Kris Boyd defends Celtic striker Kasper Hogh after Martin O’Neill’s comments upset Rangers legend.

Kris Boyd has come to the defence of Celtic striker Kasper Hogh after Martin O’Neill appeared to question the forward’s contribution during the Hoops’ narrow 1-0 victory over St Johnstone.

The Danish striker, who became Celtic’s club-record signing after arriving in a deal worth around £11million, has come under increased scrutiny following a difficult run in front of goal. However, former Rangers striker Boyd believes the responsibility should not rest entirely on Hogh and argues that Celtic’s wide players need to do more to provide the service required by their central striker.

PERTH, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 09: Celtic’s Kasper Hogh shouts in frustration during a William Hill Premiership match between St Johnstone and Celtic at McDiarmid Park, on September 09, 2026, in Perth, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Hogh made a spectacular start to his Celtic career, scoring a hat-trick in only his second appearance for the club as they demolished Kilmarnock 5-1 at Rugby Park. Since then, however, the striker has failed to find the net in each of his next five appearances, leading to questions over his current form and involvement in Celtic’s attacking play.

Those concerns appeared to be reflected in comments made by O’Neill after the victory in Perth. Asked by Sky Sports whether he felt Hogh had been too quiet during the opening half, the Celtic manager suggested that the striker also had to take greater responsibility for creating opportunities for himself.

O’Neill pointed towards the need for attackers to make space rather than simply waiting for perfect deliveries into the penalty area.

The Celtic boss said: “I didn’t think it was the fact, for instance, Seb (Tounekti) was getting wide and causing problems. You can’t just put the ball on a plate for people. They have to make room for themselves to try and score a goal.

“Either you whip things across the box, or you try and chip a few things. At the end of it all, you know, I said to the boys in the dressing room that I’m 74 years of age and I think I could have scored a goal at some stage or another. That’s a major exaggeration.”

However, Boyd believes O’Neill may have a different view of the situation after watching the match again. The former Rangers star, who built his reputation as one of the most dangerous penalty-box strikers in Scottish football, feels Hogh was not receiving the type of delivery that would allow him to make a meaningful impact.

Boyd argued that the movement and decision-making of Celtic’s wide players played a major role in limiting Hogh’s opportunities, with particular criticism aimed at Tounekti’s approach in the attacking areas.

Speaking after the match, Boyd said it would be fascinating to discover whether O’Neill maintained the same opinion once he had reviewed the game and studied the relevant moments again.

“It will be interesting to see what Martin makes of it all once he goes back and watches it again. He’s having a go at Kasper Hogh but we’ve been able to see it and look at the clips,” Boyd explained.

When asked whether Hogh’s problems were caused by a lack of movement or insufficient service, Boyd was clear about where he believed much of the responsibility lay.

The former Rangers forward highlighted Hogh’s constant movement and explained that the striker repeatedly attempts to find room inside the penalty area. According to Boyd, however, that movement becomes pointless when the ball is delayed by wingers taking too many touches before delivering it.

Boyd said Hogh is “always on the go” and rarely stops attempting to find space. But he believes that can change when a winger repeatedly delays the cross.

He explained that when wide players take several touches while approaching the final third, the space available to the striker becomes increasingly limited. Eventually, the striker can become frustrated and stop making repeated runs because he knows the opportunity to attack the delivery has already disappeared.

Boyd suggested that Hogh wants the ball delivered quickly, allowing him to attack the space in front of the defenders before the opposition has time to reorganise.

He also pointed towards O’Neill’s own experience as a former winger, arguing that the Celtic boss would understand the importance of getting the ball out of the feet quickly and delivering it into the danger area.

Boyd added: “You want that ball early so as soon as you have wingers who are touch, touch, touch then as a striker you go ‘Do you know what? I’m not moving any more’. And that’s what Martin O’Neill is talking about there – you had to put it on a sixpence for him.”

The Rangers legend also questioned whether Hogh is the type of striker who should be expected to drop deep and become heavily involved in Celtic’s build-up play. Instead, Boyd believes the Danish forward’s biggest strength is making runs away from the ball and then attacking the space across the front of defenders.

That assessment has led Boyd to believe Camilo Duran could be a better option through the middle when Celtic face Rangers on Sunday.

“I don’t see Kasper Hogh as a striker who will link the play. He takes himself away from it, to give himself as much space to come back across the front of defenders and go and attack it,” Boyd said.

He went on to suggest that Duran’s characteristics could make Celtic more effective in the attacking third and insisted that he currently sees the team in a stronger position with the Colombian leading the line.

Boyd’s argument was supported by former Scotland winger James McFadden, who also felt Celtic’s service into the penalty area was not good enough during the first half against St Johnstone.

McFadden explained that Celtic’s wide players must deliver crosses with greater quality and height when they reach the byline. He pointed out that defenders naturally retreat towards their own goal and are therefore well positioned to block low deliveries, particularly towards the near post.

According to McFadden, the main responsibility of the winger in those situations is to beat the first defender with the delivery and give the striker an opportunity to attack the ball.

“When you are in the wide area and get closer to the byline you need to get height on the cross because defences drop and will block the front post. Your job is to miss the first man,” McFadden said.

The former Scotland international acknowledged that he could understand why O’Neill was frustrated with Hogh, but insisted that the striker could not be blamed for failing to attack chances that were never created.

McFadden felt there was very little available for Hogh to work with during the opening period and argued that the striker was not given enough opportunities to make the type of movement expected of him.

“I understand Martin’s frustration and he might be having a go at Kasper Hogh but there was nothing in the first half for him to go and attack. No chance to peel into space,” McFadden added.

The debate now puts further attention on Hogh ahead of Celtic’s meeting with Rangers. After his explosive start at Kilmarnock, the striker will be desperate to rediscover his scoring touch, while O’Neill will be hoping his attacking players can produce a more consistent supply of chances.

Boyd’s defence of Hogh, meanwhile, raises another question for Celtic supporters: is the club-record striker genuinely struggling, or has the quality and timing of service from the players around him made his job far more difficult?

With Duran also pushing for a starting role, O’Neill faces an intriguing selection decision for the Rangers clash.