GORDON STRACHAN must make finding a striker who can score 25 to 30 goals a season for Celtic his top priority in his transfer dealings in the summer.

I think there is no doubt that big Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink will, when fully fit, be the first choice hit man for the Hoops next season.

But, as the 1-0 defeat to Falkirk on Sunday once again showed, the Dutch star needs a proven finisher in the mould of Henrik Larsson or John Hartson to play alongside him.

Celtic created a lot of goalscoring chances at Westfield.

Craig Beattie, Kenny Miller and, latterly, Maciej Zurawski all failed to take them.

Miller has never been, and probably will never be, an out-and-out finisher.

His game is all about his work- rate and the incredible shift he puts in for the team.

The player himself readily admits that he is unconcerned if he fails to hit the target just so long as the team wins. That is an admirable philosophy.

However, if you are playing up front for a club like Celtic you still need to pitch in with your quota of goals. Kenny has only scored eight this season.

I am convinced Strachan himself is already scouring Europe for a striker who is more selfish in the penalty box and who takes opportunities with greater regularity.

When that player arrives in Glasgow in the summer there will be five first-team strikers at Parkhead. One, or even two, of them will surely be moved on.

So, will that be Beattie, Miller or Zurawski? I think what we may find is that Miller will seek a fresh challenge elsewhere and the club will cash in on one of their most saleable assets.

Personally, I continue to be perplexed at Derek Riordan's lack of first-team involvement. To my mind, he is the best finisher Celtic have on their books at the moment.

What good is he doing sitting up in the stands?

I just hope Riordan doesn't get too frustrated by his lack of involvement and look to move on.

I thought that Beattie took a weak penalty in the game against Falkirk. Many people have said that perhaps Paul Hartley, who had an impeccable scoring record from the spot when he was at Hearts, should have taken it.

Yet, I think that whoever in the team feels confident should put their hand up and do the honours.

Despite his poor effort, Beattie obviously fancied his chances at the time.

Strachan has admitted his team do not have a designated penalty taker. But it is not that big a deal. Celtic have hardly been awarded any penalties all season.

The Hoops' defeat to Falkirk was disappointing. After all, it was the first time since way back in season 1993/94 that Celtic have lost three games in succession.

Yet, all this talk of a crisis at Parkhead makes me laugh. If Celtic were 13 points behind in the league then that would be something to worry about.

But they are not. They are 13 points in front and, despite these defeats, it will not be long before they retain the Scottish title.

I think Falkirk have to take an enormous amount of credit for the way they played on Sunday. My old Hoops team-mate John Hughes has done a fantastic job there.

He has put together a side with a tremendous work ethic and some real flair in the likes of Russell Latapy and Alan Gow, who will be an interesting addition at Ibrox.