Bertie Auld wants Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane at Celtic

Bertie Auld launches the Scottish Football Hall of Fame 2016 Nominations at Hampden Park. Picture: Greg Macvean

The Lisbon Lion feels majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has to go out of his way to bring the current Republic of Ireland management team to Celtic Park – and give them financial clout in the transfer market.

Auld was scathing in his assessment of Celtic under Ronny Deila’s rule – to the extent that he found it difficult to watch them – and insists there can be no mistakes in naming the Norwegian’s  successor.

The 78-year-old, who was at the heart of Celtic’s golden period under Jock Stein, accused the players of  “bottling it” against Rangers in the 17 April Scottish Cup  semi-final.

He can completely understand the outpouring of complaint from the supporters, which manifested itself in a damning banner in last Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Ross  County.

Auld said: “I think Celtic should appoint Martin O’Neill only on the understanding that Roy Keane would come with him because you need that balance. And I’m telling you straight Dermot Desmond must unlock the purse.

“What we need is a strict person to come in. I think Keane is the right one because he won’t take any nonsense and having Martin back first and foremost he would run things from the top of the house. I know they are going to the Euros with Ireland and there are qualifiers in July, but every team has to deal with that. I only hope they get it right. Don’t bring in an apprentice to do a man’s job and, unfortunately, that’s happened two or three times at Celtic Park.

“The fans getting unhappy  is not something that has  happened overnight. They don’t have that in their make-up. They have been brought up throughout the history of club on entertaining players.

“I don’t think the quality has been there this season.”

In essence, Auld, who won six league titles with Celtic, feels Deila should never have been appointed and does not feel he was helped by his lieutenants John Collins and John Kennedy. He said: “Ronny has gone in there and been very honest, but I think he is more of a fitness coach than anything else. In the first year you really expected him to learn because in European football you get punished if you don’t know the game.

“He brought in John Collins and I think you were looking for a wee bit rubbing off on him there but unfortunately it hasn’t changed in the two years. I’m not sure if John  Collins did enough or not because I wasn’t there at Lennoxtown to watch.

“John Kennedy is just a young boy and I didn’t realise he played so few games for Celtic. I think he only played  45 games.

“I don’t think the three of them got together enough to discuss things. One is out on the track and the other two are on the bench.

“I think Ronny had a system in his mind but you could only play a system that suits the players. I think the players are frightened to make mistakes. The game against Rangers highlighted that. They bottled the first half – I don’t think they turned up at all. Everybody knows in the first 25 minutes of an Old Firm you have to come out on top.

“They were like rabbits caught in the headlights as Rangers knocked the ball here and knocked the ball there and when you have only one man up it makes it more difficult.

“They took stage fright when it should have been the other way about.

“I don’t get anything from watching this Celtic team – that’s why I change my  glasses!”

Auld was at Hampden with former Old Firm rival Colin Stein to launch the search for the 2016 nominations for the Scottish Football Hall of Fame and he insists Stein should be inducted, along with fellow Lion Stevie Chalmers who famously scored the winner in Lisbon in 1967.

He said: “It’s amazing that neither Stevie Chalmers nor Colin Stein are in the Hall of Fame. I can’t believe it.

“They scored two of the most iconic goals in Scottish football history – Stevie in Lisbon and Colin in Barcelona. They would get my votes.”