Mowbray's pressure point

Posted Monday, March 08, 2010 by PA

Tony Mowbray believes holding some of the Scottish media at bay put his Celtic side under increased pressure before their 2-0 win at Falkirk.

A Robbie Keane double took the Parkhead club back to within 10 points of Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders Rangers, who also have a game in hand. Most Hoops' fans have given up on the title race but the Celtic boss is adamant that, although expectations are fading, there is not any less pressure on his players.

"If anything, there was more pressure on the team to get a result because, again, not all of you, but the way some of the Scottish media work, they like piling it on," he said. "So we have to keep going and keep winning matches, that's what we do."

He added: "There is no lack of motivation. There is no greater motivation than every time you pull on a Hoops' shirt.

"You should be 100% focused on trying to win because the supporters of the club come to support our team home and away and they deserve a performance. I thought they got a very professional performance."

Warming to the issue of the Scottish media, Mowbray played down the significance of Aiden McGeady's claim that Dougie McDonald had not been "impartial" during last week's Old Firm derby at Ibrox.

Before Maurice Edu scored a last-gasp winner for the home side, Hoops' captain Scott Brown was controversially sent off after tangling with Rangers' Kyle Lafferty, who escaped unpunished.

Before the game an unknown source at Celtic had let it be known that the Parkhead club were not happy with decisions they believed had gone against them this season, including in the first two games against Rangers.

McGeady's remarks, though, could see the Celtic midfielder hauled up before the Scottish Football Association but Mowbray moved to defuse the situation.

"I haven't seen that article," the Parkhead boss said. "If a journalist used the word "impartial" I'm pretty sure he (Aiden) didn't know what it meant. If it was a clever journalist speaking about impartiality, he might not have got the context of the question, I don't know."