ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - NOVEMBER 26: Celtic Interim Manager Martin O'Neill during a Celtic MD-1 press conference at De Kuip Stadium, on November 26, 2025, in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Celtic opted to turn Martin O’Neill’s return to Lennoxtown into an opportunity to strengthen their links with cherished media partners.
Apparently communication is an area that Michael Nicholson and Brian Wilson want to improve on.
Last season the club launched the blandest of apps in a bid to sell more Adidas merchandise to supporters.
Unfortunately the club remains old school, strictly analogue as they pander to media sources from the 1990s..
On August 5 Celtic announced on their website that O’Neill was in hospital for a small procedure.
After that it was over to Shaun Maloney to provide updates, before and after the match against Kilmarnock. No update directly from the club.
O’Neill returned to training at Lennoxtown on Wednesday, possibly earlier.
CELTIC PLAYING THE MEDIA GAME
The Celtic-Player carried an extensive interview with the manager on Thursday.
Uploaded after 10am but ‘mysteriously’ full details appeared between 7 and 7.30am in the Daily Record, The Celtic Way and The Sun.
Those publishers were on last month’s Algarve jolly.
Handed access to selected players but not Callum McGregor or Arne Engels. Access to Martin O’Neill.
And of course some boozy nights out as the Celtic boss referenced following the home friendly with Middlesbrough. Twice in case anyone missed it.
The Albufeira Four consisted of reporters from the Daily Record, Herald/Celtic Way and Sun.
On return the Record revealed that Kelechi Iheanacho was demanding £50,000 a week in wages. The Herald went for a more modest £47,000 a week.
Both figures were miles out.
Neither publisher is known for having insiders at Turkish Second Division side Bursaspor.
Gaffer issues health update ?
Reveals transfer priority ?
Hints at tactical tweaks ??? Martin O’Neill’s first Celtic interview since leaving hospital – ?&? ?? ???? ?https://t.co/nam16t4P36 pic.twitter.com/wC4GzxwIKj
— Daily Record Sport (@Record_Sport) August 13, 2026
Tweeted at 8.10am full Q and A for the interview that wasn’t published until 10.19am
“I just think he’ll glow. Going past players now is sort of a dying art, which is really almost unforgivable in football.”
Martin O’Neill has returned to public Celtic duties in a new club media interview, talking about Hassan, Hogh and more.
?? https://t.co/jS31zMrhTU pic.twitter.com/mkOui14pWo
— John McGinley (@jhnmcgnly) August 13, 2026
Published at 7.09am
Celtic seal stunning £10m transfer deal for World Cup star as O’Neill bolsters Hoops attack as part of £16m double swoop ?https://t.co/t5DEMq4eG9 pic.twitter.com/I6RBPEGFgT
— Scottish Sun Sport (@scotsunsport) August 13, 2026
The Sun went at 7.22
At 5pm on June 5 the Record, Sun and Herald all published the news that O’Neill had agreed a one year contract as permanent manager. On June 11 Celtic confirmed the appointment.
NEW MEDIA- DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
O’Neill’s return was good news in personal and club terms.
Something to share.
To feed onto the Celtic app, directly delivered to thousands of Celtic fans.
Instead the publishers that went to the Algarve scooped the quotes first. Almost certainly there were sitting on them overnight.
Criticism of the Celtic board barely surfaces in the Record, Sun and Herald/Celtic Way.
You won’t read them discuss the fact that Michael Nicholson has been interviewed twice in almost five years as CEO.
Or the clubs woeful European performances, trailing behind clubs from Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Ukraine and Greece.
Maintaining the vile O** F*** partnership suits both parties.
With Celtic fans having to turn to legacy outlets for the most basic of club news.
The best way to commercialise everything about Celtic FC is to continually evolve as a club and to continue to win trophies and be successful ? Otherwise you get the Ibroxland scenario ! A clumpany which has spent the gubbins of £60 million sovs on dud recruits in the past 3 years alone and counting and is today imploding at the core …unable to win any title domestically and being embarrassed in Europe once again ! The best way forward is the one utilised this week by the board ….bringing in another 2 class quality expensive players giving the entire club a fresh lease of life ? Four new top players in the building with the strong possibility of more to come in the last 3 weeks of the window , thrashing Kilmarnock away from home 5-1 last weekend , a ton of money for sales of players and a super healthy bank balance are some of the ways in which to make fortunes from ongoing and new commercial deals . The sense of renewed optimism for the fans in only 5 short days is incredible to experience . And with the board finally grasping the nettle there can be no stopping Celtic FC on all fronts now under the incomparably brilliant boss …Martin O’Neill.
The only way to move forward on all fronts is to dispose of the incompetent, greedy dinosaurs named the board. I am as enthusiastic as the next supporter about our new signings but I am not patting the board on the back for doing it’s job this is the type of transfer business we should be doing every year. Speculate to accumulate which we have successfully done in the past not sell to buy. On that note, when we thought they were maybe approaching things differently comes the news of Engels being sold before a CL game. So by my estimation we have lost nothing from the bank balance as maeda and engels fee cover that little deficit nicely. MON must be the driving force behind these deals. I believe he probably threatened to resign if they didn’t get quality in. So they haven’t changed at all. Still treating the fans as imbeciles not worthy of engaging with on any basis. As for Europe we’re still viewed as a penny pinching board with a biscuit tin approach who are a laughing stock. Until there gone nothing much changes.