NafisaMartin O’Neill has given his response to the growing pressure surrounding his Celtic future after another disastrous European night left furious supporters demanding that he resign or be sacked.
The Celtic manager watched his side surrender a second-half lead to lose 2-1 against Celta Vigo at Celtic Park on Thursday, extending their miserable Europa League campaign to three defeats from three matches.
With the Hoops struggling for consistency and supporters increasingly questioning the manager’s tactics, speculation over his future has intensified.
However, O’Neill’s post-match comments offered little indication that he intends to walk away immediately. Instead, the 74-year-old insisted Celtic still have a chance of progressing in Europe, challenging his players to respond before their campaign slips further out of reach.
“We’ve lost three matches now, but remarkably, we’re still in with a chance,” O’Neill told TNT Sports.
“We’ve got to win and we’ve got to win here, we’ve got to win away from home.”
Those comments suggest the manager remains focused on trying to rescue Celtic’s European campaign rather than announcing his resignation. Nevertheless, his determination to continue will do little to silence supporters who believe the club needs a change of direction.
O’NEILL REFUSES TO GIVE UP AFTER FRESH CELTIC COLLAPSE
Celtic appeared to have given themselves a platform for a much-needed European victory when Mika Baur scored early in the second half against Celta Vigo.
But the advantage proved short-lived. Javi Rodriguez equalised with a header from a free-kick before scoring again minutes later, completing the turnaround and leaving Celtic with nothing to show for their efforts.
O’Neill was left frustrated by the circumstances surrounding the equaliser, believing referee Georgi Kabakov should have awarded Celtic a free-kick shortly before giving the visitors a set-piece.
“We conceded a free-kick but I thought that just seconds before that, we had a foul for us.
“The referee has disowned that and given them a foul about ten seconds later. Then they score from the free-kick.”
The Celtic boss also pointed to a missed opportunity that could have changed the match, with Liam Scales hitting the woodwork with a header.
“If Scales’ header goes in to make it 2-0, then we’ll get the three points. It’s fine margins.”
However, O’Neill acknowledged that Celtic ultimately needed to find a way to win European matches rather than dwell on the decisions and chances that went against them.
“We take the lead in the game, if we get the second goal we win the match and it changes the whole dynamic. It didn’t happen, that’s it — we need to try to find a way to win European games.”
For a manager facing mounting criticism, that admission underlines the challenge ahead. Celtic have repeatedly failed to turn promising moments into positive European results, and another defeat has intensified the scrutiny surrounding the coaching staff.
FURIOUS FANS WANT HIM TO RESIGN OR BE SACKED
O’Neill’s determination to continue comes amid growing frustration among Celtic supporters, some of whom believe the manager should have stepped aside during the recent international break.
One supporter, @AGCeltic_, delivered a brutal assessment of the current situation.
“He should have done the honourable thing and resigned during the 3 week break. LASK, the back to back huns games, Ferencvaros and now tonight. The most painfully uncoached Celtic team i’ve ever seen. Stop wasting time and get rid of him. It’s going nowhere”
Another supporter, @Jack67cfc, argued that the situation had become embarrassing and questioned whether O’Neill was getting enough out of the squad.
“The time to resign was the international break but he deluded himself into thinking he could continue but it’s now getting beyond the point of embarrassment now.”
Meanwhile, @FaeTheYY called for changes involving both the manager and his coaching staff, writing:
“Martin o’neill and the coaching staff need to go man. Its all well and good beating a diabolical hearts team but this is fucking dire”
The anger has grown because Celtic’s emphatic 7-1 victory over Hearts has been followed by another European setback. Supporters want to see that domestic performance translated into greater consistency, particularly when Celtic face opponents outside Scotland.
Their concerns are also reflected in the recent run of results, with Celtic managing just two wins in their last seven games. The pressure on O’Neill is therefore about more than the Celta Vigo defeat alone.
DAMNING EUROPEAN NUMBERS ADD TO THE PRESSURE
Celtic’s European statistics have made the situation even more difficult to defend.
The Hoops have lost their opening three Europa League matches against Ferencváros, Benfica and Celta Vigo, scoring just three goals while conceding nine.
GiveMeSport has also highlighted that Celtic conceded 62 shots across those three matches, averaging more than 20 per game.
Those figures raise serious questions about the team’s defensive organisation and ability to control matches against European opposition. While the statistics do not establish that O’Neill alone is responsible for every problem, the manager must find a way to make his side more difficult to break down.
Celtic are now sitting 35th in the 36-team league phase, with no points on the board. Their qualification hopes are not mathematically over, but the margin for error has become extremely small.
O’Neill knows the situation demands an immediate response, and his post-match message was clear: Celtic must start collecting victories both at home and away.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT FOR O’NEILL AND CELTIC?
The manager’s immediate task is to lift his players and ensure the latest defeat does not trigger another damaging run of results.
Celtic still have five Europa League fixtures remaining, against Besiktas, Torreense, Omonia, Marseille and Union Saint-Gilloise. Those matches provide opportunities to recover points, but they also leave O’Neill with little room for further mistakes.
His insistence that Celtic can still progress suggests he intends to keep fighting, but results will ultimately determine whether he can ease the pressure.
The club’s hierarchy must also decide whether it believes O’Neill remains the right man to lead the team through the current difficulties. Supporters demanding his departure will expect the board to take the European performances seriously, particularly given the defensive statistics and the team’s recent inconsistency.
For now, there has been no announcement that O’Neill is resigning. His public position after the Celta Vigo defeat is that Celtic still have a chance and must find a way to win.
But the pressure is mounting, and the next performances will be crucial. If Celtic fail to respond, the calls for O’Neill to leave are unlikely to disappear.
After another painful European night, the manager has made his immediate stance clear: he is talking about rescuing the campaign, not announcing his departure. Whether he can deliver the results needed to convince his critics is the question that now hangs over Celtic.
Nafisa
