O'Neill refutes Celt 'bad losers' claim

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has refuted claims from Hibernian star Grant Brebner that his players refused to shake hands with their opponents after being sent crashing out of the CIS Insurance Cup last week.

The Hibs player accused the Parkhead giants of being Christmas scrooges after trudging off at Easter Road last week.

But Irishman O’Neill jumped to the defence of his players by claiming that they would not have refused to shake hands after the final whistle.

The clubs clash again tomorrow and O’Neill said: “My own view is that I would be very surprised if my players did not shake hands.

“I would be absolutely amazed and I believe that Grant Brebner actually said that perhaps they were celebrating in all the corners of the pitch so maybe they never got a chance to shake hands.

“I wouldn’t read a great deal into that. They were quite right to celebrate because they won the game and they were going to their own supporters at the end of it all. I disagree with anything else.

“It wouldn’t be the players’ position to wait around for them to shake hands.

“I would be astonished if my players didn’t shake their hands if their players wanted to shake hands at the end.”

O’Neill is resigned to the fact that Henrik Larsson will be signing off at the end of his contract in the summer.

But the Celtic manager does not believe the player will be side-tracked by the many clubs that will be queuing up for his services.

“If he’s pretty clear in his mind that he wants to go then that’s his own personal choice,” sighed O’Neill.

“If he’s going after seven years then he will get the blessing of everyone.

“I don’t think it’s important for him or us to know where he’s going. In his own mind I don’t think he’ll be absolutely sure.

“He’ll have no end of offers and those people who will be interested in signing him, and there will be many, will be waiting until the last possible moment if that is what Henrik decides on.”

One player that will be staying next season is Stanislav Varga and O’Neill admits that he deserves a new contract.

The Slovakian defender is closing down on the 30 matches needed to trigger a one-year extension and it is only a matter of time.

“I think he’ll make it, with a bit of luck,” said O’Neill. “It’s an extra year if he gets the games.

“That would be an extra year and the second year would kick in automatically if he does.

“He will do the games now. He would be desperately unlucky not to. He’s done remarkably well for us.

“He played only two games last season and didn’t do too bad in those games. We were just involved in the UEFA Cup.

“He played the last game at Kilmarnock last season and he took it all in and he knew he had to do some work to get into the team.

“He was helped by injuries to some of the major players like Johan (Mjallby) and Joos (Valgaeren) and he has took that chance.

“He’s been in the side ever since and that is great credit to him.”