Tom Boyd expects Martin O’Neill to stay at Celtic as he addresses future uncertainty
Tom Boyd insists Martin O’Neill can work his magic at Celtic again as the under-pressure Hoops boss reflects on a disastrous run of results.
O’Neill raised questions over his future after Sunday’s defeat to Rangers when he admitted he would take time to consider whether he could turn Celtic’s fortunes around.
However, club ambassador Boyd does not believe the 74-year-old is preparing to walk away and expects his period of reflection to focus on finding solutions to the problems engulfing his team.
When asked if he had faith O’Neill would stay, Boyd said via Daily Record:“I don’t have any reason to think he won’t. He says he’s had a wee look at the situation.
“I take it as looking at how he can work with the team and find time to work with the team. If it was anything other than that, I’d be surprised and shocked.
“I think it would be purely on the team. I’ve known Martin for a while. You can’t read his mind or what he’s thinking or what he’s trying to say. He’ll be the man to decide.”
Celtic have endured a damaging period, with back-to-back defeats against Rangers coming either side of a 3-1 Europa League loss to Ferencvaros at Parkhead.
O’Neill has attempted to find a solution by switching to a back three, but Boyd believes the international break presents another complication, with a large number of Celtic players away with their countries.
The ex-Hoops skipper said: “It’s something we know – if you try and buy better players, generally they are international players. It’ll be better for players that are injured, that they’ll get a bit longer to recover.
“But, in terms of trying to work a system, you can’t work with your players involved in that because they’re away.
“So it’s a very limited time they get. Then, when it comes to a game every three or four days, there’s no time to work on systems because it’s just recovery.
“So, trying to find the time to work on a system is very, very difficult for teams that are still involved in Europe. How they work that one, well, I know Martin was a miracle-worker last year. He might need to be that again this year.”
Boyd also believes Celtic are still carrying the scars of their extraordinary Champions League collapse against LASK, when a four-goal aggregate advantage was overturned in Austria.
He believes O’Neill must now make changes because the performances which have followed that European exit have fallen well below the required level.
Boyd said: “He’s got to, because the status quo at this moment in time – the last few weeks – is not working. I think the LASK game has scarred a few, judging by their performances since then.
“In the second leg, to be 4-0 up and then lose the tie was a massive blow. The performances since then, against Rangers and Ferencvaros, have certainly been below standard.
“There is a lot of work to be done to find a solution as to why that happened. It’s a difficult task to get it back on the training field.
“They play Motherwell away and then Hearts at home. Maybe Alistair Johnston might be fit again, maybe others. Fingers crossed for that.”
Boyd has picked out Mika Baur as Celtic’s most impressive summer signing so far, but insists responsibility for the club’s poor form cannot be placed solely on the new arrivals.
He said: “(Kasper) Hogh, at the moment, is still trying to find his feet. Is it the system that doesn’t suit him? Is he better with two? Time will tell.
“In terms of the team, it’s not just one player. All the boys that have signed and all the boys that are still there at the moment, it’s not good enough.
“I think it’s perfectly reasonable to say that about performances and results. We need to find a solution to that fairly quickly.”
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