PAISLEY, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 25: Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson during a William Hill Premiership match between St Mirren and Celtic at the SMiSA Stadium, on August 25, 2024, in Paisley, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Judging the mood of Martin O’Neill has never been easy. Many, like Connie McLaughlin would say impossible.
What can be said is that the current manager bears little resemblance to the man that transformed Celtic at the turn of the century.
The O’Neill treatment from June 2000 onwards transformed Celtic. An impact that lives on quarter of a century later.
Celtic won four trophies during the nineties.
In O’Neill’s first season he delivered the first treble since 1969.
Trebles weren’t really a thing for Celtic fans.
Almost instantly when O’Neill arrived Kenny Dalglish left his Director of Football role. CEO Allan MacDonald did likewise. Ian MacLeod came and went with a fresh faced Peter Lawwell barely surfacing in the final 20 months of O’Neill’s reign.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARTIN O’NEILL AND MICHAEL NICHOLSON
With all of that in mind it is hard to imagine much of a relationship between the manager and the current CEO.
In honesty it is hard to imagine anyone with a pulse having any level of warmth to Michael Nicholson.
There are valid reasons why he is kept away from the media. He won’t even attend media conferences to introduce new managers.
Nicholson quietly set Brendan Rodgers up to resign. The issues from the sale of Kyogo Furuhashi to the resignation on October 27 are well documented.
O’Neill stepped in to answer the call from Dermot Desmond to come in as interim manager.
Nicholson set about the task of finding the successor to Rodgers. His answer was the equally underwheling Michael Nicholson.
The staged hug as the Frenchman got out of a taxi at Lennoxtown to be met by mute Mike was one of the most cringe-worthy episodes of last season.
Nancy came and went, O’Neill returned on January 5 at the start of another transfer window of under-performance.
On ACSOM on Thursday Paul John Dykes was running solo. While answering questions from viewers he let slip an interesting and believable tale from last season.
https://youtu.be/cmc8wNzmDFA?t=3262
54 minutes and 20 seconds in
PJ Dykes said:
I’ve heard the stories, I’ve heard of a driver waiting to pick up Martin O’Neill on the night or the following day of the January transfer window. His driver, not a taxi, his driver, a phone call coming through from Michael Nicholson he refused to pick it up.
He was so frustrated. So there’s a lot of frustration I think in Martin O’Neill.
ONGOING TRANSFER CHAOS AT CELTIC
This summer was another transfer shambles.
Fans assumed that O’Neill had returned to promises in the transfer market.
He got five cast offs from other sides in on loan. With midfield overlooked Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was signed on a short term deal.
Somehow O’Neill galvanised the squad into winning seven SPFL matches on the bounce having lost 8 of their first 31.
As a bonus the Scottish Cup was won.
Rather than gratitude from the boardroom O’Neill was served another bout of contempt from Nicholson.
At Celtic the transfer window is an opportunity to pile up profits. Other clubs use it to strengthen and invest.
Now the big match defeats are piling up.
As ever the CEO is invisible. No attempt is put out to make Nicholson credible.
O’Neill’s mood music is impossible to judge but at some stage he just might shine some light on the internal workings that make being drawn against Celtic a pleasure for teams like Kairat Almaty, LASK Linz and Ferencvaros.
What should Celtic Fans Collective do with Not Another Penny?
CONTINUE- This is the main way to protest
SUSPEND- Let us see what Celtic Connect produces
ABANDON- No longer required or useful
rid of the board now
Seriously 7% of you eejits are willing to give this board a chance with the “independent” Celtic Connect.
Jesus wept
The classic divide and conquer!!!
Empty seats.
Until that starts happening, nothing changes.
And what better stage than this Sunday?
But of course…for all we say they died and there’s no OF, we all still piss our pants when the games come round.
Haven’t called them by their old handle since and never will.
We really need to all give our heads a wobble when it comes them and how we actually validate the OF brand.
We need NAG not NAP…not another game..
Empty seats.
O’Neil now realises he has been taken for a mug,his demeanor is now apparent, a very unhappy man.just like his predecessors. The Collective etc.must keep up the pressure on Desmond and Co.