NO bottle NO hunger NO desire

JOSH THOMPSON admits that Celtic’s stunned players have to quickly make amends after the Hoops last chance of silverware vanished in a humiliating 2-0 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by minnows Ross County.

The Hoops’ interim boss Neil Lennon slated his men after the Irn Bru First Division side dramatically and deservedly won through to their first final since their formation in 1929.

Lennon accused them of having no bottle, no hunger and no desire and threatened that some players won’t be at Parkhead next season.

Steven Craig and Martin Scott scored the second-half goals which sparked wild celebrations in Dingwall and had Lennon promising a clear-out at the end of the season whether or not he is still at the club.

Celtic defender Thompson, 19, insists the players will have to pacify the disgruntled fans when Motherwell travel to the east end of Glasgow tomorrow night in the Premier League.

“The defeat was horrible,” Thompson said. “The fans deserved more and we let the manager down.

“Everyone knows it wasn’t good enough, it’s not what Celtic are about. The next game is on Tuesday against Motherwell and we have to go out and show pride. That’s the motivation now.”

As Celtic lick their wounds after a defeat which rivals previous cup shocks against Clyde, Inverness and Raith Rovers, Lennon’s bid to keep the job is in tatters.

Lennon kept his players in the dressing room for 15 minutes after the game and strikers Georgios Samaras and Marc-Antoine Fortune, in particular, came in for some stinging criticism.

However, the big Greek striker, who hit the post when Celtic were trailing 1-0, kept his counsel.

Asked if Lennon was still the man for the job, Samaras retorted: “Yes, 100%.” Then asked to expand on what was said in the dressing room by Lennon, the former Manchester City striker replied: “What happened in the dressing room stays in the dressing room.’’