Martin O'Neill's explanation of Celtic selection decision will frustrate fans

Celtic boss Martin O'Neill has effectively admitted that he used Sunday's Old Firm clash with Rangers as an experiment for one player.

The Bhoys were bullied off the park by a Rangers side that came to play, turning up from minute one against a Celtic side that looked lost. It's a concern for the Bhoys that they have now collapsed in both of their two biggest occasions of the season.

O'Neill will shoulder some of the blame, and more so because he made some perplexing selection decisions, and none more than the decision to put rusty goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in goal over the in-form Viljami Sinisalo.

Asked to explain that decision after the game, O'Neill said he used the game to give Johnstone experience of the Old Firm.

He said: "I want people to experience these games, because what other way am I going to learn about what people can or cannot do? What I don’t want to do is just put people in so that I can learn something from it. The main object is obviously to try and win, and it’s a fine balancing act from me."

That's a strange admission, and it's no endorsement of Johnstone. O'Neill is not willing to say who he thinks is better, or even in better form, and the notion of using one of the biggest games of the season just to give someone experience is just baffling.

These games should only be about winning.

As for the inclusion of the bang out of form Sebastan Tounekti, there is a more justified decision that came about due to illness.

"Young Hassan had an overnight problem, and he didn’t get much sleep in all honesty, so it was just a matter of not starting him because of that," O'Neill added. "That’s the reason, really."