Martin O’Neill will get his first chance to speak publicly to Celtic supporters in person tonight after being confirmed as the club’s permanent manager.
The Irishman is due to appear at Styx in Kirkcaldy on Friday evening, in what will now take on added significance following confirmation of his return to the Celtic dugout.
O’Neill had already been scheduled for a run of live Q&A events, but his appointment has completely changed the tone of those appearances.
What may once have been a nostalgic evening looking back on his first spell at Celtic will now become one of the first opportunities for supporters to hear directly from the man tasked with leading the club into next season.
Celtic confirmed this week that O’Neill has agreed a one-year deal, with the option of a further year, after guiding the club through a dramatic end to the campaign.
The 74-year-old helped deliver a stunning title finish and Scottish Cup success during his interim spell, before the board moved to make his return permanent.
Now, supporters will be keen to hear what he has to say.
O’Neill is expected to be in Kirkcaldy tonight before a busy weekend of appearances. He is also due in Dumfries on Saturday for a live Q&A, before heading to the Castle Rooms in Galashiels on Saturday evening.
Further events are scheduled in Uddingston on Sunday, Blantyre on Sunday night and the Tulloch Institute in Perth on Monday night.
It means O’Neill will be in front of supporters several times across the next few days, just as attention turns towards the summer transfer window, his backroom team and Celtic’s plans for the new campaign.
There will be obvious questions supporters want answered.
Of course, these events are not club press conferences. They are live supporter nights, and O’Neill is unlikely to give away every detail of Celtic’s summer plans.
But even so, the timing is fascinating.
For many supporters, hearing O’Neill speak in person so soon after his appointment will be special. His connection with the fanbase has never really faded, and the scenes at the end of last season only deepened that bond.
There is also something fitting about it.
After everything that has happened over the past few months, O’Neill’s first public appearances since the permanent announcement will not come in a polished media setting, but in front of Celtic supporters across Scotland.
That feels very Martin O’Neill.
But tonight in Kirkcaldy, and across the weekend, supporters will get the chance to hear from O’Neill directly.
After his remarkable return to Celtic, that should make for a very interesting few nights.
