ANDY WALKER reckons Celtic are missing the dream double-acts up front that used to terrorise opponents.
Over the years, the Hoops have been able to unearth consistent marksmen all the way back to the sixties glory days when Stevie Chalmers, Bobby Lennox, Willie Wallace, Joe McBride and John Hughes were always a threat.
Kenny Dalglish, Lou Macari, Charlie Nicholas, Brian McClair, Chris Sutton, John Hartson and, of course, Henrik Larsson have played their part in the offensive legacy.
Walker, who led the attack in the double-winning Centenary Year, has some advice for under-pressure Ronny Deila.
He said: “He could shake it up a bit. Celtic are renowned for their striking partnerships down through the years – I played in one myself with Frank McAvennie, who was a terrific player and Larsson and Sutton were here not so long ago.
“I think Nadir Ciftci, if Leigh Griffiths is injured, certainly needs a bit of help. He’s not the type of striker who can play on his own up front.
“Leigh has been terrific, but isn’t quite 100 per cent fit at the moment, although he was still able to come on at the weekend and get the all-important winner against Partick Thistle.
“So, I think the supporters would like to see a bit of flexibility from the manager and the way that he plays.
“They’d certainly like to see some better recruitment. I think when you look at the amount of money Celtic do spend, getting the likes of Scepovic and Boerrigter in, that’s the best part of £5million, and when Celtic spend that kind of money you expect to see a bit of evidence on the park that they are improving.
“But those two players for a lot of money have done absolutely nothing.
“Certainly, the recruitment can improve, and I think Celtic will try and do some business in this January transfer window.
“They’ll have an eye on the Champions League qualifiers in the summer and that is everything to the Celtic supporters. They are desperate for Champions League football again.
“I don’t think there will be any business done going out, unless there are players who are happy to go.
“I think Celtic will retain the squad that they have. Hopefully, if they can get players out who are very heavy on the wage bill, I think they would like to bring in another striker.
“No-one knows what would happen, let’s say if Leigh Griffiths was to pick up a more serious injury, Celtic would be struggling up front.”
