Celtic manager Martin O’Neill always gives an honest account of his thoughts when put in front of a camera. Some managers go for spin, Martin is much more simple.
His comments this week about not being convinced by Celtic’s recruitment will ring true to many supporters after a sit down with SkySports.
The interview, conducted with his former striker Chris Sutton, was originally scheduled to air on Sky Sports before Celtic’s trip to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen tonight.
After the match was postponed, the full chat instead found its way onto Sky Sports’ YouTube channel, and buried within it was a passage that many supporters will cling to.
Because without raising his voice or throwing accusations around, O’Neill effectively admitted Celtic’s recruitment process was not to a standard befitting the club.
Asked whether things changed after Paul Tisdale’s departure and whether there was a lack of proper planning behind the scenes, the Celtic manager did not dodge the question.
Sitting across from someone he knows well in Sutton, the tone felt conversational, almost relaxed, and that is perhaps why the answer came out so candid.
“Well I, listen, I genuinely don’t mind. I don’t, I think, if you’re asking me honestly, I think that, I wasn’t totally convinced about the recruitment for Celtic Football Club.”
O’Neill is not attacking anyone upstairs, and he even makes clear the respect he has for those who brought him back to the club. But you can sense the honesty of someone who has a level of respect for the support.
He went on to stress what Celtic should be striving for.
“You know, it is still a big club and the ambition of the football club is to play big European matches, you know, to be involved in big European games.”
It is about standards that match the size of the club.
For years now, fans have questioned how windows are handled. Deals feel late. Plans feel reactive. Too often Celtic look like they are plugging gaps rather than building something solid.
Hearing the manager admit he was not convinced by the recruitment will feel like validation for many in the stands.
This is not the usual online moaning or post-match anger. It is coming from someone who has managed Celtic at the highest level and knows exactly what the club looks like when it is strong and decisive in the market.
To be fair, O’Neill did acknowledge the challenges of the January window and said he was happy enough with the work done, while also noting the club resisted big offers for key players – mostly Arne Engels.
Celtic supporters worried about the club’s direction will recognise exactly what he meant. When someone as measured as O’Neill admits he was not convinced by the recruitment, it tells you there is a problem that runs deeper than perception.
If anything, it feels like the most grounded and truthful assessment we have heard from inside Celtic in a long time.
Remember, the Celtic Collective and reps of major associations sat in a meeting with Michael Nicholson at the back end of last year where Nicholson said there was nothing wrong with the strategy. We also had our 35% shareholder Dermot Desmond saying Celtic strategy was not to blame for poor results but instead left the blame at Brendan Rodgers feet.
This was all before they also chose to hire a manager in Wilfried Nancy mid season who was going to rip up the way Celtic played in the midst of an important run including a cup final. It beggars belief how Nicholson still sits in a job when he sanctioned the recruitment process with Tisdale leading the charge and rubber stamped the Nancy project.
Celtic will now have to wait to find out when their postponed game against Aberdeen will take place. It leaves them playing catch up but if they can get the game played asap, they can yet look to close the gap on Hearts.
I’m quite sure you’re going to do your very best to try to turn this very smart, intelligent and positive transfer window as negative as you possibly can though, won’t you M. Ross?