Charlie Nicholas compares current Celtic team with Martin O’Neill’s Hoops side

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Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side are on course to win the Scottish Premiership title and potentially go unbeaten in the domestic game this season.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers

Charlie Nicholas has told Sky Sports that Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic squad are nowhere near being of the same quality as the Hoops side that Martin O’Neill led to so much success following the turn of the Millennium.

Rodgers’ men look to be well on their way to securing the Scottish Premiership title this term – they could win the crown this weekend with a win over Hearts – and it would surprise very few if they ultimately go through the entire domestic campaign unbeaten.

But while Nicholas has praised the work that Rodgers has done, especially given the finances he has been able to work with, the former Bhoys forward suggested that they are still some way off being considered in the same category as the team that O’Neill assembled.

“The fact they are unbeaten and have this invincible tag makes them a good team but I’ve said it a number of times, the standard is poor,” he told Sky Sports.

“That’s not their fault, they can only beat what’s put in front of them.

“O’Neill’s side had five or six big names and were far superior to this current team, but they also took the club to the brink financially, paying big salaries.”

As Nicholas somewhat alludes to, it is unfair to judge Rodgers’ team against O’Neill’s because not only is the standard in Scotland different, but the Northern Irishman’s tenure is still in its infancy.

Martin O’Neill during his time at Celtic

Interestingly, O’Neill led the Bhoys to a domestic treble in his first season, and with a Scottish Cup semi-final on the horizon, it appears that Rodgers has a brilliant chance to oversee the same achievement.

And if he can build on that success and lead his side to make more of an impact in the Champions League – O’Neill led Celtic to the UEFA Cup final in 2003 – then perhaps Nicholas will find it much more difficult to find a gulf between the two teams in future.