Boss frustrated by drop in standards

ANGE POSTECOGLOU watched Celtic lose their first league game in a year, then admitted the Scottish champions fell far below the standards set during a 38-match unbeaten run. ‘We were nowhere near the levels we want to be,’ acknowledged manager Postecoglou, whose team remain two points ahead of Rangers at the top. ‘Credit to St Mirren first of all, they worked really hard and were really committed to their gameplan. ‘They made it hard for us but we never hit the levels we need to play our football. We didn’t really get going in the first half and then we were chasing the game.’

Asked if too many changes contributed to a ponderous display featuring just two shots on target, the Australian replied: ‘Potentially. You look at everything — team selection, the way you perform. Everything is under scrutiny. ‘Irrespective of those kinds of factors, we didn’t hit any of our marks in terms of the kind of football we want to play, the intensity, tempo we want to have in a game. We just never got going. We just looked a little bit flat at the start of the game. You need to set the tempo early and we didn’t today. It is a disappointing day all round.’ With Swedish defender Carl Starfelt and Croatian international Josip Juranovic also missing, an untried central defensive duo of Moritz Jenz and Stephen Welsh were bullied by St Mirren strikers Curtis Main and Ayunga. O’Hara had a free header for the opener before half-time and blew a fine chance to add a third goal. ‘They weren’t great goals but they were reflective of the whole game,’ said Postecoglou. ‘We didn’t create as we normally do either. ‘What has got us to this point over the past 16 months is having a certain work ethic and certain levels of performance and belief. We didn’t reach any of those.’