AID: FANS RIGHT TO SNUB US.

Byline: Hugh Keevins

AIDEN McGEADY last night admitted he'd shun Celtic if he was still a fan.

The Republic of Ireland star insists he doesn't blame the fans for staying away from watching a team he confessed is struggling.

But McGeady swears it's the players who are to blame and not under-fire boss Tony Mowbray.

The winger said: "The fans want to watch good football and that's not happening.

"They're entitled to do what they want and if I was in the same boat I think I'd be doing the same.

"We've been playing really poorly and just grinding out the odd result but we're really struggling. There have been a couple of matches where we've played okay but we've struggled in the last three or four.

"I don't know the reason for that. We've got the same players we've had for the past two or three years."

McGeady's the lifelong Celtic supporter who put the club before all others when he was a childhood protege so he knows how badly the fans are hurting.

Celtic have made their worst start to a season for a decade and only two of the last 10 games have been won by Mowbray's side.

But McGeady absolves the manager of any blame. He said: "Any talk of putting time on the manager's head is unfair. It's all new to him because he's never been in charge of Celtic before.

"It's a big job and I think he's taken to it well.

Things can improve and he has to be given time."

Attendances have started to plummet and the next three games, all at home, could be crucial.

Celtic face St Mirren on Saturday, followed by a tie against Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Europa League that will decide the club's European fate if it's drawn or lost.

Mark McGhee, overlooked for the Celtic job in favour of Mowbray, then brings Aberdeen to Glasgow against what could be a troubled background.