Football: Lose Hartson and title is FLUSHED DOWN THE JOHN; CELTIC 2 HIBS 1 Back on top but sloppy champs must keep hot hitman or risk losing league.

Byline: By Hugh Keevins

ANY criticism of Celtic is reckoned to be part of a plot designed to bring down the club and divert them from winning anything at home and abroad.

But even the most ardent conspiracy theorist must be able to see Martin O'Neill's side is in irreversible decline unless new players are acquired as a matter of urgency.

And the manager shows better judgment in the transfer market than he has displayed in recent times when money has been prised from his board after a bout of kicking and screaming.

Even O'Neill conceded Hibs were robbed of at least one point after mesmerising his team. And there must bean allowable level of concern over what AC Milan might do to Celtic in the Champions League tomorrow night.

If it wasn't for John Hartson and his goals the meaningful part of the season, as it relates to Europe and the championship, might have been over and done with already.

Which means another headache for O'Neill and his directors as they run the risk of losing the Welshman for nothing after a mystifying display of dilatory antics. How hard can it be to sit the player down with his agent, Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell and the manager to discuss an extension to his contract?

But the jungle will be cleared of all so-called celebrities before Celtic come out of a clearing and find a window of opportunity to talk to the man who is currently their most valuable asset.

Being unable to make decisions quickly and correctly has led Celtic into the situation where they are paying pounds 5.5million in wages and loan fees to hire Juninho and Henri Camara for the season.

A summer of inactivity led to panic buying and now it is casually accepted that the highest--paid player at the club cannot get a game under any circumstances,while the Senegalese striker only appeared by kind permission of a second-half injury to Stilian Petrov.

If Hartson slips through Celtic's fingers, the supporters will rightly accuse their club of mismanagement but it was an inability to deal with Hibs on the park that led to the crowd watching Celtic from the edge of their seats and with one hand over their eyes.

O'Neill's team was a defensive shambles, over-run in midfield and only saved by the persistence of Aiden McGeady and an awkward looking Welshman who has acquired Henrik Larsson's genius for seeing a dire situation and pulling Celtic out of the mire.

Hibs protested that Celtic's winning goal six minutes from the end was the product of a foul throw to begin with but the teenager and his grizzled accomplice still had a lot of work to do to convert that contentious moment into a goal.

The fact it was scored against the run of play should be of greater concern to Tony Mowbray. Idealists who believe the game should be played in an entertaining way still need goals to keep the wolf from the door.

And Hibs were unable to do enough to beat a team with a keeper who couldn't have kept a draught out of his penalty box.

Guillaume Beuzelin took his frustration out on the referee, Ian Brines.

The Frenchman said: 'He wasn't good for usand we were unlucky when Steven Whittaker hit a post in the first half. A draw would have been a fairer result but we feel we can get better.

'Passing the ball and expressing ourselves freely is what this side is all about. We felt under no pressure going to Celtic Park so we played to enjoy ourselves.

u e going to Celtic Park so we played to'Our style is not the Scottish way of playing football. We like to pass to each other.

'But, in the end, McGeady was the best player in the game and he and Hartson made all the difference.'

the game and he and Hartson made all The admiration was mutual because their teenager put the game into perspective by admitting Celtic had no idea what to do about a Hibs side who were a shock to their already upset system.

who were a shock to their alreadyHe said: 'They played a kind of football never seen at Celtic Park before. The ball was always played on the deck and they made us work. They had no fear at all and they were a s tough as any side we have faced this season.'

Mowbray should take that as a considerable compliment since Celtic's opponents have included Barcelona and AC Milan.

McGeady added: 'It was a sign of Hibs confidence that everyone wanted the ball and they attacked us from the start. But I have to admit I would rather win 5-0 than have to slug it out like that every week.'

The player's honesty was matched by his diligence.There is more to his game than the kind of trickery which occasionally lifts the crowd out of their seats in appreciation.

McGeady helped make both Celtic's goals. He flighted in a perfect corner that Hartson bulleted home with his head for the opener.

And the second might have prevented the start of the championship being gently prised from Celtic's grasp.

It came after Gary Caldwell had scored a close-range equaliser for Hibs to reflect their dominance and O'Neill wasn't going to delude himself that the final score accurately summed up his team's day.

He said: 'It was a terrific game and Hibs were splendid.They deserved something.They played with great freedom and we dug out a result.

'It would be very easy to be patronising after a win but they caused us problems all day.'

Milan will nowdo the same thing and Celtic's response will have to be sharper than it was on Saturday.Whatever they had once has started to disappear on the back of time taking its toll of players who peaked 18 months ago.

There is either an alarming inability to appreciate this is the case or a stubborn refusal to deviate from the plan to bring the finances into better order than any other club's in the country.

Either way, the squad at O'Neill's disposal is no longer strong enough to be successful.

MAN OF THE MATCH John Hartson (Celtic) Celtic - Hedman, McNamara, Balde, Varga, Valgaeren, McGeady, Petrov (Camara 49), Lennon, Thompson, Hartson, Sutton.

Subs not used - Marshall, Sylla, Juninho Paulista, Laursen, Maloney, Wallace.

Hibs - Simon Brown, Beuzelin, Murray, Caldwell, Glass (McCluskey 84), Murphy, Rocastle (McDonald 89), Shiels, Whittaker, O'Connor (Morrow 61), Riordan.Subs not used - Alistair Brown, Murdock, Orman, Shields.

Referee - Brines.

Moment that changed the game: When John Hartson kept his nerve and scored his late winner, the Welshman helped prevent a collapse of morale before Milan.

CAPTION(S):

HART STOPPERS: John Hartson bags his opener, main pic, then sees his winner hit the net, below left, but Magnus Hedman's frantic goalkeeping didn't make such pleasant viewing; CALD COMFORT: Gary Caldwell; scored but still came out a loser