Strachan spots the difference

Celtic boss Gordon Strachan insists his side are getting a raw deal on the penalty count this season.

In the immediate aftermath of Celtic’s 1-0 defeat by Falkirk on Saturday, Strachan claimed they had been denied a handful of penalties by referee John Underhill.

Studying the television footage has only confirmed the former Aberdeen player’s opinion.

Strachan also referred to incidents in the last two Old Firm games when Neil Lennon and Aiden McGeady were denied what seemed clear penalties.

A strong handball appeal and an unpunished challenge on Shunsuke Nakamura in the 1-0 Champions League defeat at AC Milan two weeks ago have added fuel to Strachan’s fire.

Underhill did award the Hoops a disputed early penalty at Falkirk, which Craig Beattie missed, but that was not enough to satisfy Strachan.

“I’ve looked at them again and four of the incidents, possibly five, were penalties,” he said.

“There’s not even a question about that and I think if we had got the five penalties we would have scored at least one.

“We should also have had penalties against Rangers at Celtic Park and at Ibrox, and there were the two claims against AC Milan.

“So, if anyone tells me that over the course of the season that these things balance out – we’ve got about 10 penalties to come in the next seven games.

“We’ve been unfortunate with penalties over the whole season but Sunday was the most unfortunate we’ve been.”

Strachan has refused to panic following three successive 1-0 defeats for the runaway Bank of Scotland Premier League leaders against Milan, Rangers and the Bairns.

“I don’t want the boys to change their philosophy or their attitude,” he told the Celtic View.

“I want them to continue to play the game the way it should be played, with variation and bravery on the ball.

“It’s concerning that we’re not scoring the goals our play deserves, but that’s human nature.

“The rest of the stuff people usually complain about when the side is not doing well, like effort, commitment and variation, is all there.”

Meanwhile, Japanese midfielder Nakamura feels he has improved in his second season at Parkhead as his experience and knowledge of the club and the Scottish game grow.

“I do feel that I’ve been quite consistent this year,” the 28-year-old said.

"I feel that I’m used to the game and how it is played in this country. I can read how the game flows.

“We all know what each other are doing in the Celtic team and I think that has helped us a lot this season.

“I feel in tune with my team-mates and I know what to expect from the other teams in Scotland. That has helped me.”