Worried Celtic icon Martin O’Neill fears Rangers are so bad it puts Brendan Rodgers in a bind to make his own team better.
The legendary former Parkhead boss has pulled no punches in recent times about an Ibrox side who he’s branded the worst he’s ever watched and reckons their current level is also a worry to their biggest rivals. O’Neill was dismayed by the fare served up by Philippe Clement‘s side during their dismal 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock – a result which leaves them six points behind pacesetters Celtic and Aberdeen after only eight games.
And he reckons the current Rangers side – unrecognisable to the one he duked it out with – should have onlookers beyond Ibrox concerned. Speaking to talkSPORT, the 72-year-old said: “No, I cannot (believe the situation Rangers are in). I don’t know the individuals you are talking about (Dave King and other boardroom figures). What you can do is comment on the side that they have and the results that they are getting. That has been going on for some time. There has to be an improvement.
“Even looking at it from a Celtic viewpoint, hopefully, Brendan would agree with me here, for Celtic to remain strong, really, really strong, you need a strong Rangers. I have often said, while I might not have admitted that during the time I was the manager, it is very important, so that Celtic keep focused. If Rangers are so poor, if you thought Aberdeen were going to be your nearest challenger, with the greatest respect, then you would think, over a whole season, you would automatically think you could win.”
And O’Neill was on hand to offer advice to Clement. He has told the Belgian there is no time for style points if he is to arrest his side’s alarming form. He added: “They’re not good enough, that’s right, you have to, as a manager, get the very best, you have to eke out results, a clear pattern about your team, the way they are going to play. You have to just hang in there. Go and win the games, no matter how ugly it is, go and win the game.
“There was an opportunity there, Celtic had dropped a couple of points, that is the team you have to be concerned about. However, you get the result, just go and get it. They didn’t look like scoring a goal, that was the whole point. That is the feeling you get about this particular side. They have to go and win, eke out three consecutive victories to give themselves a bit of hope and a bit of confidence.”