Rumour Mill: Celtic eye '˜double treble' | Scottish refs '˜amateur' says Neil Lennon

Hibernian manager Neil Lennon exchanges words with referee Kevin Clancy. Picture; SNS

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Celtic eye double treble

Mikael Lustig has said his side will put their Europa League exit behind him and push on for more success. He insisted the squad remain positive with a lead in the title race and the League Cup already secured. Lustig said: “When I first came to Celtic we were winning maybe one trophy and weren’t always in the Champions League.

“So, of course, when you look at  our situation at the moment, it is pretty harsh for anyone to say it is a bad season.

“We can still make a really good season out of this.

“There are many things still to  fight for and that is what we are now going to do.” (Daily Record)

Lennon slams Scottish refereeing

Neil Lennon has never been one to hold back and he made no mistake as he launched a scathing attack on leading official Kevin Clancy and the entire SFA refereeing system following their 2-2 draw with Kilmarnock. Lennon, who was sent to the stand in the game bemoand that refs were getting worse amid a system that is ‘amateur’ and ‘Mickey Mouse’. Speaking of the penalty incident and the standard after the game he said: “I’m probably looking at a ban and that is down to incompetence and guesswork,

“It’s impossible for him to give that. I think he’s guessed.”

And of the overall standards he said: “This is the same referee who didn’t given us a clear handball against Rangers at Easter Road.

“As for me being sent off without really being over-critical of the decision at the time, he’s made it personal because I criticised him after the Easter Road game. I am not happy with him at all.

“To send me off, I’m far from happy. And then I can’t do my job for the last half hour.

“Why can’t we send referees off when they are so blatantly ruining the game?

“I don’t want him refereeing us again this season. But I probably won’t get my way on that.

“Huge decisions have gone against us this season. I’m at my wit’s end with referees at the minute. (Edinburgh Evening News)

In pictures: The evolution of Celtic Park through the years

Daniel Candeias has found a home in Rangers

Daniel Candeias has said he feels at home at Ibrox and is happy at his 14th club following his summer arrival.

“When I signed for Benfica it was always going to be difficult to play regularly,”

“I think I have the quality to play there but the coach felt it was important for me to get games.

“I don’t like moving a lot, but I didn’t have much choice in the matter. I have moved about a lot because the big teams in Portugal always send out their players on loan.

“Now I am settled at Rangers and the stability is important for me. I’m very happy here and you normally you can play your best football when you are settled. I want to stay here for more than one season.

“My heart is with Rangers not the coach. I wasn’t worried any more than any of the other players when the coach left.”

Celtic should break the bank and become giants insists Xavi

Barcelona legend Xavi has urged Celtic to splash the cash to become giants of European football.

He said: “Celtic are a club that I have an affection for.

“But if they want to compete in the Champions League they must add more proven quality.

“The transfer market has gone crazy over the last 12 months. Neymar changed everything.

“Not many clubs can spend 100, 150, or even 200 million Euros on a player – but 15-20  million Euros needs to be where any club with ambitions, like Celtic, needs to be spending.” (Daily Record)

Aberdeen keeper sees Scotland as next step after World Cup win

Freddie Woodman, the on loan keeper at Aberdeen sees Scotland as the next logical step following the success of the England U20 side. The shot stopper hopes to emulte the likes of Southampton’s Fraser Forster, who had two loan spells at Celtic from Newcastle and then joined the Parkhead club permanently, Danny Ward, a Welsh international on the books of Liverpool who had a successful loan spell at Aberdeen, Tim Krul, who is an ex-Falkirk loanee, and Kasper Schmeichel. He said: “All window I had teams wanting to get me, and it’s always nice to be in that position,”

“But as soon as I spoke to the manager here, once he told about what he wanted and about my game, I was just like: ‘I want to sign.’

“At that point, if Newcastle were going to let me out I was going to sign for Aberdeen, and once I’d given my word it was a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.”

McCann bemoans penalty call

Dundee manager Neil McCann bemoaned “very poor officiating” from referee Alan Muir after his side were denied a “stonewall” late penalty against Motherwell. He said: “Now, if he’s saying that his assistant referee said it hit him on the arm, why’s it not a penalty? How do you swallow that one? For me, it’s very poor officiating.

“It makes me so angry because that would have given us an opportunity to get the equaliser and maybe even another one because we showed against Partick the week before we don’t need a lot of time to get a goal. (STV)

Rumour Mill: Celtic eye '˜double treble' | Scottish refs '˜amateur' says Neil Lennon | Daniel Candeias at home at Ibrox