A grim week or so it has been for Martin O’Neill and Celtic, though the problems at Parkhead stretch additional again than that, the soccer on present a far cry from the swashbuckling shows of Ange Postecoglou‘s tenure.
After witnessing two derby defeats in succession, you’ll be able to’t assist however look again to a few of the performances put in in opposition to the membership’s Glasgow rivals underneath the Aussie’s watch, that night time in February 2022 all the time sticking within the thoughts.
The soccer on show in that 3-0 win was breathtaking, with Reo Hatate on the double because the Bhoys tore the then-champions aside within the first-half. It was relentless and breathless, the Ibrox aspect merely having no reply to it.
Trying to the current day, the lads in inexperienced and white look somewhat toothless and wanting concepts, the choice to increase O’Neill’s keep maybe already coming again to chunk.
Why O’Neill must be underneath stress at Celtic
Having not misplaced a derby throughout his two interim spells final time period, the 74-year-old has since misplaced two within the house of seven days, with Celtic soundly overwhelmed on each events.
Now, O’Neill, twice parachuted in to regular the ship in 2025/26, did a wonderful job to assist steer the Parkhead aspect to the double final season, cementing his legendary standing much more in Glasgow.
A dramatic closing day in opposition to Hearts, adopted by a Scottish Cup overcome Dunfermline, appeared like the right approach to bow out, with the veteran coach not precisely anticipated to be a long-term answer within the dugout.
Maybe unsurprisingly, this under-fire Celtic board took the straightforward choice, with O’Neill belatedly deciding to stay round for not less than one other yr, regardless of ongoing hyperlinks to the likes of Jens Berthel Askou.
The Hoops have since wilted in Europe, amid complete defeats to each LASK and Ferencvaros, whereas wanting firmly second greatest up in opposition to Derek McInnes’ males.
Once more, the board is accountable for assembling this flawed squad, having, as ever, left it late to safe so many new arrivals, however the buck stops with O’Neill when it comes to efficiency and outcomes, because it does when it comes to crew choice.
With this prolonged worldwide break providing time for each the Irishman and the membership to take inventory, it would not be a shock to see a change remodeled the approaching weeks.
How Celtic can deliver again Ange-ball to Parkhead
Chris Sutton could have considered Cameron Carter-Vickers’ post-match feedback on Sunday as “disgraceful”, however what the skilled centre-back needed to say actually was telling and damning in equal measure.
The 28-year-old highlighted the “random” nature of his aspect’s efficiency, suggesting that they should “get higher at that, getting a script and sticking to it.”
Studying between the traces, the gamers are heading out onto the sphere with out a clear thought of how they’re meant to carry out, a stark distinction to the imaginative and prescient of Postecoglou’s method.
|
Postecoglou Celtic Document |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat (*per sport) |
Document |
|
Days in cost |
750 |
|
Video games |
113 |
|
Wins |
83 |
|
Attracts |
12 |
|
Losses |
18 |
|
Gamers used |
53 |
|
Targets scored* |
2.51 |
|
Targets conceded* |
0.96 |
|
Factors per sport* |
2.31 |
|
Trophies gained |
5 |
Celtic want one other progressive, forward-thinking coach to shake issues up once more, because the Aussie did 5 years in the past, with Kieran McKenna absolutely nonetheless an choice to contemplate.
As Soccer FanCast completely reported, the 40-year-old remains to be the membership’s primary managerial goal, having been within the younger coach previous to appointing O’Neill.
The problem is that McKenna presently has his eyes set on a top-six job within the Premier League, whereas any suitor must pay an £8m compensation payment to Ipswich City, if they’re to rent the out-of-work coach earlier than subsequent summer time.
A deal would not look doubtless, due to this fact, however Celtic can be clever to do all they will to tempt McKenna into altering his thoughts, whereas the monetary bundle should not be a priority for a membership that fortunately spent over £10m on Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha alone.
If they will pull off a deal, the appointment of the ex-Ipswich boss can be one thing of a masterstroke, with McKenna arguably “among the finest managers round“, within the view of his former skipper, Sam Morsy.
He is a meticulous, trendy supervisor, hailed by Manchester United hero Nicky Butt as “among the finest coaches [he’s] ever seen on grass”, following their prior work collectively at Carrington.
There would not be any query over who’s doing the teaching, with journalist Jonathan Wilson reporting how, over 5 years at Portman Highway, McKenna by no means carried out the identical drill in the identical means. He is all the time adapting, all the time preserving his gamers on their toes.
That will really feel like a breath of contemporary air at Parkhead, and whereas McKenna did finally burn out by the tip at Ipswich, therefore his choice to depart over the summer time, his file speaks for itself.
Having taken cost in December 2021, he finally oversaw three promotions and one relegation in his 4 full seasons in cost, notably taking the Tractor Boys from League One to the Premier League in double-quick time.
The important thing factor too is the way by which he did it, definitely Postecoglou-esque, with the 2023/24 promotion marketing campaign seeing McKenna’s males lauded for his or her chaotic, free-flowing 4-2-3-1 fashion.
Ipswich completed second within the second tier that yr, scoring 92 objectives to cleared the path in that regard, having performed out from the again so freely and so efficiently.
McKenna put his stamp throughout Ipswich’s method, and that is what Celtic are in want of proper now. He would possibly effectively be the person to deliver again one thing near ‘Ange-ball’ in Glasgow.
