Fighting on all fronts puts Celtic in better position than Rangers, says Lennon

Neil Lennon would not swap positions with Ally McCoist, despite Celtic trailing Rangers by four points at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League following last Sunday’s defeat at Ibrox.

The Celtic manager found himself under fire after surrendering a half-time lead in the 4-2 defeat in Govan, days after losing their Europa League group opener to Atletico Madrid in Spain.

However, the spotlight turned back on Ibrox manager McCoist, whose side had been knocked out of both the Champions League and Europa League in the qualifiers, after Rangers’ shock exit to First Division side Falkirk in the Scottish Communities League Cup third round on Wednesday night, as Celtic eased through to the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win at Ross County. Ahead of today’s SPL clash with Inverness at Parkhead, Lennon, who revealed defender Kelvin Wilson could be out for up to six weeks with an Achilles problem, was asked if he felt Celtic are in a better position than Rangers.

“It’s difficult to say,” replied the former Celtic skipper. “I would rather be in front in the league and four points is four points. It is too early to say what position in comparison we are to Rangers. All I know is that we have got important league games coming up before the international break and we would like to win them all.”

But when asked directly if he would swap positions with Rangers, he said: “No, because we are in Europe and all the [domestic] competitions. The game changes very, very quickly.

“While you are always disappointed to lose a derby game, you have to keep on a level.

“There is no doubt that the lows are lower than the highs are high and we had a job to do on Wednesday [at Ross County] but we came through it okay. But we are still chasing in the league and the league is the priority and tomorrow is a very important game.”

Lennon, though, was dismayed to discover the win in Dingwall, which put Celtic through to a quarter-final clash with Hibernian at Easter Road, had come at a cost to Wilson who is to have a scan today. The Celtic manager has defenders Cha Du-Ri (hamstring) and Emilio Izaguirre (broken ankle) out long term, with skipper Scott Brown struggling with an ankle injury which keeps him out against Inverness and with little chance of playing against Udinese at Parkhead in the Europa League on Thursday.

With midfielder Kris Commons out with a groin injury and Charlie Mulgrew suspended after being sent off last week, the Celtic squad is stretched.

“Kelvin Wilson will be out. He is having a scan today,” said Lennon. “We don’t know how long he is going to be out for until we get the results, but it looks like he has a slight tear in the Achilles.

“It depends on the significance of the tear. We are hoping that it will be, at best, two to three weeks. Of course, Charlie is suspended. He has been playing very well and losing him is a blow. So we will have to manoeuvre the back four, which isn’t ideal, but we have experienced players in those positions and I expect them to deal with it tomorrow.”

Lennon also admitted he is keeping an eye on Dundee United youngster Scott Allan. Tannadice manager Peter Houston revealed his disappointment that the 19-year-old midfielder, who is out of contract at the end of the season, had rejected “the best deal this club has ever offered to a teenager”. Asked if Allan was on his radar, Lennon said: “Probably, yes. He is a young, good player who has performed very well at SPL level and he has come to my attention through our scouting system. But I’m not going to comment any more on that.”

Inverness defender Ross Tokely is aiming to frustrate Celtic, especially as he knows how to get results against the Parkhead side, having played in all four of Caley Thistle’s victories over the Parkhead club, and he believes a solid start is crucial. “It’s a venue that always tickles the taste buds and I think for a lot of the younger lads, and guys who joined in the summer, it’s a place they maybe haven’t been to,” the 32-year-old said. “We’re going to a big stadium and it’s a place you are able to play, but you must keep the ball and defend well.

“The main thing is not to lose an early goal. You have to keep it tight for the first 15-20 minutes, stick together and put the pressure on them. After getting beaten last week, I’m not saying they will be nervy but they will certainly be keen to make the right start. We’ve got players that can hurt them, good pace in the side and players that want the ball.”