Strachan left fuming after Thompson’s Telfer challenge

Hibernian 0 Celtic 1

Strachan was incensed by a second-half challenge on Paul Telfer by Hibs midfielder Kevin Thomson and had to be calmed down by the fourth official Ian Fyfe.

After watching his team hang on to a fifth-minute Stilian Petrov goal, which reduced Hearts’ lead at the top of the table to five points, the Hoops boss said: “I went along to (a meeting about the) rules at the beginning of the season and I was the only SPL manager there.

“I sat and listened for three hours when I could have been doing something else, maybe playing golf or sitting back. I was there with about 150 referees who discussed what was going to go on this year and I went back and told my players what they can or cannot do.

“But since then, things that were never going to be allowed, have been allowed. So what I was saying to the fourth official was ‘what a waste of Sunday that day was’. Seriously, it was.

“If I go along and they tell me that’s going to be the rules and then referees interpret it in their own way then that is a problem for me because I didn’t see any other SPL managers there.”

However, Strachan was less inclined to question Thomson’s leniency after a clash involving Telfer and Hibs striker Ivan Sproule left both players with only a yellow card.

The Irishman sought retribution after being challenged by Telfer and after both men had grappled a melee ensued which involved several players on both sides and which, ultimately, also earned Bobo Balde a yellow card.

Strachan said: “I turned to Tony (Mowbray) and asked if he saw anything and he was the same as me, he didn’t see it. But the referee was there and he gave two yellow cards.”

Hibs manager Mowbray was happy enough with how referee Thomson dealt with the ugly incident involving Sproule and Telfer.

He said: “I think it was a case of common-sense from the official. I’d seen it on the television afterwards and I thought it was a storm in a teacup.

“I think the referee got it about right. You don’t want to see players putting their heads together and pushing each other like bulls but there was no bad tackle, there were no punches thrown, it just got a little bit heated and the referee dealt with it.”

However, the Easter Road boss admits he was left frustrated by the result.

HIBERNIAN: Malkowski, Whittaker, Caldwell, Hogg, Murphy, Sproule, Stewart (Fletcher 76), Beuzelin, Thomson, Shiels (Riordan 65), O’Connor (Konte 51).

CELTIC: Boruc, Telfer, Balde, McManus, Camara, Petrov, Lennon, Nakamura (Maloney 73), Thompson (Pearson 50), Hartson (Beattie 60), Zurawski.

Referee: C Thomson.