PRE-SEASON friendlies tell you nothing about football teams. But Celtic's first couple may have offered an indication of how leading the club to a third consecutive title has little altered Gordon Strachan's cool relationship with his team's supporters.

The picture desk of a London tabloid were getting themselves quite excited yesterday about a snap that seemed to show Strachan being led away by stewards after getting into an argument with a Celtic fan as he made his way to the tunnel at half-time during the Craven Cottage encounter. You will always get the odd nutter, and the Celtic legions making up a fair slice of the 16,508 were in good spirits as their post-title high continues. But, if the incident was as it seems, it is interesting it came only a day after all the voluble, heartfelt chanting for Strachan at Southampton came from the home fans.

The Celtic manager has declined to speak to the written press so far this close season. But an enquiry to the club's press office elicited a one-line response. "It was someone I knew, there is nothing in this," he said. Hey, maybe it was merely a pal pretending to take issue with his decision to make only one change from the 2-0 victory at St Mary's a mere 18 hours earlier. Massimo Donati took over from Paul Hartley in central midfield and once again Chris Killen was selected ahead of Georgios Samaras. The Greek, by dint of signing a permanent deal last week, was as close to a "new" signing as the Scottish champions could boast in their squad for the visit to London. No doubt, then, the Fulham line-up left the massed travelling support green with envy.

Roy Hodgson has indulged in some retail therapy since his Craven Cottage side wriggled free of relegation on the final day of last season. All but two of his seven purchases were on show in his starting XI. Chief among these were Bobby Zamora and John Pantsil, signed from West Ham for a combined fee of £6.3m. As with Zoltan Gera, with whom Celtic were linked before he left West Brom in a Bosman, Andranik and David Stockdale, they looked eager to please on their home debuts.

Celtic's exertions made it look as if it would be easy for this band to please and neglectful defending was punished 108 seconds in. The Celtic defence was cast all at sea by a Gera cross from the right that found Erik Nevland in oceans of space and the Norwegian tucked the ball past Mark Brown with the minimum of fuss.

The goal geed Celtic up, as well as sending some of their fans into a fearsome froth. Scott McDonald should have equalised five minutes later but lofted an uncertain effort over the bar after being sent through on Stockdale. The young keeper then produced a fine block to prevent a drive from Barry Robson finding the mark.

Celtic, largely outplayed, could be forgiven the loss of a second goal on the half-hour mark. Volleys that crash into top corners don't come any better than the one Zamora conjured up.

Credit to Celtic, then, for stabilising, helped greatly by Robson reducing the deficit with a clever free-kick strike three minutes before the interval. The midfielder eschewed power for accuracy, squeezing the ball into a tiny gap between the far post and the Fulham wall.

All sorts of substitutions, a grand total of 14, made the second half more knock-about than a pacy first period. Celtic pressed in search of an equaliser that appeared within their grasp until Leon Andreasen produced a sweet volley to rival Zamora's and seal the win in the 85th minute.

Fulham: Stockdale, Konchesky, (Kallio 72), Pantsil (Volz 72), Hangeland, Andranik (Murphy 46), Nevland (Healy 65), Gera (Cook), Hughes, Bullard (Johnson 46), Davies (Dempsey 46), Zamora (Andreasen 46). Subs: Etheridge, Ki-Hyeon.

Celtic: Brown, Hinkel (Wilson 46), Naylor (O'Dea 59), McManus, Caldwell, McDonald (Sheridan 67), Brown, Donati (Hartley 46), Robson (Caddis 67), Killen (Samaras 46), McGeady (Mizuno 76). Subs: Fox, Balde, Nakamura, McGowan.