We might be suffering poor form in SPL but Hearts plight puts it into perspective, says Celtic star Charlie Mulgrew

27 Nov 2012 00:01
By Gavin Berry

THE Hoops have dropped 17 points in total so far this season but Mulgrew reckons rivals Hearts are the ones suffering from real problems as the club flirts with closure.

CHARLIE MULGREW insists Celtic only have to look at tomorrow’s opponents Hearts to know what a real crisis is in football.

The Hoops have taken stick since their weekend home defeat to Inverness that saw Neil Lennon involved in an angry bust-up with a section of fans and even threaten to quit if the supporters no longer wanted him in the hotseat.

Celtic’s 1-0 loss to the Highlanders means they’ve now dropped 17 SPL points – the most after 14 games since 1998 – which is more than in the entire 2001-02 campaign.

That’s led to anger from isolated sections of the Celts’ support. Yet still they sit top of the league in defence of their title – albeit Aberdeen could replace them for 24 hours at least if they win tonight – and are on the verge of reaching the Champions League last 16.

When Lennon’s men head to the capital tomorrow they’ll face a club who feared a home game against St Mirren 10 days ago might have been their last.

The financial crisis left the Tynecastle side on the brink and with players having to defer wages to save them.

That’s why Mulgrew said ahead of the live ESPN clash: “What is happening to Hearts puts things into perspective.

“Their players have done well to play through the situation and I’m sure they’ll continue to do that. Of course you feel sorry for the Hearts players. It’s not a nice thing to happen to anyone and I’m sure it will make them even more motivated to get a result.”

With Rangers out of the SPL, Celtic were expected to be well clear of the rest even at this point in the season. But Mulgrew insists the champions are very much in a title race.

And the 26-year-old rejected the theory the absence of the Light Blues meant complacency was creeping into Celtic’s play – or their European exertions were to blame.

With Motherwell and Hibs having both enjoyed stints at the top of the pile, and the Dons having that chance tonight, Mulgrew said: “Of course there is a title race. People on the outside are saying we’ll definitely go on to win it.

“No-one in our dressing room is saying that. We know it’s going to be difficult. We know every team wants to win against us. It’s like their cup final. Aberdeen and Hibs are going well, so it’s going to be difficult for us.

“It’s not going to be as easy as people keep saying. The last thing we’re going to do is get sucked into thinking it will be easy. We won’t get into that mindset. It’s still early days in the league campaign.

“Maybe the other teams are not getting the credit they deserve. It might be because we have beaten Barcelona that other teams in Scotland want to beat us even more now, I’m not sure.

“But every game you play for Celtic is difficult. There is always pressure there and you have to overcome it. And I don’t think it’s the case Rangers not being there is a factor.

“Whether Rangers are there or not, we still need to focus on what we’re doing and need to win the games.

“There have been a lot of games but as a player you want to be involved in as many as you can at the highest level possible. There is no complaining about playing too many games when you’re involved in the Champions League.

“We have a big enough squad to do it and we’re enjoying it. Of course it’s high intensity in the Champions League.

“Against Barcelona, a lot went into the defensive side of it and it was very demanding both physically and mentally.

“But it’s where we want to be and we’re not complaining. You wouldn’t sacrifice the Champions League for anything else. A few things haven’t gone our way after those games but I’m sure we can turn it around.

“It might be a factor in the poor results we’ve had immediately after some Champions League matches but I’m not using it as an excuse. On Saturday, we just didn’t take our chances. That’s how simple it was. If we’d taken them, it might have been a comfortable day for us.”

Hearts have a good record in the first home game of the season against Celtic, having won the corresponding fixture in the last three seasons and Mulgrew is preparing for another tough encounter.

That’s why the defender is putting all talk of their crucial final Group G Champions League clash against Spartak Moscow a week later to the back of his mind.

There’s also a home Scottish Cup tie against Arbroath to come before that massive match with the Russians.

Mulgrew said of tomorrow’s trip to Gorgie: “It’s always a hard game, always a great atmosphere and we’re looking forward to it. Hearts will be pumped up for it and we will be as well.

“We are not thinking about Spartak at the moment. We need to put it to the back of our minds, especially after losing to Inverness on Saturday.

“It makes this an even bigger game for us and we are just focusing on trying to get three points at Tynecastle. It will be difficult but it’s what we need to do.”

Taken from the Daily Record