Charlie Adam has ripped into Celtic's critics amid reports that Eddie Howe is closing in on the manager's job.

Pundit Jason Cundy recently claimed Howe should hold out for the Crystal Palace job in the Premier League as finishing top six in England's top tier would be a bigger achievement than winning the Scottish Premiership with the Hoops.

Adam - who played for Rangers up north as well as Liverpool and Blackpool down south - insists pundits in England don't understand how difficult Scottish football really is. And he slammed Cundy for his "clueless" thoughts on the situation.

He also suggested that Howe won't know what hit him if he joins up at Parkhead because the demands are so great. Speaking on talkSPORT he said: "I would make Rangers favourites because of the momentum and what Celtic will have to rebuild in the summer.

"Listening to Cundy and people like that, they've obviously not been above North London because they are clueless about what is going on. Rangers and Celtic are bigger clubs than Palace. Eddie Howe will have a shock when he comes into Glasgow. This is the biggest club he’ll have managed.

"The intensity is a lot bigger than Bournemouth or Burnley and it’s a big challenge for him. He’ll have been talking to Brendan (Rodgers, ex-Celtic boss). Brendan came in when he left Liverpool and tried something different, came in and dominated."

Howe is believed to have been offered the job already but wants to take his time to deliver his decision. It has been claimed he is seeking assurances on the transfer kitty.