CELTIC midfielder Alan Thompson denies he is a dirty player but admits his inability to tackle has landed him in hot water.

The former Aston Villa and Bolton star picked up a one-match suspension after being sent off in the Old Firm defeat last month.

Thompson will miss Celtic's first game in Europe next season after being red-carded for Aston Villa shortly before his move to Parkhead.

And he will sit out the Boxing Day trip to Dundee United after going over the disciplinary threshold with four yellow cards this season.

He is striving to become a better tackler, although he will not be changing his game through fear of being axed from Martin O'Neill's side.

Thompson said: "People sometimes say that I am a dirty player, but I wouldn't say that I'm a dirty player at all.

"I would possibly say that tackling is not one of my plus points, but if you don't tackle then I think you'll find yourself out of the team.

"So it's not something that I'm going to have to stop doing, but it's something that I will have to try and improve.

"It's difficult to practise, especially when the manager encourages you not to tackle in training."

Dundee player-manager Ivano Bonetti insists that his side are still moving forward despite their recent hiccups.

The Dark Blues have dropped points in the last minute of their last two games against St Johnstone and Celtic.

But Bonetti, set to return to the side after a one-game ban, is refusing to press the panic button ahead of the trip to Kilmarnock.

"Every single game has a story to tell. All I can say is that we are progressing with every match we play," said Bonetti.

"If we can carry on playing like this, the five games ahead of us can bring us points which, of course, is important and it is also important that we start that on Saturday."

Meanwhile, Dundee defender Barry Smith maintains that the race for a top-six place is not a major worry for the team.

The Dens Park club lie in seventh place - five points behind the team ahead of them - St Johnstone - but have a game in hand.

But Smith believes that, with hard work, the team can push themselves into the top half of the table.