European football is currently a struggle for Celtic – Martin O’Neill | OneFootball

Martin O’Neill spoke to the written press in Rotterdam last night ahead of what will be his final match in European football this evening as Celtic take on Feyenoord in De Kuip looking to take some points back to Glasgow…

Martin O’Neill interim manager of Celtic Midtjylland vs Celtic, UEFA Europa League, Group Stage, Football, MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark – 06 November 2025Herning MCH Arena Denmark Photo Michael Zemanek Shutterstock IMAGO

The legendary Celtic figure though looked beyond this game to consider the task that incoming Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy will face if he is to become a successful Celtic manager. And for O’Neill it critical that the new boss is backed in the transfer market and that his signings are shrewd.

“If you have recruited a manager, that is fine. But player recruitment is essential, it’s really important,” Martin O’Neill said, as reported by Scottish Sun.

“Last year in terms of Europe it was like a nice, shining light, as if you could push on. Then you step back again and it’s not so strong. In the next couple of years, Celtic will come again in European football. They might just have to step back for a while at this minute, but recruitment is really important.

“I know people always say about January being a difficult window, and it may well be. But if you’re talking about rebuilding the club to try to compete in Europe, and to be able to not have a big intake of breath when someone expects you to go to Feyenoord and win, then that is the point.

Jock Stein, manager Jock Stein of successful Scottish club Celtic. Once again the Glasgow side has taken the Scottish league Division One championships. 3 May 1968. Imago Photo Top Foto (The Celtic Star)

“Jock Stein said it, European football is where Celtic should be. But at this minute it’s a struggle for us.”

It’s hard to understand how Celtic could have gone from competing well in the Champions League last season and giving Bayern Munich their toughest match of the season at their own place to struggling to match our Champions League points tally in the more humble Europa League, but that’s exactly where Celtic has ended up. Brendan Rodgers lost his job – and was accused of self interest – for pointing this out.

Now Martin O’Neill is going down a similar track although he isn’t going to lose his job for pointing out the obvious as he’s leaving on Sunday anyway.

Wilfried Nancy, Head Coach of Columbus Crew SC, arrives prior to the MLS match between Inter Miami CF and Columbus Crew at Chase Stadium on May 31, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

So what does Martin O’Neill have in the Celtic dressing room that he reckons Wilfried Nancy can work with? “Well, they have got a great captain in the side, a very good player who has pulled us out. He scored the goal against (the)Rangers that was really important in extra time, and scored the one last weekend, which was an even better goal, he struck it brilliantly.

“And there’s a number of boys here who have been winners. That’s good. I think the new fella will have to lean on those boys along the way,” O’Neill said.

“We’ve got a group of younger boys who haven’t really been doing that sort of winning, and who maybe don’t really know what the club’s all about. It’s a bit like boys signing for (the)Rangers at the same time, I don’t think they really know about the history.

“I’m not asking young players to be students of the game, I’m just telling them what they have to step up to.”

His advice for Wilfried Nancy is exactly the same as he’d give to any new manager arriving in Glasgow.

Wilfried Nancy of the Columbus Crew holds the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy after winning the 2023 MLS Cup against the Los Angeles FC at Lower.com Field on December 09, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

“He has to win, and he has to win right from the off. You’ve got to win. Celtic over the last 20 years have obviously been the dominating force in Scottish football. But honest to God, it would be the exact same message for the new manager going in at (the)Rangers.

“First of all, winning gives you a bit of respite, and then it gives you a chance to build a team in your manner, whatever that manner may be. It’s all of those things. Style will definitely come later. This idea that you impose a style, for instance, the young fella Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, they are saying he wants to impose a system, but you have to work with the players.

“That would be my only advice. You work with the players that you have, and if you win often enough, then either if you win and you think, ‘Well, winning that way was pretty good, so we’ll try and stick with that’ or you impose your own personality and your own style of play at the football club.”

General view outside the stadium prior to the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Feyenoord and Aston Villa FC at De Kuip on October 02, 2025 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Celtic take on Feyenoord at the Stadion Feijenoord this evening in the  Europa League, kick-off is at 5.45pm CPT and the game is exclusively live on TNT Sports.

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