Strachan lauds Celtic´s rejuvenated strike pair

Gordon Strachan singled out strikers Georgios Samaras and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink for praise after they ended lengthy goal droughts to help Celtic defeat Hamilton 4-0 at Parkhead on Saturday.

Samaras followed up scoring the winning goal for Greece against Israel mid-week by bagging a double, his first goals in the league since January 3, before Dutchman Vennegoor of Hesselink netted for the first time since September. Aiden McGeady was the other player on target.

The win helped the Hoops consolidate their lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League table as they chase their fourth title in a row.

Despite going so many games without scoring, Celtic coach Strachan said he never lost faith in the players and had been delighted with their performances in recent weeks.

“What this result does is make us feel better about ourselves and hopefully we can use that to go on and do even better,” Strachan said.

“It was pleasing to get Jan [Vennegoor of Hesselink] a goal and Samaras two. That’s three they have scored in one game so their averages have gone up.

“The two of them have fantastic attitudes. I was saying to Jan recently ?You should have no regrets. You can’t reproach yourself on anything. You’re training incredibly hard and trying as much as you can. You’re a top professional and things like this in life happen and you just need to keep at it’.

“I can only hope they take confidence from getting their goals and their performances today.”

The Hoops boss was also pleased with the performances of his fringe players Paddy McCourt and Koki Mizuno, who made rare appearances from the bench as Celtic coasted to victory.

“It’s good to have them. They are guys who have the ability to go out and win games,” said Strachan, whose side face relegation-threatened Falkirk in mid-week before a tough away trip to Hearts.

“They can beat people and that’s nice to have. They have been on the bench for a long time and to have them in reserve is top class.”

Celtic’s victory increases the pressure on their Old Firm rivals Rangers, who travel to Falkirk on Sunder under a cloud.

The fixture has been overshadowed by the storm over Gers pair Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor, who were banned from representing their country after being caught making V-signs during Scotland’s World Cup qualifier against Iceland on Wednesday.

The duo had been dropped to the bench by national manager George Burley following an early-hours drinking session, and their behaviour prompted Rangers to suspend them both for two weeks without pay.

Scotland’s players’ union chief Fraser Wishart on Saturday revealed that Ferguson and McGregor had only found out their Scotland careers were over by listening to radio reports.

Wishart criticised the Scottish Football Association for failing to make direct contact with the pair.

“Nobody contacted the players and I think they were due that courtesy,” Wishart told BBC Scotland.

“One of the things that really disappointed myself and the players was that they found out via a radio bulletin that they no longer had a Scotland career – on their way to a disciplinary meeting at Rangers.

“So, I think there were one or two things that could’ve been handled better.”