O'NEILL SENDS CLEAR MESSAGE TO BOARD

MARTIN O'Neill has told the Celtic board they will need to seriously tool up in the transfer window for the three-way fight for the title.

- Michael GANNON

The club legend checked in at Lennoxtown yesterday morning for a third spell in charge - and his second stint this season to help drag the Hoops out of the wreckage of Wilfried Nancy's disastrous reign.

O'Neill was straight back to business and held transfer talks with staff after his first training session.

The 73-year-old revealed assistant Shaun Maloney has already been working on new recruits behind the scenes with former head of football operations Paul Tisdale also emptied on Monday.

And O'Neill has let the Hoops board know in no uncertain terms what is needed to fend off the challenge from league leaders Hearts and arch rivals Rangers.

He said: "That's an enormous task. I think it's going to be difficult, no bones about it.

"There are fewer games to play now than before, and Rangers must have gained a psychological 'Neill added: "But we still have to catch Hearts, and the way that Motherwell played the other evening against Celtic, they might well be the best footballing side in the league.

"I don't know the strength of the squad of, for instance, Motherwell or Hibs or something.