Celtic conundrum facing 'miracle worker' Martin O'Neill as former captain has say on whether boss will stay

Celtic remain top of the Scottish Premiership by two points heading into the international break, yet the mood has shifted sharply following a sequence of poor results and performances in recent weeks which has cast doubt over O'Neill's future and left the 74-year-old veteran searching for answers.

Former Celtic captain Boyd admits that the current situation represents a significant challenge for O’Neill, particularly with a large number of new players still adapting to his coaching methods.

Boyd reckons the problem extends beyond results with defender Cameron Carter-Vickers’ post-match comments in the wake of Sunday's 1-0 Old Firm defeat at home to Rangers that Celtic’s play had become “a bit random” creating a particularly striking impression on him.

“I know Martin was a miracle worker last year. He might need to be that again this year,” Boyd said. “I think the play has been a bit random, but I would need to ask Cameron the meaning of what he was trying to say. Is that defensively or offensively? Is it just as a whole, or there’s too many changes for his liking?

“Martin is trying to find a system where Celtic don't concede goals, but also score at the same time. So you need to tinker with things. You need to work things around. And if it's three at the back or four at the back, you need to work on it. Fortunately for me as a player, I was comfortable in doing all those roles, but some centre-backs are not comfortable in those wider areas.”

Boyd: ‘A lot of work to be done to find a solution’

In Boyd's view, the problem for Celtic is trying to find a structure which allows them to remain compact without sacrificing their attacking threat. He acknowledged that O’Neill may need to continue experimenting between a back three and a back four going forward, particularly given the differing qualities of his defenders.

“He’s got to,” Boyd responded when asked whether O’Neill would change things. “Because the status quo at this moment in time, in the last few weeks, is not working. I think the LASK game has scarred a few, judging by their performances since then. Losing that tie was a massive blow and the performances against Rangers and Ferencváros have certainly been below standard. There is a lot of work to be done to find a solution to why that's happened. At the moment, it’s not good enough.”

Boyd was emphatic in saying he expects O’Neill to remain in charge. After guiding the club to a domestic double last season, he sees no indication that O'Neill's position is under immediate threat, despite the manager indicating he would take time to consider his future.

“I don’t have any other reason that he won’t,” Boyd said. “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 long time. 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.”