Paul Lambert believes Martin O’Neill’s work this season only strengthened his place among the greatest managers in Celtic history.
O’Neill returned to Celtic during one of the most chaotic campaigns the club has experienced in years. Brendan Rodgers walked away unexpectedly early in the season, Wilfried Nancy failed badly during his spell in charge and Celtic looked in real danger of throwing away the league before the late turnaround against Hearts.
Then O’Neill steadied everything again.
The performances were not always perfect during the run-in, but Celtic looked mentally stronger once he returned. The side started finding late goals again. Players looked freer with the ball and more aggressive without it. Daizen Maeda exploded into form while Callum McGregor regained control of midfield games during the closing stretch.
The title win against Hearts summed it up.
At one stage, Celtic were heading toward disaster before Arne Engels equalised from the penalty spot and chaos followed late on through Maeda and Callum Osmand. That comeback completed seven straight league wins under O’Neill to rescue the title.
Lambert has watched the entire season closely and believes there was only one manager capable of turning the situation around.
Paul Lambert told Betway, “For me, he was the only one that could go in there and turn that situation around.
“The best team always wins the league.
“The Celtic players were not performing for Wilfried Nancy or at the start with Brendan Rodgers, so I don’t know what happened there.
“But I would put Martin O’Neill just slightly behind him [Jock Stein], and that’s the biggest accolade I can give him.
“He’s been a saviour for Celtic this season, that’s for sure.”
The Jock Stein comparison will naturally grab attention.
Very few former Celtic players speak that strongly about modern managers because of what Stein achieved at the club. Lambert clearly believes O’Neill’s impact stretches beyond trophies though. He rebuilt belief around the squad during a season where confidence looked completely broken at times.
That showed most in the final weeks.
Celtic stopped looking nervous in difficult moments. They kept pushing late into games instead of fading physically or mentally once pressure built around them. O’Neill has always demanded personality from his teams and this group finally started showing it again once he returned.
Now he heads into the Scottish Cup Final with the chance to complete another domestic double.
