over stoppages for treatment to injured players.

But he claims the Celtic coaching staff spent too much time focusing on the performance of the officials than events on the field.

It was the first time in his coaching career McGlynn had fallen out with officials and he insists there are no hard feelings as the Jambos laid down a serious marker for the new campaign.

McGlynn will serve a two-match ban but he held clear-the-air talks with ref Stuart Dougal after the game, won courtesy of a Roman Bednar double.

McGlynn insists there is no ill-feeling with Strachan, although only Tommy Burns from the Celtic backroom team made the traditional visit to the manager's office for a post-match chat.

He said: "I've never been involved in a fracas such as that before in my coaching career but emotions were running high and it was verbal diarrhoea - handbags, really.

"I've got to accept I over-reacted and was sucked into it but I had grown a wee bit irritated at some of the comments being made.

"More and more teams are seeing Hearts as a threat. We've always been a hard team to beat but we're more than that now.

"Maybe teams are more wary of us and this is influencing the reactions around the dug-out.

"Certainly if ever there is a ground at which there is potential for friction it's Tynecastle because the fans are on top of you and the dug-outs are so close together it's possible to hear every word being said by the opposition.

"Every word you speak can be heard and that can be a distraction - it's not like Ibrox or Livingston, where the technical areas are much further apart.

"I've never been in front of a disciplinary committee before and this is a black mark against me but I've said sorry to Stuart Dougal and the fourth official, Calum Murray.

"I went to see them with Campbell Ogilvie at 5.15pm after the game and apologised. We both said our wee bit and shook hands and that's the way it should be.

"I never crossed paths with Gordon, even as we went to sit in the directors' box but there's certainly no ill-feeling there either. It was just one of those things, a rush of blood to the head.

"I didn't get the chance to speak with him after the match because only Tommy came into the office but I think Celtic missed Gordon more than Hearts missed me.

"We've played some important games - big European ties, cup finals and even the game against Aberdeen last season when we clinched second place in the SPL. We've played pressure games before and will play more pressure games in the future and I'm confident there will be no repeat."

Dougal told McGlynn he was being sent to the stand for his aggressive attitude as he squared up to Celtic assistant Garry Pendrey before locking horns with Strachan.

Confusion reigned after the whistler, a late stand-in for injured Kenny Clark, allowed play to continue when Hearts full-back Ibrahim Tall lay writhing with a knee injury.

But later in the first half, in the incident that sparked the touchline bust-up, he stopped play immediately when Jambos midfielder Julien Brellier went down injured.

McGlynn added: "These incidents happen all the time in football and players are encouraged to play to the whistle.

"My recollection of events - and I've not yet seen the replay on television - is that Celtic were in possession when Ibrahim went down.

"However, we then won the ball and it was played out to the far side and Gordon said 'We won't be kicking the ball back to you'.

"Then, when Julien went down and the referee stopped play they tried to make a big deal out if it.

"In return, I said the decision to stop the play had nothing to do with Hearts. We cannot influence when the ref stops play. From my point of view, I was intimidated into reacting. I maybe reacted a little too much but you have to accept it's the heat of the moment."

McGlynn insists the event should not overshadow a magnificent performance by his side as last season's runners-up saw off the champions for the second game in a row at Tynecastle.

Now the Jambos are focused on the first leg of the Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens at Murrayfield tomorrow night.

McGlynn said: "Celtic scored a terrific goal through Stilian Petrov on the counter-attack but we were very happy we managed to keep their most creative players fairly quiet.

"I was delighted to see Roman score twice and television showed he could have had a hat-trick. I was equally pleased to see Christophe Berra perform so well against two of the best strikers he'll face all season in the SPL.

"We responded well to the challenge of Celtic and it shows the character and spirit in the side ahead of AEK."

'More teams are wary of us and that influences their reaction'

Taken from the Daily Record