KILMARNOCK, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 18: Celtic Manager Martin O'Neill during a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Fourth Round match between Auchinleck Talbot and Celtic at BBSP Stadium Rugby Park, on January 18, 2026, in Kilmarnock, Scotland. (Photo by Alan Harvey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Chris Sutton has his doubts over how happy Martin O’Neill is with Celtic’s January transfer window activity.
The former Celtic striker sat down with his former boss for a jokey, matey interview on Tuesday. The day after the transfer window closed, the day before facing Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
Celtic completed three deals on deadline day to give the impression of a club working hard to improve.
Only the gullible media types bought into that. Streetwise and scunnered fans saw it coming a mile away.
Deadline Day usually involves nothing or a rush of players surplus to requirements elsewhere.
O’NEILL LEFT TO PICK UP THE PIECES
It was the third window of complete underachievement. All driven by Michael Nicholson, the CEO that appointed Mark Lawwell, Paul Tisdale and Wilfried Nancy.
No other club would allow a serial failure like Nicholson near decision making or transfer activity.
Celtic prides themselves on being a club like no other.
Sutton has watched the rapid descent since Munich last year, writing in the Daily Record he admitted:
Martin O’Neill was in good form when I sat down to interview him for Sky Sports the day after the transfer window closed.
He was in decent spirits and he declared himself happy with the business done by the club.
I’m not so convinced, as I suspect O’Neill might have been putting on a brave face.
Is he really happy?
O’Neill is never going to say otherwise but I have my doubts, particularly about the players arriving on deadline day.
Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka have struggled in recent times and might be coming in with points to prove.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may be able to turn the tide but it is a huge ask on someone that hasn’t played since May 2025.
Celtic are entering what looks like a gentle run of fixtures against Dundee, Livingston and Kilmarnock.
That is quickly followed by trips to Stuttgart, Ibrox and Pittodrie. After the rearranged match at Aberdeen the true picture of the season will emerge.
Celtic currently trail by six points, sitting in third place in one of the worst leagues in Europe.
If the club was as well run as they like to portray themselves O’Neill wouldn’t be in the manager’s job.
It is the multiple failings of the executives that have taken the club to this point. It would be amazing if O’Neill was truly happy with the five January loan deals.
Its getting a bit tiresome everybody on adamu and mvukas back already saying how the must be rubbish cos of their stats when cvancaras stats were similar and hardly setting the world alight with 3 league goals in 39 in his last appearances and he hadn’t started a match since November and with a goal and an assist in his first 2 appearances when hes not even fully match sharp yet looks like hes got a good chance of doin the business for us so how about we actually get behind these guys and watch them play before writing them off as duds.
Absolutely Mick. Well said.
Objectively, MON ‘shouldn’t ‘ be too concerned about the transfer window?
His role is interim manager until May.
After the BR walkout, bringing in/letting go of MON, getting rid of Nancy, then bringing back MON,
his remit must have been to simply steady the ship after such a sh!tshow of a first half of the season?
After that – anything he wins is a bonus.
…and if a competent ‘transfer business model’ had actually existed, it would have ticked along in January
as normal – with or without MON.
Michael Nicholson negotiates details of transfers etc (sale /buy/ loan contracts) with agents. He doesn’t select players to buy/in-loan or sell/out on loan. There may be instances where a person higher up, tells him to accept a big sale price.
The Board still holds the purse strings.
Dermot Desmond did say, that the Manager always plays a role in these decisions. I did read that, but can’t take you to where. It would be great if Chris Sutton could interview Michael Nicholson. We know that Shaun Maloney played a role in recruiting one player. Shaun would be communicating with Martin most days. Martin contacted Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. That’s old school and very impressive. I may have missed it, but did Joe Hart tell Martin about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s situation.
James Bell-Walker the former Scout from Chelsea, started with Celtic about 1 January 2026. We don’t know if he has been making initial contact with players agents and keeping in close contact with Shaun and Martin before MN takes over with the rest. Time will tell how the recruiting went. I don’t mind players on loan to the end of this season, with options to buy. With these transactions being so late, creates big bugbears.
Editor: And your point is?
Since January 2022 it has been constant failure under Nicholson who drains £17k a week and is planning more of the same in the summer. He learned well from his mentor.
I only gave my observations of the January transfer period for any reader to take away what
they thinks my message might be. Why be direct and then be abused by the Principal Blogger.
Bloggers have doubled their ante against MN since P Lawwell left. I don’t want MN to suffer
mentally.
Bloggers say the January Trading period has been disastrous. I can’t say that’s the case right now.
Michael Nicholson in a rare recent interview admitted “we can improve in areas of out management”. That’s my paraphrasing of what I heard. I think he was honest and sincere
I believe that the January Trading business showed an improvement in effort and efficacy by the team contributing.
Your click questionnaire said otherwise?. Let’s see.
Editor: Michael Nicholson has no ability for the job, no personality, no presence. He owes his current salary to his mentor big Peter. After Celtic Nicholson won’t get near a senior job in football.
Only the lads from Thick News support him. Nicholson appointed Lawwell Mini, Tisdale and Nancy.
The transfers and five year contracts given to Holm, Tilio, Kwon, Nawrocki, Palma, Shin, Balikwisha and Inamura are on Nicholson.
Nicholson thought he could create a managed decline to get rid of Rodgers. He got rid of Rodgers, now Celtic are seeing the consequences.
Hopefully you and your Thick News mates enjoyed the atmosphere last night, as warm as when Nicholson walks into a room.
Ed; £17k a week may be the going rate for the job of CEO. What is the point in replacing the CEO like for like? Nicholson, I’d say, is capable of the position!
Success of the Club depends on success of the team on the park.
That necessarily impinges on the Football Manager!
We need a football manager who can deliver this.
Martin is brilliant but he has been out of the game for a long time.
Managers who know the game can probably quadruple their salary elsewhwere!
Replacing Nicholson won’t change anything. So what is the point?
Editor: Please share the qualities that Nicholson brings to the job, this is the guy that appointed Lawwell Mini, Tisdale and Nancy and has Celtic third in the one horse domestic race.
MN is a money grabbing soab….Celtic fan my arse! Support the team, sack the board….not another penny.
The cuttle fish in a budgies cage has more use and charisma than MN!
It would surely be an act of self – sabotage to remove from post Nicholson without an alternative replacement. He has knowledge and experience in the post.
Scottish football and our club has always been run on a shoe – string basis. That’s the way it is! There are no rich golden seams of revenue to tap into. It is the working man’s game!We rely on expertise and pragmatic skills to succeed. That depends on personell.
If the personell are not there or not available, then you cannot recruit them.
The maister – Nicholson is capable of doing the job…
WILFRED FU**IN NANCY…
Can I please get some of the substance that directed your brain to direct yer paws to pen that !!!!!
Well said Clach, anyone defending nicholson needs their head examined,same goes for those desmond arse lickers, Lennon and co.
Give me the names of a few football managers who were suitable, available and willing to replace Rodgers when he suddenly resigned.
Managers who could put Celtic back as a challenging force in Europe again?
Not so easy!
Editor: Take a back seat or a long holiday over on Thick News- Nicholson went on a crusade to get rid of Rodgers without realising that he didn’t have a clue how to replace him.
I don’t sit at the back and long holidays not for me, today anyway.
Rodgers resigned.
Remember?
Editor: Good-bye, you’ll be among your own on Thick News.
Have you got that?!
Editor , thick news is now just a political site now , infested with that shitebag An Tearymon