Martin O'Neill backed to solve Celtic's troubles after painful week as Parkhead great claims 'it’s time to reset'

Celtic legend Tom Boyd is convinced veteran boss Martin O’Neill should remain at the helm despite a bruising week which has left the club facing its first serious crisis of the season.

The Hoops have entered the international break on the back of three successive defeats, including two against their bitter Glasgow rivals, after Ryan Naderi’s solitary goal secured a 1-0 victory at Parkhead on Sunday. That result followed a 3-0 Premier Sports Cup loss at Ibrox and a 3-1 Europa League defeat by Ferencvaros, leaving O’Neill to consider his position during the three-week break.

The 74-year-old admitted after Sunday’s latest setback that he would reflect on his future, but former captain Boyd sees no reason for the club to make a change only months after O’Neill guided them to a league and Scottish Cup double.

“I don’t see a reason why he wouldn’t, [stay on]” Boyd declared. “I know he’s 74-years-old but last year he was winning a double for us. I can’t read Martin’s mind, but I don’t see at the moment why there would be any decision about that.”

Boyd’s support does not mean he believes Celtic’s problems should be ignored. The ex-full back accepts there has been a marked decline in performance levels and believes the club must use the international break to address issues which have become increasingly difficult to overlook.

Celtic remain top of the Scottish Premiership, but their advantage over Rangers has been reduced to two points. Back-to-back Old Firm defeats have also raised questions over the balance of the team, O’Neill’s tactical approach and the ability of the summer signings to make an immediate impact.

For Boyd, restoring confidence must be among O’Neill’s immediate priorities.

“The performances in the last few weeks, possibly the last game has maybe shot some of the players’ confidence,” he said. “You know, being in that position and losing that lead.

“So that’s what we need to get back. We need to get these players playing. The manager needs to try and get the system to suit them because at the moment obviously the performances don’t echo that.

“Rangers had a wee advantage in not playing in midweek. I think that showed at times. Before that, I think the advantage was not being in Europe. There's a couple that are maybe not up to speed yet. That needs to be sorted out very quickly. We need to get everyone back together and singing from the same hymn sheet.”

That search for the right formula has become one of the defining issues of O’Neill’s difficult week. Celtic have altered personnel and shape in an attempt to find a response, yet the latest defeat by Rangers suggested those changes have not produced the required cohesion.

Boyd’s argument is essentially that Celtic should not allow three damaging results to erase the achievements of the previous campaign. O’Neill’s second spell as permanent manager only began after he returned in difficult circumstances last season and helped secure a domestic double.

The challenge now is to establish whether the current problems are a temporary loss of form or evidence of deeper structural issues.

Asked whether the biggest problem was mentality or tactics, Boyd responded: “Mentality. I think confidence could be a problem. I think the LASK result took everyone by surprise, taking a 4-0 lead and losing. That's something that has probably taken longer to get out of the system than it should have done. But we've got three weeks now to get that back and make sure we're ready for the next run of very difficult games.”

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