Celtic manager Tony Mowbray accepted the blame for his side’s crushing 4-0 away league defeat by St Mirren.“I’ll take responsibility for the substitutions we made,” said Mowbray. "We tried to be attack-minded, and left some young defenders pretty exposed.
"We tried to be positive and we lost four goals. It’s not the first time we’ve lost four goals this season.
“We brush ourselves down for the next one, but I’ll take responsibility for the way we asked them to play.”
Andy Dorman and Steven Thomson each scored twice for St Mirren, who had lost 1-0 in Sunday’s Co-operative Insurance Cup final to nine-man Rangers.
“We had chances in the second half, but as we chased the game, we became more vulnerable and they made us pay”
Celtic manager Tony Mowbray
Mowbray’s side have now lost six league matches on the road this season and laboured to break down a well organised home team.
“We maybe need to try and play slightly differently away from home,” added Mowbray.
"We had six strikers on the pitch at the death, but it left some young defenders exposed to an energetic, decent team.
"We knew it was going to be tough, and it was. St Mirren scored from their first attack, which meant we were trying to commit more men forward and left ourselves vulnerable.
"But let’s not take any credit away from St Mirren, we had enough chances in the first half to come in in front, yet we came in behind.
“We had chances in the second half, but as we chased the game, we became more vulnerable and they made us pay.”
The defeat maintains Rangers’ 10-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League, with the Ibrox side having two games in hand, and Mowbray suggested the success of Walter Smith’s side was down to “negative” football.
“Rangers have been very consistent - they haven’t lost four goals in any game,” said Mowbray.
"They set up differently - maybe that’s the way to go.
“Maybe it isn’t a league for trying to force the game and be expansive - maybe it is a league for playing defensive, negative football and having quality up front to counter-attack.”