Celtic exited the Champions League amid agony in Aalborg last Tuesday but responded with a win at Parkhead which took them seven points clear at the top of the table.

Niall McGinn would relish a move to Celtic but the Derry City midfielder is aware of how hard it would be to break into Gordon Strachan’s first team.

Celtic will back manager Gordon Strachan when the transfer window reopens in January.

The champions extended their lead at the top of the table with a dogged win over an Inverness Caledonian Thistle team who refused to accept defeat until the final whistle sounded well into the 50th minute of the second half.The game itself will be memorable for little more than a tired looking Celtic clearing their lines for the last 30 minutes as Inverness made the most of a series of free kicks which allowed them to launch attacks.Shaun Maloney scored the only goal of the game after 28 minutes despite not making a clean connection with his shot from outside the box.  Maloney spend most of the afternoon away from his more effective central midfield role, so found little opportunity to display his creative talents.Scott Brown and Paul Hartley never quite got to grips with the Inverness central midfield but both defended resolutely 30 yards from their own goal to deny the Highlanders space in dangerous areas.The champions have now recorded 12 league wins in succession, turning a three point deficit into a seven point advantage.  They took one on the chin on Tuesday night but today demonstrated the character that made them champions in the first place.

Gordon Strachan has played down comments from Artur Boruc concerning life at Celtic.

Gordon Strachan says his Celtic side deserve credit this season despite their disappointing midweek European exit.

Celtic goalkeeper Mark Brown is determined to try and win a regular run in Gordon Strachan’s side.

Gordon Strachan will be given his chance to help shape the future of Scottish football next week, and SPL executive chairman Lex Gold says there are no limits to the agenda.

In a magazine interview conducted in his native Japan, Shunsuke Nakamura was once asked to name the top three players in Scotland. Heading the list was Russell Latapy.

The Scottish Premier League has warned against a media overreaction to the poor showing of Scottish Clubs in Europe.