Even before Celtic had beaten Dunfermline Athletic 3-1 at Hampden to complete an unlikely double, the primary question all supporters were asking was; who is going to be manager? Well, this has been a divisive talking point across the last two weeks or so. Dermot Desmond has met with Ferencváros boss Robbie Keane, who would have been a controversial choice to put it mildly. Wales head coach Craig Bellamy's name has also been in the frame. However, it turns out Celtic are not going to get a new manager after all.
That's because, as reported by Chris McLaughlin of BBC Sport, Martin O'Neill is set to remain as manager on a permanent basis, following two interim stints last season. They add that the Northern Irishman will sign a one-year deal, with an option for a further year. Towards the end of the campaign, O'Neill was repeatedly asked if he had the energy to remain in situ full time, always guardedly answering "I don't know", but it appears as though he believes he does.
So, is this a sensible choice, or a lazy decision from the board? Well, O'Neill unquestionably did an excellent job across two spells last season. He won all five Premiership matches, before handing the reigns over to Wilfried Nancy, returning when the Frenchman was sacked only 33 days later. Had O'Neill been in charge the entire time, numbers suggest that the Celts would've won the title with ease.
Premiership points earned by manager (top 3 clubs)
Managers | Club | Matches | Points | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Martin O'Neill | Celtic | 23 | 59 | 2.57 |
Derek McInnes | Hearts | 38 | 80 | 2.11 |
Danny Röhl | Rangers | 31 | 64 | 2.06 |
Brendan Rodgers | Celtic | 9 | 17 | 1.89 |
Russell Martin | Rangers | 7 | 8 | 1.14 |
Wilfried Nancy | Celtic | 6 | 6 | 1 |
Also worth noting that O'Neill already was Celtic's most beloved manager of the modern era, second only to Jock Stein overall. Thus, he is someone that supporters are very easily going to get behind, as was the case when he returned in October, two decades after his first five-year spell came to an end. O'Neill turned Celtic's fortunes around and delivered the Premiership title on the most dramatic final day any of us have ever seen, one which felt unlikely with only seven games to go.
So, were things to continue like this, keeping him is the sensible choice. However, there are obvious risks. O'Neill had not been a manager since 2019 before returning to Glasgow, not lasting more than six months in a club role since being sacked by Sunderland all the way back in 2013. He is also 74 years old, becoming the second-oldest manager to win any major European league in the 21st century last month. If he leads the Hoops to Premiership glory again in 12 months time, he would match Mircea Lucescu's record as a 75 year old; he guided Dynamo Kyiv to the Ukrainian title in 2021.
Also, put succinctly, O'Neill is not a long-term, ambitious appointment. Nancy was sacked on 5 January, over 150 days ago, meaning the board have known for all this time that they need a new long-term appointment. Instead, simply because results on the pitch were, just about, good enough to snatch the title, they've taken the easy option as usual.
Working alongside assistants Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, O'Neill and his team aren't exactly tactical dinosaurs, we're not accusing them of that, but very few well-run clubs are appointing 74 year olds who enjoyed success over two decades ago. In short, this decision could go either way. O'Neill could continue to work his magic or, by November, they'll be back where they started, scrabbling around seeking another new manager. Anyone still got Neil Lennon's number?
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