The transfer window swings open again tomorrow, but while Ronny Deila has said that there is money there to spend, I would imagine that unless we are talking about players who can be signed with a view of making it into the Champions League, then there is no urgency.

Celtic are strong enough to do what they need to in Scotland. They have a strong enough pool, in my view, to go on and land a Treble this season.

But where they need resources and players to come in and bolster the current squad is when it comes to the summer and the Champions League qualifiers.

Those games roll around so early in the season that in an ideal world you would be able to get the targets you have in mind into the club now and bed them in before those games come round in the very early weeks of the new season.

As we all know, however, it does not always work that way for one reason or another and I do think that this is a hard time to try and land players that are seen as the ones who can truly enhance your squad.

The lad John Souttar has been continually linked with a move to Celtic and I can understand that one – but he is not the kind of player whom you would feel would make it easier for Deila to conquer the qualifiers.

He is one for the future and is a sound talent so I can imagine it would be a decent bit of business, but everything that is done this month has to be with a view of what unfolds between July and August as the club strive to get back into the group stages of the Champions League.

That is all that matters. I would suggest that there is little point in buying for the sake of it now.

If you can’t get what you want then it makes sense to keep sourcing for another couple of months and bide your time.

That, of course, means you need players to come in and hit the ground running which is always a gamble but so long as Celtic have the challenge of three hurdles to face to make into the Champions League then these are the kind of headaches that they have to negotiate.

In terms of positions, there is little point in bringing in reinforcements to the middle of the park because they are overrun in midfield.

However, although Leigh Griffiths has had an impressive season you would have to say that Nadir Ciftci and Carlton Cole are players who still have a bit of convincing to do.

Another striker would certainly not go amiss.

It is at the back where the bulk of the real problems have been this season.

Glasgow Times:

Jozo Simunovic had a difficult time initially because of injury and I tend to think he has looked more authoritative in that position than Dedryck Boyata has.

I think there are still a few questions around Boyata and another central defender would certainly be a welcome addition.

The other aspect of new players is that you always hope when you sign someone that they tick as many boxes as you need them to – ability, of course, is the main aspect but there are other considerations such as what leadership qualities they can bring on and off the park.

I feel as though the other players look a lot to Scott Brown for that at the minute.

Brown and Charlie Mulgrew are the two that I would see as fitting that mould, perhaps Kris Commons to a lesser extent, but it is important to have players who have those qualities.

However, the players who exhibit real leadership tendencies are also the players who cost top dollar. What i would say about Brown is that he has a will to win, a desire not to lose and while other players will also have that, there is something in him that drives him in games not to be beaten.

He has it in greater abundance than others and it is noticeable by its absence when he is out.

In my day, we had 11 leaders on the pitch. Big Billy McNeill was rightly the captain but all over the pitch we had guys who were not afraid to either have their say or to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. It gave us that fighting spirit that is so important.

In saying that, I did think that there was some of that on show at Tynecastle this week.

It was a much better performance than the display against Motherwell at home but what is essential now for Deila is that Celtic continue to be as con-sistent as they possible can be.

They do need to stretch to a run of games and give themselves a solid chance of winning the Treble.

They have a squad that is good enough to achieve that.

Honeymoon over but now it’s time Forrest went from Bhoy to man

Glasgow Times:

There has been some criticism levelled at James Forrest during the last few months as some of the fans have got a bit frustrated with him.

As a young player, when you first come through into the senior team, there is a period of time when you are granted the benefit of the doubt.

Yet when the honeymoon period is over, then you need to be able to keep going and keep producing.

James Forrest is the only man who can stop the questions that have been asked of him. It is up to him to produce the kind of performances that show why he is in the team.

He has been unlucky throughout his career in that he has repeatedly picked up niggling injuries which has meant he has been in and out of the team.

That has not helped him but at the same time whether he is being asked to play on the left or the right, he needs to play with greater authority. He needs to find a better ball, to play with more conviction and to start being much more assertive.

He is blessed with great pace and he has to utilise that to much better effect. It really is down to him now to show that he can recapture the kind of displays that caught the eye when he first broke into the team.

He came in for some stick at Tynecastle but it is up to him to stand up now.

I also felt that Craig Gordon’s confidence will have been helped with the display against his old club. He had a couple of really good saves in the game which is important although I think that some of issues with him this season have been down to just how high he set the bar last term.

He was outstanding last year, whereas this season he has been playing behind a back four that have been pretty unsettled. It was only going to be the case that, if they could find their feet, then he would be the main beneficiary of that.

Play two up front to needle the Jags

Glasgow Times:

Celtic host Partick Thistle this weekend in the alternative New Year derby game.

It is, of course, entirely different from the kind of derby we were reared on at this time of year, but nevertheless it is an afternoon when Celtic still have a few questions to answer.

There cannot be a repeat of the limp display that characterised the defeat to Motherwell.

I suggest that in terms of ability, Thistle are up there with Motherwell and the Jags have been starting to lift their performances in recent weeks.

Celtic have had a week off given the fact the game at Dens Park was called off last night and they should be fresh and itching to get back to it against Thistle.

There cannot be another ineffective display at home. As I said, what they are crying out for to stop all the questions and criticism that have been directed towards the team is a run of games that starts propelling them towards the title.

They need to find that consistency and get a number of victories under their belt. I do think that playing with just the one striker up top at home sometimes could be changed.

I do think if you start games such as this one against the Jags with two forwards then it gives everyone a bit of a lift — especially the supporters because it sends out a signal that you are prepared to go for it.

Whether or not that is something the manager contemplates remains to be seen. But certainly there is significant support for it.

Your question for Davie Hay

Glasgow Times:

David Sharkey from Rutherglen asks Davie:
"Would you support a winter break?"

Absolutely. I think shutting down for the month of January after the festive period would make a lot of sense.

There is a strong argument to say that we get weather like this in February and March, but even just for the physical break, I think it helps everyone to take a breather.

Fans are also skint after Christmas and it would do everyone good to shut it down for a good couple of weeks.

If you have a question for Davie, just email him at daviehay@eveningtimes.co.uk and we’ll print the answer alongside
the question.