Celtic hero Joe Ledley has backed Brendan Rodgers to turn things around at Parkhead and get the Hoops back in the title race.

The Scottish champions recently dropped to second in the table after a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock and Rangers' 3-0 victory over St Johnstone.

Rodgers has come under pressure from some fans after recent results but Ledley has no doubt the 51-year-old is the right man for the job.

Speaking to the Scottish Sun, he said: "A lot of the players in the dressing room have got plenty of experience.

"They’ve been winning titles and cups in recent years. They are well aware of the pressure of playing for Celtic and what the fans expect.

“But there are a number of new players who now need to properly understand the position the team is in.

“It looks like some are still trying to adapt. But everyone in the dressing room has to get together now and work out the situation to discover why things haven’t been working out.

"You’ve got to keep calm. I well know the environment up the road and I’ve seen both sides of it.

“We lost the league in my first season when we probably should have won it.

“That truly opened my eyes to the emotions of people there when things don’t go well.

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“But the next season, after some difficult moments, we became champions and then I could appreciate the other side of things, the absolute joy of Celtic fans."

Ledley also insists that the Hoops players must block out the noise and while the former Wales international admits recent transfer windows have left fans frustrated, he feels those feelings must be put to one side until the end of the season.

“The current squad has to stay focused, keep composed, don’t lose belief," he continued.

“I understand there will be plenty of people on the outside right now saying all manner of things, being very critical, piling the pressure on.

“It’s important the players don’t allow any of that to get inside the dressing room.

“It’s about taking it game by game just now. The fans are upset about transfer windows that have gone, players not coming in and believing there hasn’t been squad building.

“But you look at Brendan Rodgers’ record at Celtic, what he’s achieved is remarkable.

“At the moment it’s probably not the team he wants and hopefully he will have other transfer windows to bring other players in. But Brendan can still do this.

“It’s difficult just now, but Celtic are still firmly in the running and I still believe they have the better team on paper.

“But it’s about getting over the present blip.”