Strachan in pursuit of perfection

Celtic boss Gordon Strachan has hailed his players for securing 10 Bank of Scotland Premier League wins on the trot – but he still wants more from the team.

Celtic face Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday looking for a clean sweep of victories over their SPL rivals since drawing 1-1 in the Highlands in August.

Their run has seen them move 15 points clear at the top of the table, with Rangers, Hearts and Aberdeen leading the chasing pack.

Strachan said: “The attitude is great and I said to the players as a group, to get 10 wins on the trot – no matter how I have thought we have played at times and we didn’t play as well as we wanted – overall that’s a great collection of points.

“In the midst of that run we have had injuries, we have had setbacks.

“We have also played Champions League games and that is something that the players are still getting used to.

“A lot has gone right for us this season, but we will keep striving for the perfect performance.”

Strachan expects Inverness to make the clean sweep attempt tough at Parkhead on Saturday.

The former Scotland international told Celtic View: “They are solid, they have a determination about them.

“They believe in what they are doing, they have a good group of players and because of where they live, I am sure that they bond well together.

“Up in Inverness there is nothing really close by and the players have got to get on well together, similar to when I was at Aberdeen and we were miles away from everything.

“We all had to get on together and stay close to each other.

“They look like they have a good bond and fortunately for them, their back four always seems to stay settled and stable.

“For any team that doesn’t want to lose a game that’s good.

“They also have good players up front like (Graham) Bayne and (Craig) Dargo, who have a good partnership.”