A debate between Charlie Mulgrew and Si Ferry has put the spotlight back on Celtic’s decision to bring Martin O’Neill in until the end of the season, with both men offering different opinions on where things have gone wrong.
O’Neill was brought in to steady things after a difficult spell, but results and performances have remained somewhat underwhelming. Celtic are still searching for consistency, particularly in games where control has slipped too easily.
Mulgrew pointed to O’Neill’s strengths as a manager. He sees him as someone who focuses on getting players organised and winning matches, rather than building a system around detailed patterns of play. That approach has worked for O’Neill in the past, but it has not fully settled the team.
Ferry, though, looked back to the moment that shaped his opinion. After Motherwell beat Celtic at Fir Park earlier in the season, he felt the club missed a clear opportunity.
He said: (Open Goal), “Well, let’s be honest, Martin O’Neill isn’t about 8s, 6s, inverted full-backs or any of that kind of detail. That’s not him.
“I’m not saying he doesn’t know the game. Martin O’Neill is a man-manager who gets good players on the pitch. Wherever he’s been, he’s done the same. He’s spent money and got players onto the pitch.
“So you’ve got Shaun Maloney, who I know is into all that stuff.
“I’m not saying they don’t believe in it. I wouldn’t say that. But Martin O’Neill believes in winning football.
“How he gets there, I don’t think he really cares. That would be my guess. I don’t think he’s too concerned with the method.
“I think he wants the basics done right, and apart from that, just win the game.“
Ferry believes the turning point came after the defeat at Fir Park, when Motherwell exposed issues that have not been fixed.
He argues that result should have pushed Celtic towards a different decision in the dugout. From his point of view, Jens Berthel Askou had already shown enough to be considered for the job.
He hit back: “Aye, definitely the Motherwell manager would have been better.
“100%, no doubt.
“But I just thought when Nancy was getting sacked, and after what he’d done to them at Fir Park, I said this last week, he should have been the guy. It would have been a no-brainer to go and get him.
“No-brainer. What are you waiting on? You’ve just seen it in front of your eyes what he can do with lesser players. Imagine what he could do with our players.
“I don’t think it’s improved much since Nancy came in. And I’ve said it before, I thought they were better on the ball under Nancy.
“I genuinely did. I thought there was much more of a style. Players knew where they were going in possession.
Out of possession was a disaster, obviously, but in possession it was miles better. I genuinely believe that.”
It is also worth noting that some of the focus on Martin O’Neill feels misplaced. At 74, he has stepped in twice this season when Celtic needed stability, taking on a difficult situation without the backing required to properly reshape the squad in January.
The issues run deeper than one manager. This has been building over time, with poor decisions and a lack of direction leaving the squad short in key areas. O’Neill has been left to manage that, rather than being the cause of it.
The vast majority of the Celtic support appreciate O’Neill returning and what he has done for the club over the years, and there aren’t many people who would have come back twice this season when Celtic needed him most. He has earned more respect than what Ferry has afforded him here.
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