Strachan says a little local rivalry is fine

CELTIC manager Gordon Strachan believes a local influence has taken the Old Firm derby back to its grass roots.

The last encounter between Celtic and Rangers ended with an old-fashioned scuffle between opposing skippers and fellow Lanarkshire lads Stephen McManus and Barry Ferguson.

As the pair were separated, two more Scotland internationals, Gary Caldwell and David Weir, became embroiled in a struggle that led to the defenders receiving one-match bans.

The confrontations followed a 2-1 victory for Celtic that rekindled the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title race and the bitter rivalry between the sides.

Less than two weeks after the Parkhead clash that also had a missed penalty, red card and injury-time winner by Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, the pair meet again tomorrow in the east end in a match that Celtic must win to keep their title hopes alive.

And the bad feeling between the teams has been intensified by the controversy over Rangers' fixture backlog, with Ibrox manager Walter Smith hitting out at Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell for complaining about a possible extension to the season.

"When I first came here three years ago it seemed the game had got sanitised," Strachan said.

"It has gone more retro and gone back to the 1980s. There are more local lads playing now and that's added more tension.

"You will always find some people happy with the sanitisation of the game and others want more violence. There is always someone complaining about something."

Two Scots who could feature in the heart of Celtic's midfield are Paul Hartley and Barry Robson, who helped the Bhoys dominate the first half of the last match.

And Strachan believes Robson's determination to improve himself is an ideal trait.

"Barry and Paul have done well," the Celtic manager said.

"Their energy at this time of the season has been good, so that's something I need to think about.

"We are happy with Barry but he is never happy with himself, he always wants to be better."