Thomson upset by Strachan snub

Inverness Caledonian Thistle assistant manager Malcolm Thomson admitted he was hurt by the refusal of Celtic manager Gordon Strachan to shake his hand after Sunday’s 1-1 draw.

The Hoops boss branded Craig Brewster’s number-two unsporting after Caley pressurised Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc seconds after they had thrown the ball back following treatment for a player.

Celtic had put the ball out when Russell Duncan went down injured but Caley’s pressing of Boruc almost led to player-boss Brewster snatching a winner in the Bank of Scotland Premier League clash at Caledonian Stadium.

“Why not shake my hand at the end?” Thomson told the Scottish Sun. “This has soured it all for me.

“I loved him as a player and he is a manager with a wealth of experience. I respect him a lot and I want to learn from people like him.

“For someone like that to snub your handshake is cutting for a young coach.

“Yet it is all a part of my education and you learn from it. That will inspire me.

“Now they are not going to give us the ball back next time? Fair enough.”

Inverness chairman David Sutherland added: “Caley Thistle are not an unsporting team and Malky is certainly not an unsporting assistant boss.

“We will be writing to Celtic. There’s been an over-reaction and I want to prevent any misunderstandings.”

Donald McVicar, the Scottish Football Association’s head of refereeing development, said: “If the players take to kicking the ball out then the referee can’t stop them.

“But the players must take the initiative and leave it to the referee to decide whether a serious injury has occurred.”