Celtic’s next five fixtures after the international break will either result in miracles or carnage…

Miracles, we talk about them a lot lately as Celtic fans.

I guess that’s because of the position our board has been putting us in over the last 18 months or so.

We need miracles to get us out of these messes.

A miracle last season from Martin O’Neill, another one required to get through this season.

People thinking that Jota’s return will produce miracles on the wing.

Definitely needing a miracle to navigate Benfica and Celta Vigo.

A club the size of Celtic should never require miracles to actually be able to compete.

Both domestically and in Europe.

Last night, on my Wednesday night appearance on the Bhoycie Bus, we discussed the fact that Celtic always seems to be firefighting.

Bhoycie asked the question, when will we ever see a season where Celtic just cruises through it again?

Cruise control was switched off a long time ago at Celtic.

Now all we’re left with is firefighting.

The only problem is that the fire chief at Celtic seems to be a closet arsonist

Dermot Desmond and the people in our boardroom seem more intent on torching the place to the ground than actually putting any fires out.

Martin O’Neill’s current situation seems to be one of the major fires burning at Celtic.

It’s been given more oxygen than anything else, if truth be told.

So, as we continue to firefight (metaphorically), and hope for more miracles (desperately), Martin O’Neill is now about to enter a deadly gauntlet of sorts with his fragile Celtic side.

Benfica and Celta Vigo are the fixtures that require miracles.

Motherwell, Hearts and Hibernian are the ones that require hope, more than miracles.

We have to hope, especially when it comes to Hearts and Hibs, that we haven’t been pulverised by Benfica and Celta Vigo before each of those fixtures.

Because if we have been, the psychological – and physical damage – will not make for positive Celtic performances in each of these tricky fixtures

I know I might be sounding like a doom-monger, but I’m a realist, and what I’ve witnessed over the last few weeks does not instill me with huge confidence as we enter into our next phase of fixtures.

Bearing that in mind, I’ll try to be positive from here on out.

So what is the best we can hope for?

Well, if we get a decent result against Motherwell at Fir Park before Benfica, and then we rediscover some of the long lost Celtic spirit for the Benfica game, that could be a turning point.

Yes, I understand that’s a big ask given the circumstances.

Nobody, at this moment in time, sees us getting a result in Lisbon.

But if we did, that could be the moment we get it together, and perhaps that’s the way this game needs to be approached?

We can’t go into it on a wing and a prayer.

We can’t hope for the best, and prepare for the worst.

Martin O’Neill and his team have to enter into this game with a proper plan.

A plan that does not include the likes of Luke McCowan and a featherlight mid-field which is terrified of it’s own shadow

There also needs to be joined up thinking from the coaching staff.

This is why what Bhoycie and I discussed last night regarding Roy Keane would make an awful lot of sense now.

We talked about Roy Keane becoming Martin O’Neill’s number two.

While this might appear to be a forlorn hope, it’s still a great hope to have.

And a realistic one at that, considering how many times Dermot Desmond has tried to bring Roy Keane to Celtic Park in a management capacity.

Put simply, Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane worked well together in the Republic of Ireland set up.

Bhoycie also did an article on this yesterday, and he laid out why this is not such a crazy idea.

I was skeptical of the idea beforehand, but I was kind of sold on it after reading this article.

It made sense.

And making sense of what’s going on at Celtic at the moment is a hard thing to do right now

Roy Keane could galvanise the coaching team.

He could also deliver the steel and determination required to get this shellshocked squad back in the right mindset.

Having said all of that, we are at the mercy of our God King in all of this.

Dermot Desmond is busy on the greens at the Dunhill cup, engaging in his favourite pastime.

If he has any intention of bringing Roy Keane in, then now would be the time to get his finger out of his arse.

Until such time as something like that happens, we are dependent on miracles to come out of the next run of fixtures relatively unscathed.

As I’ve said many times, Martin O’Neill’s last miracle was delivering last season’s title.

He doesn’t seem to have any left.

Yet here we are, still relying on them.

If none are forthcoming in the next month or so, by the first anniversary of Brendan Rodgers’ departure, we could be looking at carnage similar or worse than what that brought about.

And if we are looking at carnage, then just one question remains.

Does Martin O’Neill survive said carnage?

So many question, with so few answers.

Did we ever imagine we’d return to days as dark as the early 90’s?

Well, we’re headed there unless there is…..a miracle.

Sad but true.

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