Celtic stretch lead but stress own results are priority

Published on Monday 1 December 2008 09:06

CELTIC captain Stephen McManus was not inclined to read too much into their lead at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League table.

The Scottish champions defeated Inverness 1-0 to move seven points clear on Saturday after Rangers lost 2-1 at Hearts earlier in the day.

McManus said: "It was good to come back and get a win.

"We didn't play tremendously well but the most important thing was to get the three points. We will take it every week as it comes and we can only look after ourselves.

"We weren't boosted by the result at Tynecastle.

"We knew there was a chance to go further clear but the motivation was already there."

Meanwhile, Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has vowed to provide funds in January to boost the club's quest for four in a row. With no European football to look forward to after Christmas, Celtic will place their entire focus on winning a fourth consecutive title.

And Lawwell has promised the Hoops faithful there will be new faces in January to bolster their chances further. "Our first focus is to win the league and we will do whatever we can to make that happen," he said. "We have three domestic trophies to win. We want to win the SPL title to get us to four in a row and be back in the Champions League next year.

"To that end, in the short term, we will be doing as much as we can to support (manager] Gordon (Strachan] in January.

"We are looking at both quality and quantity. We have a track record of getting to a transfer window and coming out of it stronger."

And Lawwell insisted he would be surprised if midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura quit in the next transfer window despite reports linking him with a return to Japan. "We hope he will stay. If he does go, it will be a surprise.

"He will leave at some point. If it is the summer, then clearly we must plan for that replacement and we will do that," Lawwell added.

Strachan himself insists he has no intention of walking away from Celtic either. "A lot of people maybe think it was a good time to go after three titles. But they're not me," he said. "They said that after year one, they said it for year two, then three, and they'll say it again for year four. But it's people who don't really know me.

"It's funny how people can say 'He's not got the stomach for it.'"

Irish football's hottest prospect, Niall McGinn, has welcomed the inclusion of Celtic into the race for his signature.

The Parkhead club are considering making a bid for the 21-year-old Derry City midfielder, who is being coveted by several clubs including Swansea City.

The former Dungannon Swifts player has quickly become the most-talked about player in Ireland following his move to the Brandywell in January.

McGinn was recently named young player of the year by the Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland days before he made his debut for Northern Ireland, coming off the bench against Hungary at Windsor Park.

McGinn said signing for the Clydesdale Bank Premier League champions would be an obvious temptation.

However, the confident youngster insists he will be motivated by what is best for his career.

"Celtic are obviously a big club and it is a great honour to discover that they are looking at me," he said. "It would be a great move.

"I was a Manchester United fan as a boy but Celtic were my Scottish team, so it is obviously something I would consider.

"But I don't want to play in the reserves, I want to play first-team football. I need to be playing regularly to keep me in the Northern Ireland squad.

"So there is no point leaving Derry City, where I am getting first-team football, to play in the reserves in Scotland, or for that matter, in England."

Celtic may have to move smartly to capture McGinn, who is taking a break following the end of the eircom League season.