The Full Scottish - November 2025
Welcome to the Full Scottish Football Report – Nov 25 – Despite turmoil at Celtic and Rangers, this was a triumphant month as Scotland qualified for the 2026 World Cup finals.
Served by Brian P. Dunleavy
Martin O’Neill’s short-term management at Celtic faces questions after a 3-1 loss to FC Midtjylland, raising doubts about his future amid high expectations at the club.
Celtic could replace O’Neill during the international break with Wilfried Nancy, manager of MLS side Columbus Crew, known for his exciting style of football, as the frontrunner.
Internal conflicts and leadership upheavals at Celtic and Rangers threaten the dominance of Scotland’s two biggest clubs, with broader instability in Scottish football’s top tier.
Scotland Are World Cup Bound
A thirty-year wait has ended as Scotland qualify for the World Cup 2026. By the time you read these words, dear reader, you’ll have likely heard about the latest thriller at Hampden, a must-win match against Denmark that included six goals—a couple of supreme quality—and a red card. Check out the astonishing highlights in this video below.
A thirty-year wait has ended as Scotland qualify for the World Cup 2026. By the time you read these words, dear reader, you’ll have likely heard about the latest thriller at Hampden, a must-win match against Denmark that included six goals—a couple of supreme quality—and a red card. Check out the astonishing highlights in this video below.
After all, the Scots haven’t reached the pinnacle of international football since 1998, when they finished 27th in the then 32-team field. Now, manager Steve Clarke, a man who appeared on the verge of receiving his marching orders from the Tartan Army only one year ago, becomes the first national team bench boss to secure qualification to three major tournaments—the Euros (twice) and now the World Cup Finals.
Yes, the Tartan Army will need to book passage to North America and prepare for sticker shock when they see the prices for match tickets. And the players, too, will need to steel themselves for what is sure to be challenging opposition, even with the tournament’s expanded field.
Tierney Scores
On a selfish level, we’re pleased to see Kieran Tierney not only make the scoresheet Tuesday night, but to net the deciding tally in extra time no less. That can only serve to bolster his confidence following what has been a sluggish start to the 2025-26 season for his club.
That fellow Celt Kasper Schmeichel conceded a howler a few minutes later, though, could be considered a continuation of a disturbing trend of poor performances for the goalkeeper at the national stadium in Glasgow.
Still, his Danish side has the qualification play-off ahead to make amends. But this isn’t the Full Danish. It’s the Full Scottish—and the Scots have a World Cup to look forward to. All the cynics in the world (even Scots) couldn’t put a negative spin on that.
Is O’Neill’s Honeymoon at Celtic Over After Europa Defeat?
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.
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 O’Neill survive the season at Celtic?
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.
Columbus Crew Manager WIlfried Nancy In Talks With Celtic
As of this writing, Martin O’Neill remains the manager at Celtic. However, that could change during this international break, with Wilfried Nancy, currently the bench boss at MLS side Columbus Crew, reportedly the frontrunner for the post.
To those who don’t follow MLS, Nancy may, on paper, lack the “brand-name” persona and big personality needed to man the Celtic hotseat. Still, his teams play an exciting brand of football. If he’s ultimately the choice, it will be interesting to see how his tenure in Glasgow plays out.
In the meantime, O’Neill is reportedly scheduled to meet this week with Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond to discuss his immediate future, talks that may include an offer to remain in charge of the first team until the end of the 2025-26 season.
Celtic chasing Hearts
That timeline—and O’Neill’s steady hand—may calm the nerves of the Celtic support, but it may remove Nancy from the equation entirely, given that MLS starts its season in late February or early March.
On the flipside, it would give the next manager the summer transfer window to rebuild the squad in his image. Or would it?
There has been some suggestion that Celtic conducts its transfer business essentially the same way, irrespective of who is sitting in the manager’s chair. However, that policy may be in flux given the recent departure of the club’s Head of Scouting Operations, Jay Lefevre, to English Championship side Swansea. He joins former Celtic player and youth coach Darren O’Dea in Wales.
All of which has supporters wondering whether Celtic can—or will—do what is necessary for the first team to challenge Hearts (that’s right—not a typo) for the league title this term.
Stay tuned.
Old Firm Chaos: Tensions at Rangers and Celtic boil over
As the boardroom dysfunction continues unabated at Celtic, rival Rangers has just one message:
“Hold my pint.”
Really, it’s hard to imagine things getting any worse than an abandoned AGM lasting less than 10 minutes, but here we are.
Just days after Celtic’s ongoing internal battles reached new lows, ’Gers upped the ante with the handpicked hierarchy of new majority shareholders 49ers Group—Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell—abruptly leaving the club Monday morning.
Both had come under heavy criticism from supporters groups in recent weeks, particularly after the end of the disastrously short reign of manager Russell Martin. Sadly, some of that criticism had devolved into personal attacks and direct confrontation.
“Rangers Football Club confirms it has parted company with CEO Patrick Stewart and Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell,” the Ibrox side said in a statement.
For those counting, the number of words in that statement nearly trebles the amount of time both men were in charge in Govan.
New Regime at Rangers
And now, yet another new regime will be taking charge, a change that may only undo the work new manager, Danny Röhl has done to stabilize the men’s first team after what was an epically awful start to the 2025-26 campaign.
Seriously, what is going on here? Celtic and Rangers, by far Scotland’s biggest clubs, obviously, are both in turmoil. This despite the fact the two Glasgow giants have had a lock on the top-flight title since the mid-1980s.
The term “Old Firm” is considered passé by some, and at this point, it’s certainly inaccurate. “Old Unfirm,” perhaps? It would seem to be as good a time as any for another Scottish club—Hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen—to seize the moment.
And yet, Hearts’ lead at the top of the Premiership table has shrunk to four points (with Celtic holding a match in hand on the league leaders), while Hibs sit even with ’Gers. Aberdeen is currently languishing in eighth.
To paraphrase the great Jimmy Breslin, “Can’t anybody here win this league?”