Kris Boyd believes Celtic’s players are allowing Martin O’Neill to take too much of the blame for the club’s recent struggles, following Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Falkirk.

Celtic remain top of the Scottish Premiership, but their performances have come under increasing scrutiny, particularly after another disappointing afternoon at the Falkirk Stadium.

Speaking on the Scottish Sun Sport’s Go Ballistic podcast, Boyd suggested that the players need to accept more responsibility rather than leaving their manager to answer the difficult questions.

“I do feel as if the players are quite happy now to allow Martin to take the flak.”

It is a pointed accusation at a time when much of the criticism surrounding Celtic has focused on O’Neill’s team selections and the club’s direction.

O’Neill was involved in some tense exchanges during his post-match interviews on Sunday, defending his decisions and reminding reporters that Celtic remain top of the league.

Boyd felt the manager appeared frustrated by the questioning, but argued that the responsibility for recent results cannot rest entirely with him.

“The players have to shoulder some responsibility now, too.”

The Falkirk defeat provided another example of the problems facing Celtic.

Cameron Carter-Vickers was involved in the defensive mistakes that contributed to both first-half goals, while Celtic failed to find a way past former goalkeeper Scott Bain despite creating several chances.

O’Neill has rotated his options in recent weeks, but the team continue to struggle for consistency.

Boyd believes some earlier performances may have disguised the extent of those difficulties.

He pointed to convincing displays against Motherwell and Hearts as examples of Celtic’s potential, contrasting them with the disappointing performances against Dundee United and Falkirk.

He argued that Celtic’s recruitment has failed to deliver the quality required to make meaningful progress in European competition.

“The bigger picture is they have failed to recruit a certain level of player that will allow whoever the manager is to go and conquer in Europe.”

That criticism comes ahead of Thursday’s Europa League meeting with Beşiktaş at Celtic Park.

Celtic have lost their opening three matches in the competition, increasing the pressure to produce a response against the Turkish side.

Boyd suggested that the European fixture could create another difficulty for O’Neill as he attempts to improve domestic results.

The manager, however, has maintained that Celtic’s league position remains an important consideration despite their recent defeats.

Thursday’s match will provide another opportunity for the squad to demonstrate that they can take responsibility on the pitch, rather than leaving their manager to defend another disappointing result afterwards.

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