Peter Grant believes Martin O'Neill is still up for the Celtic challenge after hinting he could walk away from his post if he cannot find the right solutions to the current issues.
The Hoops have lost three straight games, including two Old Firm derby clashes and a Europa League opener. The Bhoys have been flat with their performances, and they appear to have both personnel and mentality issues, particularly in big games.
Celtic have not reached the point of crisis by any means - they are top of Premiership, having won all-but one of their games, and they still have seven of their eight Europa League games to play.
There is no need for panic, but it's also clear that Celtic are lacking the right players to fix their midfield issues, and that could hamstring O'Neill's efforts regardless of who he puts in the middle, and indeed what system of play he uses.
O'Neill is said to be considering his future as he looks over the games to find and fix the issues, but former Hoops hero Grant believes the 74-year-old still has it in him to turn things around after a disappointing run of form going into the international break.
“Martin won’t stay on if he felt as if he couldn’t so I back him 100 per cent," Grant told the Go Radio Football Show.
“Martin’s not a good loser. That’s why he’s been so successful. He doesn’t like getting beat. The only thing I would say, the difference now between Martin getting named manager in the summer is he’s had that little spell at hospital.
“Maybe that’s taken a little bit more out of him than he expected. He’ll know if his body’s ready for it. And listen if he felt the fire had gone out, I think he’d already decided that.”
Reminding fans of the strong position Celtic remain in overall, Grant added: "Celtic are a point better off than last year and two points clear at the top of the league. And nobody mentions it, really.
“Everybody’s mentioned how great Rangers have done. They’re still two points behind Celtic. That’s the bottom line. You’d have thought they were handing the trophy out to the weekend. There’s a long time to go. And Celtic have to perform. There’s no doubt of that.”
Celtic's form on the other side of the break may be the most telling, with O'Neill expected to find some solutions, and there are some tough games, with clashes with Benfica away away, Hearts home and Celta Vigo home coming up after a date with Motherwell.
Add us as a preferred source on Google