TOMMY BURNS, the Celtic manager, is likely to be exiled to the demilitarised zone of the directors' box when he appears for conviction and sentence at the January meeting of the Scottish Football Association's (SFA) disciplinary committee.

Burns was sent to the stand by referee Hugh Dallas during Thursday's match with Rangers at Parkhead because of his haranguing of the stand side linesman, Eric Martindale.

He was fined £3,000 by the authorities only last month after colliding with a match official last season and his "yellow sheet" is now likely to result in his banishment from the technical area.

Burns confirmed yesterday that he will fine himself for "letting down the fans and the club" with his outburst. Whatever financial penalty he imposes is unlikely to ruin his four children's Christmas and the punishment imposed by the SFA will not compare with the pain he felt after another lesson from Rangers.

The 1-0 defeat was the Ibrox side's second successive victory over their most serious rivals this season and took them back to the top of the Premier Division with a three point lead. It was also Rangers' eighth Old Firm match in a row without defeat.

Those five wins and three draws are unshakeable evidence of Rangers' ability to control this particular fixture. Their tactic of containment and plundering on the break has become almost a cliche, but Celtic seem unable to counter its effectiveness.

If Rangers were helped at times by some injudiciousness by the linesman they were aided incalculably by Celtic's apparent inability to alter the pattern.

Burns insisted yesterday he would not change his basic philosophy of playing aggressively and entertainingly.