Cameron Carter-Vickers has been speaking about how the Celtic dressing room currently sees Martin O'Neill's position amid talk the veteran boss could walk away from his role.
It has been a tough couple of weeks for Celtic, who have lost three straight games across all competitions and back-to-back Old Firm derbies in the space of a week. While the results have been bad enough, it is the nature of the performances that have caused concern.
The Bhoys have looked flat, lacking in intensity and desire, and that is never going to go down well with supporters, especially in Old Firm fixtures. Boos greeted the players at full-time on Sunday, and there is now serious pressure on O'Neill, who doesn't seem to have any real idea of what is going wrong.
O'Neill says he will review the games during the international break, and asked what he will do if he feels it is not fixable with the players he has, he promised to let reporters know, perhaps hinting at a departure if he feels he can do no more..
The board has a lot to answer for, given the personnel O'Neill has available to him and the clear limitations this squad has, especially in midfield. but when it comes down to it, it will be the veteran boss who pays the price, not the board.
But what do the players think of O'Neill currently?
“All I can say is as players, we are behind the manager and behind the management team," said Carter-Vickers to STV.
“I think what he achieved last year was unbelievable and as a playing group we are grateful to him for that, so we’re still behind him, and we’re going to do our best for him.”
Celtic players are not showing it
While it's nice for players to commit their support to a manager, they must ultimately show it for it to mean anything. There is a clear lack of leadership on the pitch and a clear lack of intensity.
That is not excusable at the better times, especially in an Old Firm. O'Neill is pulling his hair out at the lack of intensity, making changes aplenty, and even the players who are coming on are giving him next to nothing.
There are systematic issues, but fans can accept a hard-fought defeat. They cannot accept an effortless one, and that is all they are getting in these big games. Although it must be said, Carter-Vickers is one of the few who can hold his head high.
Add us as a preferred source on Google