BBC SPORT Arabic Spanish Russian Chinese
BBCi NEWS   SPORT   WEATHER   WORLD SERVICE   A-Z INDEX    SEARCH 

BBC Sport
    You are in: Football: Scot Prem  
Sport Front Page
-------------------
Football
Teams
Statistics
FA Cup
Eng Prem
Internationals
Champions League
Uefa Cup
Eng Div 1
Eng Div 2
Eng Div 3
Eng Conf
Scot Prem
Scottish Cup
Scot Div 1
Scot Div 2
Scot Div 3
Europe
Africa
League of Wales
Cricket
Rugby Union
Rugby League
Tennis
Golf
Motorsport
Boxing
Athletics
Other Sports
-------------------
Special Events
-------------------
Sports Talk
-------------------
BBC Pundits
TV & Radio
Question of Sport
-------------------
Photo Galleries
Funny Old Game
-------------------
Around The UK: 
N Ireland
Scotland
Wales

BBC Sport Academy
BBC News
BBC Weather
SERVICES
-------------
LANGUAGES
EDITIONS

 Sunday, 8 December, 2002, 12:16 GMT
O'Neill defends team selection
Celtic boss Martin O'Neill lost his cool when he was questioned about his decision to leave Paul Lambert on the bench for Saturday's top-of-the-table clash with Rangers.

Paul Lambert
Lambert was left on the bench at Ibrox
O'Neill was full of praise for his side despite seeing them slip to a 3-2 defeat at Ibrox, a reverse which cost Celtic the lead in the Scottish Premier League.

But when asked why he had not started with midfielder Lambert, he went on the offensive.

"I have been picking the team now for two-and-a-half years and I honestly think that is a ridiculous question for you to ask me," O'Neill told BBC Scotland.

"I don't see anybody else here in Scotland being asked who they should pick and who they shouldn't pick.

"My record is reasonably all right to say I have picked teams and they have won matches.

We were astonishingly brilliant in the game

Martin O'Neill

"At the end of the day, I have picked the side and I could not fault one of my players there.

"It is a side which, funnily enough, was good enough to go down to Blackburn and win.

"Stefan Klos was named man of the match. Tell me what difference someone else in the team would have made in the team."

The SPL season gets under way

Weekend games

AUDIO/VIDEO

SPORTS TALK
Internet links:


The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

Links to more Scot Prem stories are at the foot of the page.


E-mail this story to a friend

Links to more Scot Prem stories

© BBC ^^ Back to top

Sport Front Page | Football | Cricket | Rugby Union | Rugby League |
Tennis | Golf | Motorsport | Boxing | Athletics | Other Sports |
Special Events | Sports Talk | BBC Pundits | TV & Radio | Question of Sport |
Photo Galleries | Funny Old Game | N Ireland | Scotland | Wales