Lambert says Celtic future in good hands

Celtic skipper Paul Lambert does not fear for the future of the club once the current team breaks up.

The Hoops have already been forced to deal with the loss of Henrik Larsson this season after he joined Barcelona in the summer and his fellow Swede Johan Mjallby also quit for Spain.

The next player to join the exodus could be John Hartson as protracted talks between the player’s agent and the club continue and Neil Lennon and Bobo Balde are among others who are out of contract at the end of the season.

But Lambert – who will also says his farewells in the summer – insists he is not worried.

He said: “We’ve lost Henrik and Johan Mjallby has left as well but that’s football. It happens all over the world.

“But the club will always be there and it’s in good hands at the minute. We’ve got a spine of the team there and I’m sure new players will come.”

Whatever happens over the next few months, Lambert is hoping he will have a part to play on the field.

He has featured just once this season – the 8-1 CIS Insurance Cup win over Falkirk – and he is desperate to be involved again.

He said: “I feel not too bad but I need to get games to be honest to get my fitness up a bit more.

“It’s not the way I should be and I need to get more fitter. I’m nearly 36 now and this is my last season but if I can help in any way I will do my utmost to try and help the team.

“If it’s good enough that’s great. If not, there are other guys in there who are doing really well.”

Celtic’s visitors tomorrow are Dundee United, a team who sit two points off the bottom of the table and whose manager Ian McCall is under pressure to produce results.

But Lambert insists there will be no chance of complacency from Celtic tomorrow because the critics have been too quick to point to a crisis at Parkhead whenever they drop any points.

He said: “I’ve never known an easy game here. Never in the eight years that I’ve been here have we went out there and thought we are going to win this comfortably.

“You have to earn the right to win the game. If we don’t play the way we can we could end up in a bit of bother. I think they are better than their league position shows.

“They will enjoy playing here and we have to combat that every week and we have to try to win games every week because you’re one draw away from a crisis here.

“When you draw here people call it a bad result. Any other country, if you get a draw it’s a decent result.”