Davie Hay: Deila’s Bhoys need to man up and show they have the bottle for title battle

With Aberdeen breathing down their necks, it is imperative now that they kick on and start clocking up the points.

There is no question about whether or not they are capable of doing it, it is a question of understanding now that they must.

If you look at the performances and results just after Christmas then these kind of displays would suggest that they can go on and clock up a decent run of results, but with the way that Aberdeen have played they simply need to realise that they simply have to produce now.

I still think that Celtic are strong enough to go on and win the league.

But the big criticism for me has been the lack of character that has been evident in the team at times.

There has been a lack in some games of being able to cope with adversity, of being able to dig in, roll up the sleeves and simply knuckle down to getting a result by whatever means necessary.

It is now that we need to start seeing a bit of character from Ronny Deila’s side.

There remains a league and cup double which can be won this season and now is the time when they desperately need to have a strong run of results.

The intention has to be to get through the remainder of the season unbeaten.

That starts tomorrow with the game against Ross County.

You can point to the fact that Celtic played the bulk of recent League Cup semi-final against the Highlanders with just 10 men, but the bottom line is that the performance wasn’t good enough.

It was a poor display and with a couple of home games on the horizon now, then it is time for Celtic to get the heads down and start producing the kind of form they showed against the likes of Hamilton Accies and St Johnstone.

I also think that we have seen the possibility of a tweak to the system which will curry some favour among supporters who have been desperate to see the club go with two out-and-out forwards.

Colin Kazim-Richards barely has his feet in the door at the club but you would have to say that the initial impressions have been good.

The signs point to the fact that he will play up alongside Leigh Griffiths in what would be a welcome move in the eyes of many.

The East Kilbride game is probably not the game to judge him on and it was a pretty scrappy goal he scored, but he will be happy to simply have opened his account.

ONE of the criticisms this season is the reluctance to play two players up front and moving towards that would be a welcome decision.

I also don’t subscribe to the theory that it means there is no real future at the club for Carlton Cole; the converse might actually be true.

If there is going to be tendency to push on with two up front then it means that in actual fact there may be more opportunities for him, albeit from the bench.

But Cole is only 32. He still has some football in him.

This is up to him to recognise that if there is someone in front of him then he needs to rise to the challenge and try to get himself into the team.

Griffiths has had an excellent season with 29 goals to date but it is unfair to expect him to carry it all on his own.

It is a big period now for the club as we approach the final few months of the season and you would like to see a level of application and commitment from everyone.

The likes of Scott Brown and Kieran Tierney have shown it in games at times this season but it is an example that others have to be seen to follow.

This month is a reasonable schedule for Celtic with Ross County at home on Saturday followed by another home game against Inverness.

Every game counts now but there has to be a step towards playing the way they were just a few weeks ago – and being consistent with that approach.

Mulgrew deserves a new deal right now

I HAVE to say that if it was down to me I would offer Charlie Mulgrew a new contract today.

The versatile Scotland internationalist is out of contract at the end of the season and there were tentative talks of a new deal for the utility player at the start of this campaign.

That was shelved after he picked up an injury but, unless the injury was career-threatening, then I think he has already shown enough to suggest that he is well worth another deal.

At 29 he is still a player who has plenty of years ahead of him in the game and it is the wealth of experience he has that I think makes him so valuable for Celtic.

I actually think that Charlie’s best position is as a central defender but his versatility means that he can also slot into other various positions, with the middle of the park a placing that he himself feels comfortable in.

It would look like Jozo Simunovic and Erik Sviatchenko will be the favoured defensive partnership when both players are fully fit, but Charlie is a guy who can go in there and offer a decent amount of cover, if required.

There have been suggestions of a couple of clubs down south monitoring his situation and if it was up to me I would be making moves to get him signed up now.

I think Celtic have badly missed that versatility and also the energy that he brings to the side.

Granted, there are a number of midfielders at the club at the minute but Charlie is a guy who brings a lot to the table, especially because he is capable of slotting into so many different positions.

Formal post is special way for me to continue lifelong role

BEING named as club ambassador for Celtic is a massive privilege for me – but in many ways I have always been an ambassador for the club.

This arrangement merely formalises much of what I have always done.

I have always gone along to watch Celtic since I was out of football and I have always spoken well of the club.

It is an honour for my family as much as it is for myself to be invited into the fold, so to speak, in a relatively formal manner.

I won’t have any dealings with the manager, or anyone else at the club for that matter, and it is not the type of job where I will be clocking in every day at 9am.

But I have to say that if I am ever asked, I would always be available to dispense advice on the football front, although I can’t see that happening any time soon. At my stage in life I am happy to go along and watch games, and hopefully next season I will enjoy travelling abroad with the club on an extended European run.

Your question for Davie Hay

GEORGE COYLE from Glasgow asked Davie: Should players be on social media?

When you are a high profile footballer playing for Celtic then you are always going to attract a certain level of attention.

I am somewhat old-fashioned in that I wouldn’t have a clue what Twitter is all about, but I do think that in many ways it makes sense to simply keep your head down and out of the way.

There is no excuse for the kind of abuse that Leigh Griffiths has taken this week and it makes sense that he removes himself from the firing line.

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