McGeady: Celtic Have to Make a Statement in the Second Derby, or It's a Full-Blown Crisis

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Celtic star Aiden McGeady has looked ahead to the second Old Firm derby and the pressure mounting on the champions.

McGeady believes Celtic must respond after their Ibrox humiliation, warning that another defeat in that manner would tip everything into crisis, and has cast doubt on whether Kasper Hogh is yet justifying his £11.5m price tag.

The former winger has also shared his memories of eccentric former teammate Thomas Gravesen , and welcomed the appointment of Sebastian Pocognoli as Scotland manager as a refreshing, forward-thinking move.

Old Firm Prediction

What's Your Prediction For the Second Old Firm Derby?

Celtic have to make a statement in this game, because question marks are already being raised about the club, the board, the team, and recruitment after the disappointment of exiting the Champions League . Their domestic form has been really good, so there wasn't really a concern there, apart from giving away too many chances and goals. But off the back of the weekend, everything is being questioned again.

If you have another performance like that, it's a crisis. If you lose in that manner, it's a crisis; against your biggest rivals, it's an even bigger crisis. If this happens again on Sunday, it's only going to add fuel to the fire. Celtic have to come back from this. They have experienced, quality players in that dressing room, but they cannot afford a repeat.

Kasper Hogh

Is Kasper Hogh a Bargain at £11m?

I was encouraged by how Kasper Hogh played in the first European game, and then he scored a hat-trick against Kilmarnock . I thought, he's arrived; this will be him now. The floodgates will open; he'll score.

I thought he could score 25 or 30 goals this season. But since then, obviously, injuries haven't helped. In the last couple of games, like against St Johnstone , his hold-up play was poor. He didn't look as mobile as he has in previous games, and against Rangers was a difficult game for him.

But that's the thing, when you come with that price tag, people expect the finished article. They expect a striker you've paid £11.5 million for to be scoring every game or scoring a lot of goals. He's only scored in one game this season, against Kilmarnock , so there are question marks and the jury's probably still out.

If he starts scoring more goals and finds a bit of momentum, then you could see that change. I do think he will get chances. He has had chances so far, and if anything, maybe his finishing has not been clinical enough. Against Rangers was hopefully just a one-off for the majority of the team because it was a really, really bad performance.

Thomas Gravesen

Was Gravesen Always Destined For Wild Las Vegas?

Thomas Gravesen ending up in Las Vegas ? I wasn't surprised whatsoever because that's just the type of guy he is, completely random. I know he was always into gambling and things like that, but as for moving to Las Vegas full-time, that was interesting. I think he's actually back now, living in Denmark and doing a lot of TV work over there, unless he just flies back and forth to do it.

From what I understand, his financial advisor invested most of his earnings into a chemical or pharmaceutical company, and he made a fortune from that. So he just retired and moved to Vegas .

Moving to Vegas that's just him being impulsive, so I wasn't surprised when I saw the news. Stories about Tommy Gravesen have been going around for years anyway; I know he was in a show at the Hydro a few years ago. He's a really eccentric guy, but amazing to have around the dressing room. Never a dull moment.

The Scotland Job

Is Pocognoli the Right Man For Scotland?

I was surprised to see Sebastian Pocognoli appointed. It's not like the SFA to do something a little bit left field. I think it's refreshing and a good appointment. Time will tell if it brings success, but I think it's the right move because who else was there? Another old-school manager who is set in his ways, where fans might not be happy with the style of play. Which was obviously a criticism under Steve Clarke .

So it's refreshing because they're taking a different route: a young manager with a clear style of play who is already talking about bringing younger players through, which Scotland needs. Time will tell, but it looks like a good appointment so far in terms of wanting to change things.

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