By:
Mark Hendry
Outspoken pundit Simon Jordan reckons Martin O’Neill will “come to the fore” for Celtic in the title race.
The Hoops currently reside in third spot in the Scottish Premiership after a 2-2 draw with leaders Hearts.
It has been a nightmare season for the club who lost Brendan Rodgers early to resignation.
His permanent replacement, Wilfried Nancy, was sacked after doing severe damage to their campaign.
Now interim boss O’Neill has the brutal task of clawing back a six point gap.
It certainly won’t be easy for the 73-year-old veteran, but Jordan believes there’s a chance.
O’Neill’s talkSPORT colleague is adamant the Irishman is the man to “hunt down” the Jambos.
Rivals Rangers are also in the mix but Jordan is convinced his mate can do the business.
Simon Jordan says Martin O’Neill can win Celtic title
And that’s because O’Neill and Celts in general have the experience in a title run-in that Hearts don’t.
“I fear for Hearts that they are going to get reeled in,” Jordan began.
“My fear is Hearts run out of legs, and run out of quality in the longer term.
“I hope they don’t because it would be good for Scottish football.
“He (O’Neill) knows he has been brought in, not just to hold the fort for someone else to come through the door.
“He has been brought in to win the league.”
Jordan did clarify that he was not disrespecting Hearts.
The Gorgie outfit are top of the league on merit, regardless how Glasgow’s big two have fared.
But they have not won the top flight since the 1950s and haven’t put up a fight in decades.
Have Hearts ever won the league title?
That’s the main reason Jordan is not sure how Derek McInnes’ troops will compete throughout the season.
And why he is so convinced O’Neill will do the job.
“When I said, ‘Hearts running out of legs.’ I didn’t mean energy. I meant nous,” he added.
“Wherewithal against two established powerhouses in Scottish football that know how to win the Scottish Premiership.
“I just got the feeling because of the wherewithal, because the way Scottish football has been configured forever and a day, and there is a reason why nobody else has won the league since Aberdeen.
“It’s because there is a dominance. There is a know-how. Expectation. I hope the orthodoxy gets broken.
“But I fear that it won’t. I am surprised that, out of the two, it’s Rangers who have emerged.
“I still feel that Martin will probably come to the fore, and Celtic will possibly hunt Hearts down.”
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