Changing Room Chat: Celtic step into 'unknown' over crowd

IT WAS the question on everyone's lips on Tuesday night: just how low was the crowd for the Celtic versus Motherwell match at Parkhead?

A couple of days on and it's still the question on everyone's lips because, apparently, Celtic don't know the answer. And if they don't know how many fans filed through their turnstiles to see the SPL match, then what hope have the rest of us got?

The big interest in the attendance figure, of course, is because the crowd was certainly the lowest to watch a league match at Celtic Park since the new ground was completed in 1999.

Many supporters opted to miss Celtic's 2-1 win in disgust at the weekend's Scottish Cup humiliation against Ross County, and it was clear from television pictures that the stadium looked less than half full.

Shortly after the Motherwell clash, the Press Association released match details which said that the attendance figure was 27,750, while BBC Scotland reported yesterday that the official attendance "was given as just over 21,000". But last night, the 'stats' section on the official Celtic website proclaimed: "ATTENDANCE: UNKNOWN".

So what happened, Celtic? If you had lost would the website read "SCORE: UNKNOWN"?

Stones rain on McClaren's team

STEVE McClaren – notorious as the Wally with the Brolly who used to manage England – could have done with that big umbrella of his on Tuesday night to shield him from a barrage of stones.

Now in charge of Dutch side FC Twente, McClaren came under attack when the team's bus was pelted with stones while travelling to their Eredivisie game at AZ Alkmaar. The vehicle was bombarded from a viaduct and sustained damage to the side and the rear, although no-one was hurt.

McClaren's side still played the match, which they lost 1-0 to remain four points ahead of Ajax at the top of the table.

World Cup tickets sold over counter

HALF-A-MILLION unsold World Cup tickets will go on sale over the counter in South African in an effort to ensure the tournament isn't plagued by empty seats.

The final phase of sales for the tournament, beginning in June, will see ticket-selling points in shopping malls in the nine host cities plus a network of popular supermarkets. Tickets are still available for all 64 matches except the final. It will be the first time fans can buy tickets over the counter in cash – the preferred method of purchasing for South African football fans, many of who are on low incomes.

TALES FROM THE TABS

COUNTY OUT OF THE SHADE

FORMER Inverness manager Steve Paterson says Ross County will be glad they don't have to put up with hearing all about Caley's Scottish Cup win over Celtic after the Dingwall side created their own piece of history last weekend.

Inverness, with Paterson in charge, famously knocked Celtic out of the cup in 2000 with a 3-1 win, while County defeated the Parkhead men 2-0 on Saturday to seal a place in this year's final.

"I was delighted for Ross County and the people there," Paterson told the Sun. "For so long they have had to live in the shadow of our victory over Celtic – and I'm sure they'd long become sick of hearing about it. Every year in the cup, since Caley Thistle's win at Parkhead, that result has been mentioned in some way or another. Now County have got their own fantastic result over Celtic to boast about."

The Daily Mirror, meanwhile, claimed that Juventus are going to hand Liverpool's Rafael Benitez an ultimatum by insisting he decides by next week whether to be their new manager.

The paper said: "The Italian giants have been courting Benitez since Christmas and his agent met the Juventus president only days ago in Milan."