Scrapping for points is not sustainable, O’Neill needs new recruits | OneFootball

Today’s 2-2 draw at Tynecastle wasn’t a disaster. Remaining six points off top spot with more than four months of football to play, means there is plenty of time to catch up with the teams above us. However, it is the manner of the result which is concerning.

Martin O’Neill has instilled a fighting spirit in his players. By hook or by crook, often with a lack of quality for large parts of games, he has managed to get his team over the line. In Bologna it was hanging on for a point. At Falkirk and St Mirren it was stealing all three. Today was another fight to get a draw and keep the title race alive.

In short, scrapping for points like this is not sustainable. O’Neill can keep getting us through games and edging wins, or draws in crunch title clashes, but the margin for error is minimal. It’s dicing with death every week.

The fact we are still in the title race with this extremely average squad, just shows that new recruits of actual proven quality to enhance the team would see Celtic rise beyond their challengers.

Martin O’Neill is maximising the old second hand tools he has at his disposal. A couple of sharp new ones could see his side pick up points more comfortably and have to scrap less often.

To put us in a position where the often unfancied Dane Murray is getting game time in title defining games, one recognised striker is in the squad at Tynecastle and Stephen Welsh is back at the club – at the end of January – is shocking. Celtic have a huge budget and they risk losing the title, losing the chance to try and qualify for the Champions League (which has a knock on effect in future transfer markets), and allowing either Hearts or theRangers the chance to pick up a huge Champions League windfall (meaning they’ll be able to further strengthen next season).

It’s time to bring in a couple of quality, and likely costly, new recruits to help the manager and his team.