Walter Smith hit back at Andreas Hinkel for claiming Celtic were a better team than Rangers. Smith was disappointed to lose the Old Firm match 2-1 but it was quotes from Hinkel that clearly annoyed the Rangers boss.
The Ibrox chief was keen to point out his side's superior trophy haul in the three seasons he has been back at the helm, including back-to-back Clydesdale Bank Premier League titles.
And he claimed only the appointment of Neil Lennon as interim manager has brought out the proper attitude in Celtic's players, as he advised Hinkel to "take a good look at himself."
Smith said: "Andreas Hinkel said in the paper the other day that Celtic are the better team.
"If he sits down and he analyses what he said then you've got to say why does he think they are a better team than Rangers when Rangers have won six trophies over a three-year period and reached a European final and Celtic have won two.
"He must feel then, that if they are the better team, something is wrong. It might be if they had shown the same attitude as they showed in the first half of the game tonight, they might have been in a far better position.
"He has got to ask himself that question. If he sits down and says that Celtic are a better team than Rangers, he should ask himself if he's proud of the way they have played over the last few seasons because I'm certainly proud of the way my team has played and my team has something tangible to show for it at the end.
"I can't understand why any professional doesn't take a good look at himself first before saying Celtic are a better team than Rangers because it's patently obvious that they are not and haven't been.
"Maybe it's simply because of their approach and their attitude to the game, that Neil Lennon is now bringing out in them.
"But if it takes a manager to bring it out in you, then you are looking at a poor set of professionals."
Asked what the most disappointing aspect of the evening was, Smith replied: " Losing - I don't like losing games and my team doesn't like losing games.
"We were disappointed with the way we started the game in the first half of the match especially."
