Martin O’Neill will walk into Celtic Park on Sunday knowing this could be his final Glasgow derby in the dugout. The interim Celtic manager admitted as much himself ahead of the clash with Rangers, and the timing gives the fixture an extra edge.
When O’Neill returned mid-season, the mood around the club was flat. Celtic were drifting through matches, injuries were piling up and Hearts had control of the title race. Since then, the performances have not always been polished, but the team have found a way to stay alive domestically.
The recent run has changed the atmosphere around Celtic Park again. Daizen Maeda’s form has lifted the attack, Kelechi Iheanacho has started contributing goals and the support has responded to the fight the team are showing. Celtic now head into the derby knowing a win keeps pressure firmly on Hearts going into the final stretch.
O’Neill has also handled the derby better than many expected. Danny Röhl has still not beaten him this season, and Celtic’s control during the penalty shootout win at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup quarter-final showed the experience O’Neill still brings in these matches.
O’Neill spoke openly about his future before the Rangers game.
He said: (Daily Record), “I would say most likely (final Glasgow Derby).
“It’s an Old Firm game so regardless of what the result was before, I think it’ll be a strong Rangers side and a big reaction, so we’ve got to be ready for that.
“The place will be rocking, there seems a bit of unison within the club at the moment which is good news.
“There was a bit of ill-feeling at the time and there didn’t seem a united football club.
“There’s no doubt about it, the crowd in full voice cheering the team on, even allowing for mistakes, has been very positive and I think it’s rubbed off on the players.”
That point about unity probably says more than anything else from the press conference. O’Neill arrived back into a club where frustration around the board, recruitment and performances had spilled into the stands. The atmosphere during parts of the season felt tense, especially after poor results against Dundee United, Hearts and Rangers.
It looks different now.
Celtic Park has felt louder again during recent wins, especially with the title race still alive. Players like Maeda feed off that energy because their game depends on intensity and pressure high up the pitch. Celtic have looked sharper when the crowd have sensed that aggression early in matches.
Sunday may well be O’Neill’s final derby, but it also gives him the chance to leave another mark on a fixture he has understood better than most managers to sit in the Celtic dugout.
