SPL: O'Neill puts champagne on ice

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill insists his side will not be celebrating back-to-back Scottish Premier League victories until the points are safely in the bag.

A win for O'Neill’s side at home to Livingston tomorrow will ensure the trophy remains at Parkhead but he was keen to play down talk of the game being a title-winning party, especially as earlier this week Livi captain Stuart Lovell complained that preparations for the celebration were both premature and disrespectful.

O’Neill said he totally agreed with the Australian’s views but stressed that the decision had been taken by the league sponsors and not the club.

‘‘Talk of premature Premier League parties is always a worry because it gets people into that kind of mood and then you get done in the game,’’ said the Hoops boss.

‘‘Livingston have got plenty to play for themselves and they have been one of the stories of the season.

‘‘They have stumbled in recent weeks after a great effort all season but they are still on course for Europe and they will be fired up for the game.

‘‘A couple of weeks ago they were looking as certainties for Europe but Aberdeen have crept back in and that will make for a good spectacle tomorrow.

‘‘The important thing for us is to just to win the game and that is all that is on the minds of our players.

‘‘All we need to know is that, regardless of other results, we will win the title if we win.’’

And O’Neill explained: ‘‘We didn’t plan any party either. I completely understand the feelings in the Livingston dressing room.

‘‘But we were not a party to the preparations- the Bank of Scotland had to organise something.

‘‘However, if a team can be presented with the trophy on the day they win it and nobody else can, I see no reason why the trophy shouldn’t be there.

‘‘It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t appear - it can easily be taken away and there is no real problem with that.’’

O’Neill believes his team’s performances have outstripped last season, despite missing out on a second successive treble.

‘‘It has been a better season than last year,’’ said O’Neill.

‘‘We have coped more with players being out of the side and we have played well in Europe and then come back to the SPL and won games.

‘‘That is exceptionally hard but the players have coped well with that. I hope it stands us in good stead. I have been delighted with the players.’’

O’Neill has also urged the Parkhead supporters to show the same respect to the Queen Mother as they did Rangers legend Jim Baxter during the minute’s silence before the Livingston game.

Hoops fans impeccably observed the memorial for Baxter after his death last year.

But concern has been expressed that the same respect will not be accorded to the Queen Mother by some fans after her death last weekend.

‘‘The SPL have set out the guidelines for the clubs to adhere to and that is exactly what we want to do,’’ said O’Neill.

‘‘I could not be in control of that (the crowd) but the previous silences, albeit for people of a sporting nature such as Jim Baxter in particular, were excellent.’’