PIERRE van Hooydonk seems to have talked his way out of Celtic's first team for tonight's premier division match against Raith Rovers at Parkhead.
The Dutchman's decision to add another wearisome chapter - or perhaps footnote - to the saga of his contract negotiations, by saying at the weekend that he is prepared to wait 17 months until his contract is over and then leave Celtic for nothing, will not have endeared him to his manager, Tommy Burns, or indeed chief executive Fergus McCann, who threatened to fine him.
Van Hooydonk does not seem to have grapsed that his problems are two fold. It is not just that Celtic will not pay him what he believes is his worth - no one else wants to buy him.
After Saturday's disappointing defeat for Celtic against Dundee United at Tannadice, Burns will be looking to make a couple of changes to the side, and Van Hooydonk seems to be the first name to be taken off the team sheet. The Celtic manager adds Andreas Thom, Simon Donnelly, Brian McLaughlin, and Chris Hay to the squad on duty then.
Tom Boyd also has a slim chance of returning to the team. He chipped a bone in a toe last week against Dunfermline, and, while Burns will take no chances on his fitness, he is recovering well.
The Celtic manager is far from despondent after falling further behind Rangers at the weekend and insists that his players' morale remains high. ''The match against Raith is a chance to close the gap at the top to four points,'' he said.
''There is no problem with confidence after Saturday. As that game went on, we looked better and better and I think we could consider ourselves unlucky to lose it.''
Raith, whose lively performances of late belie their position four points adrift at the bottom of the premier division, are similarly positive in the face of adversity. Like Burns, Iain Munro has no injury problems from the weekend and adds to the squad which drew with Hibs at Easter Road.
Stevie Kirk returns from suspension and Paul Browne comes into the manager's thoughts. ''If we do get a good result, then that is a bonus, but the players will enjoy the occasion in front of a 50,000 crowd,'' said Munro.
Burns' hopes of bringing the Italian defender Enrico Annnoni to Celtic Park appear now to rest in the hands of McCann. The Roma player spent most of Tuesday in negotiations at Parkhead and returned to Rome yesterday morning.
Now McCann will take charge of the deal, and it is thought that 30 year-old Annoni could be a Celtic player within the next three or four days.
Meanwhile, reports suggested last night that Rangers midfield player Neil Murray had clinched a #200,000 move to Swiss side Sion. The 23-year-old had been at Ibrox for eight years, but he has recently failed to command a first-team place.
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