Moments after the tin lid was positioned on a really hideous week for Celtic with a house league defeat to Rangers, Martin O’Neill uttered some phrases which he later got here to remorse.
‘I genuinely will mirror and see,’ stated the Northern Irishman when requested if he would contemplate his future. ‘It’s a matter of whether or not I can assist the workforce. The supervisor is meant to have the ability to try this. I’ll take a look at that this week.
‘I believe each single time one thing crops up and issues don’t go so nicely, age performs a component. And are you aware what? They may be proper. I’ll be 110 in two years’ time so it may be time to wrap it up.’
That was on September 20. Regardless of going into the worldwide break on the again of two losses to Rangers and a reverse at residence to Ferencvaros, with a capitulation away to LASK nonetheless within the background, O’Neill, as we all know, got here again for extra.
The difficulty is that the deadlock modified little or no. Within the seven matches since, Celtic have received three and misplaced three.
The working whole of unpolluted sheets now stands at one in ten. If anybody feels that dismal sequence will enhance when Besiktas come to city on Thursday, you’ll be able to title your worth.
With the following worldwide break coming after Kilmarnock’s go to to Parkhead on Sunday, it seems like additional self-reflection is imminent and harder conversations are about to happen behind the scenes.
If O’Neill and the membership’s administrators can establish a cause to really feel that an upturn in fortunes is on the horizon, they are going to be within the minority.
Martin O’Neill can barely look as his Celtic aspect misplaced 2-0 to Falkirk on Sunday
By way of outcomes and performances, this can be a workforce which is flatlining. It takes a leap of religion to imagine {that a} radical enchancment lies simply across the nook.
For a lot of Celtic supporters, reconciling themselves with the reality of the present scenario isn’t simple.
In his first spell in cost on the flip of the century, O’Neill reworked their membership from a laughing inventory into Scotland’s dominant workforce and a European drive to be reckoned with as soon as once more.
Final season, towards all the chances, the veteran twice rode to the rescue to land an unlikely league and cup double.
Those that wished that the credit would then roll on the story of the legend’s nice return have spent a lot of this marketing campaign watching via the cracks of their fingers.
Whereas O’Neill has unquestionably been the newest supervisor to undergo via the ineptitude of those that are supposedly working the present, nor can he be granted a free go for what his aspect are routinely serving up.
The triumphs of the early 2000s and final season supply little shelter from the present storm.
Taken purely in isolation, Sunday’s loss to Falkirk may have been shrugged off as a kind of unlucky days by these stood within the guests’ part.
The Celtic supervisor should want he had give up after trophy triumph at finish of final season
Celtic did have extra possession than the Bairns (70.2 per cent). They’d extra touches contained in the opposition field (44 v 15). They’d extra corners (14 v 0). They’d extra pictures at objective (24 v 6). Scott Bain, the previous Celtic keeper, did have a superb recreation.
The difficulty is that the affair was no anomaly. O’Neill’s aspect are making a behavior of exhibiting up nicely within the metrics which don’t win you factors and exhibiting up badly in the one statistic which issues.
Trying to intensify the positives within the aftermath, the supervisor identified that the aspect was nonetheless higher off than at this stage final 12 months.
Whereas that is statistically true within the Premiership — 28 factors now versus 26 in 2025 — that’s no trigger for celebration.
Celtic had been additionally nonetheless within the League Cup 12 months again. And after three video games within the Europa League, the workforce had 4 factors in comparison with zero being on the board on the similar juncture this time. The canine on the street know this can be a workforce which is regressing.
O’Neill’s plea for persistence within the case of latest gamers requiring time to adapt to their new setting doesn’t reduce any ice.
O’Neill’s legend on the membership won’t ever diminish however this time period has been his most troubling
A membership which welcomed 17 new faces in the summertime, six of Falkirk’s outfield gamers on Sunday weren’t there final season — versus three of the guests. John McGlynn doesn’t appear to have the identical points getting lesser-paid people assimilated to his manner of working.
There have been a few recurring themes to Celtic beneath O’Neill this season. With the ball, the gamers lack zip, creativeness and penetration. With out it, they appear meek and weak.
Simply as Dundee United did on Wednesday, McGlynn’s aspect repeatedly reduce them open on the weekend.
The extra obtrusive the shortcomings turn out to be, the extra official it’s to query if the construction of the aspect and the tactical method is all that it may be.
Within the days when O’Neill was capable of subject a workforce containing the likes of Paul Lambert, Lubo Moravcik and Henrik Larsson, the supervisor didn’t have to worry concerning the minor particulars.
Together with his sheer presence giving a squad brimming with top-level gamers added psychological power, Celtic invariably overpowered their opponents.
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Callum McGregor have each had their say on workforce’s ways
Evidently, that embarrassment of riches not exists. Is O’Neill, at 74 years of age, able to relaying the required tactical data to a way more restricted group?
Is the proper element forthcoming from his cadre of younger coaches — Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus? It’s actually a moot level.
You could possibly be forgiven for believing that the present crop of gamers have reservations about their degree of tactical preparedness and the construction of the aspect.
Additionally talking after that 1-0 loss to Rangers, Cameron Carter-Vickers claimed the workforce ‘performed a bit too random.’
For one senior participant to bemoan an absence of a plan was one factor. For an additional to query it set the alarm bells off.
Following the 2-2 draw with United, a match which initially noticed O’Neill play two centre-forwards in Camilo Duran and Callum Osmand as wingers, skipper Callum McGregor opined that ‘the gamers behave like a winger, or they behave like a striker.’
He added: ‘You will get away with it for a number of video games, but when it’s a striker taking part in as a winger, you’re going to get that behaviour lots of the time.’
Over the weekend, James McClean, who performed beneath O’Neill for Eire, reprised the theme as he promoted his new e book.
Celtic bumped into an impressed Falkirk workforce, and an outstanding keeper in Scott Bain on Sunday
Recalling the bemusement of the raft of English Championship gamers who O’Neill referred to as up, McClean provided: ‘Martin wasn’t massive on ways.’
No matter accusations may justifiably be levelled on the supervisor and his teaching employees, those that maintain them solely answerable for the present malaise are small in quantity.
Having obtained away with it — as Celtic did final season — a forward-thinking soccer membership wouldn’t have gone again to the nicely by asking a septuagenarian to go once more.
Not solely did the Parkhead hierarchy predictably present an absence of imaginative and prescient by failing to nominate a youthful supervisor with recent concepts, they, once more, failed O’Neill within the switch market.
The promoting of Arne Engels to West Ham on the eve of the season-defining conflict with LASK was the newest dereliction of obligation.
The six gamers signed within the remaining hours of the window — 5 of them loans — was the equal of a touch down the cut price aisle at closing time on Christmas Eve.
The board are nonetheless predominant goal of followers, however O’Neill cannot escape all of the blame for poor shows on pitch
O’Neill, notably, hasn’t gone public along with his dismay on the hand he was dealt within the method wherein his predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, did. But when he’s joyful to toe the get together line, the duty for a failing soccer workforce falls squarely on his shoulders.
The warmth round him may rise extraordinarily shortly. Two years after making a commendable impression within the Champions League beneath Rodgers, by the tip of this week, an emaciated squad may discover itself propping up the 36-team Europa League desk.
Whether or not that transpires or not, the extent of acrimony which consistently surrounds the membership nowadays appears set to extend.
For O’Neill, with every passing week, a return to the consolation of a radio studio should maintain larger enchantment.
