Celtic fans are still in the dark about Martin O’Neill’s appointment as manager and his plans for the club.
Nothing has been heard since the June 11 club announcement. As speculation intensified over the low-ball offers made to Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham.
Celtic haven’t even offered up a scripted in-house interview between Gerry McCulloch and the ‘new’ manager.
At Ibrox tomorrow Derek McInnes will meet with a fawning media. It will be difficult to tell fan media from legacy outlets.
Broadcasters, daily newspapers and fan media will all get access to the former Hearts boss.
The battle lines and intentions will all be laid out.
It will be Staunch Bingo time. References will be made to Walter Smith, the glorious history, the need to win trophies, how second place isn’t good enough. Unless your name is James Tavernier or Danny Rohl.
Ibrox fans will lap it up.
It will compete with Scotland at the World Cup for headlines and air-time.
McInnes was appointed as manager on June 17, the same day as Rohl left. The announcement detailed his backroom staff of three.
Six days earlier Celtic announced the appointment of O’Neill and little else.
The new manager said:
It is once again a great privilege for me to continue as Celtic manager. Last season will live long in all our memories and to be part of that success has in a big way whetted the appetite to work again for more days like those and bring our supporters those moments.
Of course, none of this could have been achieved without the players and staff and I want to take this opportunity to thank them for bringing that level of focus, determination and talent to bear at the conclusion of the season to deliver the league and Cup double.
I would particularly like to thank the Board for asking me back and giving me this opportunity again.
We know of course that Celtic can never rest on past success so we are now aiming to drive forward together in the coming season as we aim to deliver again for the club and our fans.
I thank our fans for their ongoing support, it means everything to us. I look forward to being back at Celtic Park next season when we will come together and we will strive again to bring our fans the success which that support deserves.
Almost a fortnight on there is no sign of any activity inside Celtic.
WHERE IS ONEILL’S COACHING STAFF- THE SUPPORT NETWORK?
There is still no word about Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham. Pre-season training starts on Friday. Presumably the medical staff are all in place. Gavin Strachan has left to join West Brom.
In his April 30 Supporters Update Brian Wilson referenced the big changes coming up over the summer. It also included are fresh of the board.
On the night that O’Neill’s deal was announced Wilson promised a busy couple of weeks.
Quite clearly Celtic are winging it.
Ticking the box for Supporter Engagement while doing nothing on the ground.
In April Wilson also announced that a Fan Engagement Officer was being appointed.
At a meeting with the Collective in October Michael Nicholson brought up the intention of creating a Fan Advisory Board.
Neither project has resurfaced since first being aired.
Twelve days go Celtic announced that O’Neill was their manager. He has yet to speak about it.
At Ibrox Rohl has gone and McInnes speaks to the media and fans on Wednesday.
Across at Tynecastle interviews have been held with Wouter Vrancken expected to be announced as McInnes’ successor this week.
Celtic had a vacancy on January 5.
O’Neill stepped in again, played the Company Man and delivered two trophies.
But now O’Neill seems to be taking a back-seat. He isn’t deflecting from the failings of the board any more, he is silent.
His comment on Gavin Strachan was so brief that it appeared as a tweet in reply to the announcement from West Brom. There is nothing on the Celtic website about the loss of Strachan Junior.
Could it be that O’Neill has taken a vow of near silence to force the Board into action?
If they want to be praised from the manager they have to deliver some goods. Like appointing the two guys that nursed him through six months in charge last season.
Or some of the replacement players for the starters sold off over the last three transfer windows.
Then some reinforcements to get through a Champions League Play Off. Qualifying isn’t the target. Matching or bettering the 12 points won in season 2024/25 is the measure of success.
While Nicholson and McKay are in hiding O’Neill might do exactly the same.
Not a word for training on Friday. Nothing through next week.
On July 7 Celtic are away to Shelbourne. Playing in Dermot Desmond’s backyard. No need for the manager to say a word as he fields a side unrecognisable from last season.
As it stands the World Cup players and end of season internationalists won’t be involved. The loan players have returned.
Do Celtic expect O’Neill to talk up a youthful left-back as a Champions League prospect. To give Ross Doohan 90 minutes. Mention how Shin Yamada and Hayato Inamura have looked sharp in pre-season training?
Decision time is looming at Celtic.
If Nicholson and McKay extend their policy of austerity they will discover a very hostile reaction.
A large number of Celtic fans wanted to see Brendan Rodgers fail. There is a long running website dedicated to trashing the 11 trophy wins out of 13 manager.
O’Neill has almost unanimous backing across the Celtic support.
Any fast moves from Nicholson and Wilson will instantly be used against them. This time they can’t be certain of Desmond trashing a manager on the club website.
They’ve been warned.
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