Record Sport's top team answer the burning questions as the Premiership season gets back underway after a three-week break, with Martin O'Neill's Celtic future, Rangers' title credentials, Marink Reedijk's Hibs bow and Sebastien Pocognoli's Scotland all under the spotlight.
O'Neill's Celtic Future Debated
Ryan McDonald said only time will tell if the decision for O'Neill to remain at the Celtic helm is right. The derby drubbings have sparked a nuclear reaction and there are legitimate concerns over Celtic's lack of identity. But the Hoops remain top of the table and O'Neill will be determined to prove his doubters wrong. If he feels fit enough to carry on, he deserves the opportunity to turn things around.
Scott Burns said the bottom line is his team are still the champions. They have had a few bad results but they are still top of the table. The acid test will be the results between now and the next international break.
Anthony Evans said he thinks so. You are only ever one defeat away from turmoil as a Celtic manager, so to get two on the bounce against your biggest rivals has blown that up even more. But as long as he is fit and able, the Hoops need O'Neill to remain in the hotseat and fight for the big honours while they try to get their act together in finding a suitable successor.
Rangers and McInnes Set the Pace
On Derek McInnes being named manager of the month and whether his Rangers team are now favourites for the league, McDonald said Rangers have momentum on their side but the league race is a marathon, not a sprint. McInnes has assembled a young, hungry squad and they've shown they can go toe-to-toe with Celtic. He expects the title race to go right to the wire but the reigning champions remain the team to beat.
Burns said Rangers have certainly built up momentum and their two derby wins were massive. The transformation in Rangers has been seen, but they need to produce it over the longer term. That is the challenge to McInnes and his team.
Evans said it's hard to argue against that at the moment. Gers had been winning ugly earlier in the season but are now starting to look like a strong, coherent outfit. McInnes is already missing several key men through injury and it might take a few more players to drop out to seriously derail their title charge.
Reedijk's Hibs Bow and Scotland's Start
On Marink Reedijk being appointed new Hibs manager and how his bow will go at Dundee United, McDonald said Tannadice is a tough place for any manager to make his Scottish Premiership bow. The league table suggests these sides are evenly matched but Reedijk has had the international break to get to know his new squad. Hibs could benefit from that new-manager bounce and make a positive start under the Dutchman.
Burns said it is a fascinating appointment. He had great success with Beveren. Repeating that in Scotland will be a tough challenge at Tannadice and he can see it being a share of the spoils. Evans said there isn't too much to separate the sides when you look at the league standings so this one could go either way. It will take time for the Dutchman to implement his style of play as Hibs boss, so he wouldn't be too disappointed with a point in Tayside.
On having seen Sebastien Pocognoli's Scotland teams for the first time, McDonald said it's been a disappointing start. The Nations League campaign is already a write off and the performances have done little to inspire confidence. Pocognoli needs time to implement his ideas, but the early signs suggest he has a serious job on his hands to get Scotland moving in the right direction.
Burns said the results haven't been great and it is still early doors. It is rebuilding but the jury is out. The Euro 2028 qualifier will be the real proof of the pudding. Evans said it's still far too early to make an accurate assumption. It's been a rocky start for the Belgian but he will have learned so much about what he has at his disposal from those four matches. But Scotland definitely need to hit the ground running when the qualifying campaign for the Euros gets underway.
