It will be interesting to see if the “honeymoon period” for interim manager Martin O’Neill at Celtic comes to an end after the Hoops 3-1 loss at FC Midtjylland on Thursday. Make no mistake: O’Neill will always be a legend at Celtic, and rightfully so. That UEFA Cup final in 2003 alone firmly established that.
The Full Scottish
Served by Brian P. Dunleavy
And, the Irishman’s dramatic return to the Parkhead dugout, stepping in for fellow countryman Brendan Rodgers when the latter shockingly resigned last week, has still been largely positive. In just two domestic matches, O’Neill has cut the gap between Celtic and league leaders Hearts to six points—thanks, in part, to St. Mirren—and guided the team to a League Cup final with a win over archrivals Rangers at Hampden on Sunday. (For the record: Hearts now lead by nine points, though Celtic have a match at hand.)
But as we’ve noted previously—and repeatedly—in this space, a draw is a disaster at Celtic and a loss is a crisis. And that axiom is true, irrespective of the opponent.
Yes, Midtjylland currently top their domestic league’s table as well as the Europa League standings. They are also the top-scoring side in the latter competition. But Celtic supporters hate when their team loses, and there will be accusations that the current first team embarrassed the club in the loss in Denmark on Thursday.
Will that be enough to quiet talk of O’Neill remaining in post, at least until the end of the season? Will it prompt the club hierarchy to make a permanent appointment during the next international break?
At 73, O’Neill is unlikely to want the job long-term—and by “long-term” we mean beyond May. He may not even want it through Christmas. And that’s his right.
We’d also argue expecting victory against Midtjylland this week would be asking a bit much, regardless of who is in charge in the dugout.
And so, that defeat should not take any of the gloss off of O’Neill’s return. That said, whatever the club decides regarding the immediate future of the manager’s position should not be made in haste, based on one result—good or bad.
It’s clear the club needs a calm hand, ideally one with innovative footballing ideas. And that should be the priority. Honeymoons inevitably end, after all.