Here’s the real message behind Martin O’Neill’s Celtic deliberations

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The Celtic Star

·04 de abril de 2026

Here’s the real message behind Martin O’Neill’s Celtic deliberations

There have been some mainstream media conferences recently where Martin O’Neill has deliberately talked plenty but said next to nothing…

The way things work at Lennoxtown for the pre-match media conferences is that the broadcast media get their chance (formerly the Celtic fan media joined them) and these are the videos you see released by the club.

Then when that’s over the written press ie the newspapers gets their chance to talk to the manager who usually has more to say, even when saying very little. Yesterday though in his sit-down with the red tops Martin O’Neill had plenty to say and it was not by accident. Far from it.

Vídeos OneFootball

Celtic interim Chairman Brian Wilson looks on during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on February 01, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Given that outside of the occasional rather disingenuous appearance by interim Chairman Brian Wilson and his wingman Gerry McCulloch, Martin O’Neill is the only regular voice we hear anything from.

The Celtic CEO is the silent man of Scottish football so it’s unlikely we’re going to hear much, if anything at all from him anytime soon and Dermot Desmond has probably not had the club’s update password for the official website given to him after his previous ill-judged misdemeanours.

Celtic v RB Leipzig – UEFA Champions League – League Stage – Celtic Park Dermot Desmond in the stands ahead of the UEFA Champions League, league stage match at Celtic Park, on Tuesday November 5, 2024. Photo Andrew Milligan

As we get to the significant hurdle of season-ticket renewals those in the boardroom know that once that has been successfully negotiated they can go back to their arrogance and passive aggression towards those they hold in utter contempt, the Celtic support.

Let’s have a look at what Martin O’Neill has been saying and perhaps look beyond this. Any thoughts that these can be his own unfiltered thoughts that are not in tune with the views of principally Dermot Desmond should be left to the naive among our support and the numbers in those ranks have been diminished in this eye-opener of a season.

Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay at Easter Road. Sunday 30 November 2025. Hibs v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Accepting that talks are set to happen between Dermot Desmond, Michael Nicholson and himself, O’Neill floated the idea that he could be involved next season in some capacity or other, while hinting that there’s a significant cause for concern about how things are currently handled at the club. The idea of Martin O’Neill taking a role as some sort of advisor for the Celtic Board, perhaps reading the room outside the heated seat area in the Main Stand to give an insight into what folk in the rank and file support are thinking.

“I genuinely do not know that at all,” Martin O’Neill said when asked if there was a chance that he could be staying on at Celtic in some capacity after the dust settles on this turbulent campaign. Telling he added: “It’s not that I don’t want to.”

Upcoming talks with Desmond and Nicholson are on his mind. “Even when we had a little bit of time last week, where we could have had time to do something, I didn’t have a conversation with Michael on that score.

“We were talking about nothing formal. But I think I will speak to Michael and Dermot at some stage or another. I would think, generally, we would all feel the same about what would be needed to get us back on top.

“If they were asking my opinion about what I thought might be necessary – fine. They can take my opinion or not, as the case may be. It would only be an opinion. Hypothetically, put it like this. Let’s say there was a new manager coming in and I’m at the club in some capacity. Let’s say, for instance, as an advisor to the board.

“If I was the new manager coming in, I probably wouldn’t mind who was on the board and who wasn’t – as long as there was a committee for signing players and as long as the manager would have the final say. I would think that could work. There obviously has to be affordability, but as long as the manager – whoever that may be – has the final say then I think things could work.

“And also I think the manager coming in would be hoping that someone, like an old figure like me, would be on his side. If I was stepping in now as a 45 year-old manager, those are the things I’d like.”

That folks actually is Celtic floating part of their new plan. The recognition that leaving transfer dealings to Michael Nicholson is not working and that there has to be someone on or around the board doing the manager’s bidding and maybe looking to do the deals, within budget of course.

We’ll hear more about this in the coming weeks but it’s the first time in a while when season books will be getting sold with no guarantee of the title being won. That’s not something Martin O’Neill would be talking about, he’s far too intelligent and experienced for that.

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