MARTIN O’NEILL has admitted Celtic are closing in on January recruits and is hopeful there will be new faces at the champions within the next few days.
However, former Hoops goal hero Chris Sutton believes it is a preposterous situation in which the Irishman finds himself two games into his second comeback as interim manager in a turbulent campaign.
O’Neill led the team to seven wins in eight outings after stepping up in late October following the rapid exit of Brendan Rodgers.
And the veteran gaffer, who spent five years at the club after initially taking charge in the summer of 2000, answered another SOS after Wilfried Nancy was sacked following six losses in eight matches in a disastrous 33-day stay in Glasgow.
Back-to-back successes over Dundee United last weekend and Falkirk in midweek have steadied a rocking ship, but it’s clear the team requires an injection of fresh firepower and O’Neill has already stated a hitman has got to be the top target.
LET US PAY…Martin O;Neill is hoping for a clash splash to strengthen Celtic this month.
Looking at the situation, Sutton said: “I still can’t quite believe we are two weeks into the window and a striker hasn’t already been in the building for a fortnight.
“Everyone knew it was beyond a priority. It was an absolute must. Wilfried Nancy should have had someone in the door on January 1 and Martin O’Neill should definitely have had at least one on board by now.
“It’s down to the interim manager and sheer luck from the board Celtic have managed to pick up two wins on the bounce since he came back.
“I have nothing but admiration for O’Neill’s sense of duty to the club – but they are taking him for granted. It’s like they have brought him back and asked him to sort out the entire place.
“That’s a tremendous amount of pressure and stress to put on one man – never mind a 73-year-old club legend who is doing them a favour when he could be sitting with his feet up drinking Horlicks and watching Westerns in the afternoons.”
Sutton, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “I know Paul Tisdale has gone, but where is all the work that has been done in the previous year? Where is the list of players being watched and lined up for January?
WRONG DIRECTION…Paul Tisdale was sacked this month.
“It could be that the list was absolutely useless and O’Neill lobbed it straight into the bin.
“But if that’s the case then someone should really say so. Having the interim boss facing the media three times a week having to explain this stuff and saying he barely has enough hours in the day to catch up is embarrassing.
“It makes Celtic look amateurish. Where is the future planning? Where is the structure that Dermot Desmond said was working just fine and the previous transfer issues were purely down to Brendan Rodgers? Because from the outside it doesn’t look like there’s any structure.
“It looks more like Celtic were sleeping on the job and the much-heralded model was more down to luck than design. Right now the silence from above suggests they are in complete denial. Rangers and Hearts have been proactive while Celtic are in a panic.
“Rangers know there is a possibility of going straight into the Champions League next season and that could be a total game changer in terms of the domestic competition in years to come.
“Hearts are up and running with their own recruitment model, identifying players using Tony Bloom’s algorithms, while still achieving remarkable results on the pitch.”
The one-time England international added: “If Celtic think they can trundle along and it will be alright on the night as usual then they have another think coming.
“I understand January is a difficult window – enough people in the game tell us – but it shouldn’t be this hard. And the way Celtic are scrambling, it doesn’t bode well for the future, either.
THAT’S MY BHOY…Martin O’Neill with skipper Callum McGregor.
“Like what happens if Callum McGregor decides to go at the end of the season? That’s another major issue that could be lurking around the corner with talk of joining Rodgers in Saudi Arabia.
“You wouldn’t blame him. McGregor will be 33 in the summer and has achieved everything possible at the club. Is he going to stick around for another massive rebuild under another new manager or get out while the going is good?
“I can’t see him departing this month and it’s just as well, as losing him now is unthinkable. But McGregor needs support. And some kind of vision.
“It seems O’Neill will need to dig around the loan market and a lot of those deals don’t get done until the end of the window.
“Forget about this reluctance to go big – they have to go all in on O’Neill. They can’t bring him back and expect him to work miracles.
“He needs help – not left to prop up an entire club.”
In the meantime, O’Neill is now preparing for his first Scottish Cup-tie in almost 21 years as he puts together his plans for tomorrow’s intriguing clash against Auchinleck Talbot at Rugby Park.
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