Motherwell manager Stuart McCall has dismissed any notion that his team failed to compete during their 5-0 defeat against Rangers.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon stoked Scottish football's age-old conspiracy theories on Sunday when he stated he was looking for teams to "compete and give Rangers a game", adding: "There has not been much evidence of that in their previous two games."
Lennon has insisted his words had been misinterpreted and McCall claimed he had not taken "a lot of notice" of the comments, which came a day after Rangers beat Hearts 4-0 to hold on to top spot in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. McCall said: "If anyone thinks I want to send a team out to get beat by anyone, obviously they don't know me."
He added: "And also, getting beat 5-0, do you think that's what we wanted? Of course we didn't. I've not seen any direct things against us, obviously if there has been, there has been. I will look after my own team in the best way we can."
Motherwell's own interests are actually better served by Scottish Cup final opponents Celtic winning the SPL, given that will ensure them a Europa League place regardless of the outcome at Hampden.
McCall said: "All I would say is if anyone saw the team we put out, Humphrey was injured, but Jeffers, Sutton, Murphy and Jones, Jennings and Lasley in the middle of the park, with Craigan, Gunning, Hammell and Ross, who is to say that's not our strongest team?
"If anyone was at the game, they would no doubt see the first-half performance was very good. I was disappointed to go into half-time behind, and once we lost the second goal we wilted.
"But it was as much Rangers getting the confidence from the second goal. You have to give credit to Rangers, they scored three outstanding goals."
McCall, whose team face Celtic in the final day of SPL action on Sunday, claimed he had not spoken to his own players about the comments.
"We don't discuss other teams, we just look after ourselves," the former Bradford manager said. "That's what we're about, we're about Motherwell and my concern is trying to win a trophy for Motherwell, and that's what we aim to do."
Source: PA
