Martin O’Neill has taken full ownership of Celtic’s Champions League hopes.
In just over five weeks time Celtic will be seeded in a two legged Play Off to join the elite 36 teams in UEFA’s premier competition.
After years of misery and frustration Brendan Rodgers demonstrated what was possible during the season 24/25 campaign.
The new format took a little getting used to but Celtic fans loved it.
Eight different opponents, game by game you could compare your position with the best of the best.
After four or five fixtures the table started to take shape.
Celtic were just below halfway but ahead of some famous names. The old Celtic Park atmosphere was back, a 3-1 win over RB Leipzig was the highlight. Two 0-0 draws away in the competition suggested that Celtic were adapting fast.
Then came the decision to sell Kyogo Furuhashi, conditional on beating YB Bern and guaranteeing a place in the Round of 16 Play Offs with a game to spare.
Kyogo the player was missed. But bigger than that was the message that it sent out.
Celtic viewed the Champions League as a showcase for selling players.
In the Play Off Celtic were drawing 2-2 with Bayern Munich after 177 minutes when they lost out to the Bundesliga giants.
Soon after the match Daizen Maeda informed Celtic that he wanted to leave with a year left on his contract.
CELTIC- THE MANAGED DECLINE THAT GOT OUT OF CONTROL
Michael Nicholson got his way by selling Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah. Typically he came up short trying to sell Maeda and Yang Hyun-jun. The circumstances of the Yang failure were embarrassing. They confirmed all that we suspected of the Celtic CEO.
Rodgers left, O’Neill arrived and left, Wilfried Nancy arrived and left. O’Neill returned.
Nicholson remained, Brian Wilson became Chairman, they claimed that mistakes had been made and lessons learned.
What those mistakes were we don’t know.
So far in the summer of 2026 Nicholson has managed to wreck more havoc on the squad than his efforts a year ago.
Last time his purpose was to undermine Rodgers.
What is the excuse this year?
O’Neill knows all of that baggage. He witnessed it first hand. On the inside.
The shambles that he inherited in October. Created by Paul Tisdale.
Dr Football and Wilfried Nancy were emptied when O’Neill returned on January 5.
Whatever passes for Celtic recruitment dished up five sub-standard loan signings in January. None are still at the club, O’Neill turned to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after the window had closed.
O’NEILL SETS HIS EXPECTATIONS AND IT ISN’T THE EUROPA LEAGUE
Armed with all of that knowledge O’Neill is back, signed up for a full season under a leadership that refuses to lead or show any ambition.
Nicholson and Chris McKay believe that any European group stage football is a sign of success.
O’Neill disagrees. He managed last season’s Europa League group stage matches away to Midtjylland, Feyenoord and Bologna. Celtic’s home win over Utrecht led to elimination from Stuttgart.
O’Neill doesn’t view the Europa League as success.
Explaining his European ambitions the Celtic boss told the Daily Record:
I think the recruitment is very, very important, to try and get some more players in if we can do. And I think the Champions League game is nearly within a couple of matches of the season starting. It’s upon you.
That’s obviously a big game. If you don’t win that, you drop into the Europa League. But even so, that’s a game that the side this time last year looked as if they could win, and they didn’t do.
That was a major disappointment. I think it took quite some time to get over it as well, regardless of playing in the Europa League. So yes, there are big games coming thick and fast now, so quickly.
To date recruitment is worse than a year ago.
O’Neill is preparing to lose any combination of Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Ben Nygren.
Callum McGregor, Alistair Johnston and Auston Trusty could all be on the move.
O’Neill doesn’t seem bothered that the remaining quality in the Celtic squad is about to be gutted.
He performed some domestic miracles last season but the Europa League defeat to Stuttgart should have been an eye opener.
TIME IS SLIPPING AWAY FROM CELTIC
The Celtic squad going into the Champions League Play Off on August 18/19 and 25/26 will be weaker than last season.
Over 50,000 Season Ticket holders reinvested £700 a time into the club. Many with grave reservations but expecting some sort of change. So far it hasn’t happened.
Time is fast running out for O’Neill to demand decent recruitment.
If Celtic fail to reach the Champions League many will blame O’Neill. Even more so if they barely attempt to qualify.
Nicholson and McKay might love their big Thursday nights out in Bologna and Rotterdam. They’d be complete fools to believe that that view is shared.
Football guy O’Neill is expected to deliver. The consequences of failure will be brutal.
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3 Comments
by Terry
Why is Martin to blame, the board have not spent any money yet and time is running out it will be another deadline day panic. The board are looking to sell before Martin can buy. Why does this seem to be the norm for Celtic it’s an absolute joke
by Brian Docherty
If we fail to reach the CL , I for one won’t be blaming Mon.the blame will lie squarely at the foot of the board and the vast majority of Celtic supporters will do the same, I’ve said this before but if the board thought that there was dissent and a lack of unity last season of they fail to back Mon. It might just be the last straw.
by Brian Docherty
If we fail to reach the CL , I for one won’t be blaming Mon.the blame will lie squarely at the foot of the board and the vast majority of Celtic supporters will do the same, I’ve said this before but if the board thought that there was dissent and a lack of unity last season of they fail to back Mon. It might just be the last straw.