Celtic rallying as they march with O'Neill

MARTIN O’Neill opening up a Celtic team and charging at a league and cup double is something that older generations of supporters would have thought was a thing of the past, and younger ones would need to rely on history books for, but that unlikely scenario is the one which is striking fear into the hearts of Celtic’s direct rivals for the title.

Hearts have made the running, but with Celtic now relieved of European responsibilities—exiting with great credit following a win away in Stuttgart, a city which knows O’Neill (above) all too well—and facing the same schedule as them for the run-in for the first time, the pressure has already seen them drop crucial points.

Their defeat at Kilmarnock, paired with Celtic’s win at home to apparent challengers Motherwell, means that the destiny of the title is once again completely in Celtic’s hands. Win every match and it will stay in Paradise and O’Neill will have a dramatic conclusion for the story of his career.

The Nancy debacle is the only reason he isn’t enjoying greater security at the top end of the table, but the impact he has is there for all to see. He hasn’t just righted the ship twice, he has got a tune out of this Celtic squad which no-one else could have. His motivation and inspiring leadership have meant that a Celtic team which supporters could spend all day picking holes in not only looks the most dangerous team in the country, but has actually delivered in difficult matches on the European stage.

Show of strength

The biggest show of strength, however, came at Ibrox Park, where with their backs to the wall and missing important players through injury—to add to the established first teamers who have missed the majority of the season—Celtic carried out a smash and grab operation of such of outrageous proportions that the exit of the home side from the Scottish Cup at the quarter-final stage saw an invasion of the pitch by masked throngs, flares launched into the visiting Celtic support and combatants of varying sizes and shapes pouring onto the pitch under the misapprehension that public personal bravado could cover up for the failures of their team.

It could not. What followed was an exercise in whatboutery, with blame having to be seen to be equally apportioned and headlines given over to the impotent rage of hundreds of Rangers supporters who charged menacingly at the Celtic support only to run out of gas as they arrived at the meagre dividing line of club stewards. After milling about for a few minutes they promptly returned to seats. It was all rather pointless, and neither that incident or the attention it received could alter the fact of the matter: Celtic held their nerve in the decisive shootout, and Rangers did not.

Holding their nerve

That nerve can only come from O’Neill. With only a rag-tag bunch of loans and free signings to show for the transfer windows, he has squeezed another season out of what looked like a tired Celtic squad. That achievement is all the more remarkable when it is considered that he has done so in two spells which bookend the most catastrophic managerial tenure in Celtic’s history.

There is a long way to go, but Celtic have some advantages. They will welcome some players back to match fitness, they are beginning to enjoy momentum and they have no more visits to arenas where staff and supporters can expect to come under attack. It may be unlikely that the season will proceed in anything like an orderly fashion, and dropped points are likely to be what decides the title rather than an unbeaten run by any of the teams in the mix, but Celtic look mentally strong and resilient in a way they haven’t had to be for quite some time. The only major frustration at O’Neill’s position is that he isn’t 10 years younger and feeling the pull for another crack at Europe.

The real special one

Regardless of how the season ends, O’Neill has shown that he is a special type of person, to be the in the condition to assume this role at this stage of his life, and to have the sense of duty to put his still considerable resources at the disposal of Celtic once more.

There are not many people who would have taken this option after a life in football and when acclaim and easy money—as O’Neill has described the punditry work he was doing—are so readily available, but Martin O’Neill did, and so far he has directed his Celtic team at a league championship and made a fair job of doing so. He has sent Celtic into a Scottish Cup semi-final after dispatching Rangers, having previously delivered them to a League Cup Final at the expense of Celtic’s city rivals.

Whatever he has, other managers would kill for it.

The Celtic support are now willing him on to achieve the trophy successes which his efforts this season deserve, and it would be worthwhile for Celtic’s opponents to remember what former manager Brendan Rodgers said about title run-ins—this is the time of the season when Celtic come alive.

The silverware is tantalisingly out of reach for now, but O'Neill knows his job well. That job is to inch Celtic closer to it, and when it comes down to the critical moment to reach out and grab it. No-one can be in any doubt that he is, as he said all those years ago, doing everything he possibly can to bring success to this football club.