Manager's Mail

[Boab 73]

MURRAY Park has been a quiet place this week given the international break but you can rest assured it has been a very happy place in view of our result in the Old Firm game.

I had said before the match that victory in this fixture can make such a difference to a team and I sincerely hope that is the case for us and we really kick on now.

It was very important for us to win the game to cut the gap at the top of the SPL to just one point so I'm obviously delighted that we did.

I was pleased with the start we made and the two good goals that we scored and overall our work-rate was very good.

However, in the second-half in particular I was disappointed with our overall possession and we spurned a lot of chances on the break.

But considering all the aspects we were very happy with the win.

It was important for us that the gap did not increase at the top of the table and that we got back to winning ways after three draws.

We have not lost a league game yet and we are happy to keep that going.

Of course we are now in the midst of an international break and a few of the lads are away with Stevie Whittaker in Japan, Madjid Bougherra playing two important qualifiers for Algeria and four of the younger ones with the Scotland under-21s.

It will give us some time to heal up those who were carrying knocks or feeling unwell like Kevin Thomson and Lee McCulloch.

Kris Boyd was the major casualty from the Old Firm game as he has suffered a small fracture of his eye socket so we will need to be careful with that one.

Kenny Miller has also gone to Germany for treatment on the nerve problem at the back of his leg and hopefully he will return feeling fresh.

I have given the lads the weekend off but it will be back down to hard work again from Monday as we prepare to build on our derby victory.

Walter Smith

From my Hotmail.

[cooper1989 0]

One sentence per paragraph? But it's allright :-)

Slow news days these...