Chris Sutton posts surprising Martin O’Neill claim in message after Celtic lose to Rangers
Celtic’s season is on the verge of collapse after yet another dire performance under Wilfried Nancy in their 3-1 loss against Rangers.
The defeat has seen Hearts go six points clear at the summit, with the Hoops now in danger of not qualifying for the Champions League, let alone lifting the title.
Nancy could soon be sacked at Celtic, with the fans turning on the Frenchman after a sixth defeat in eight games.
However, Chris Sutton believes that the problems run further than the manager alone, with the performances from across the entire campaign now being questioned by the ex-Hoops attacker, who is far from amused.
Chris Sutton: Celtic were fortunate under Martin O’Neill
Before Nancy, Celtic weren’t exactly having a season to be envious of.
Brendan Rodgers helped oversee the collapse, with Hearts clear at the top upon his departure.
While Martin O’Neill fixed many of the problems at Celtic during his interim period, Sutton has suggested that the former Aston Villa boss was “fortunate” as he criticised the Hoops for “sleeping at the wheel”.
This sums up where Celtic are at as a club at present
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) January 3, 2026
“ Players need to buy into it”
“We are still learning “
“It’s a work in progress “
There’s a league to win… too much sleeping at the wheel. And let’s get it right Celtic were poor under Brendan and fortunate under Martin… https://t.co/hGRryfWvVm
He stated on X when responding to an Auston Trusty interview before the Rangers defeat: “This sums up where Celtic are at as a club at present. ‘Players need to buy into it’, ‘we are still learning’, ‘it’s a work in progress’.
“There’s a league to win…, too much sleeping at the wheel.
“And let’s get it right, Celtic were poor under Brendan (Rodgers) and fortunate under Martin (O’Neill)…”
Rangers overtake Celtic in Old Firm derby victories
Unfortunately, Saturday’s derby defeat has inflicted further humiliation on Celtic.
According to BBC Sport on 3 January, Rangers now have the most wins in the Old Firm derby after their comeback victory.
Before the game, both teams were level on 172 wins after Celtic’s 3-1 Premier Sport Cup semi-final victory.
- Celtic were hoping to win their 56th Scottish Premiership title this season
- However, their defeat to Rangers has allowed Hearts to go six points clear at the top
- As a result, Celtic may be forced to depart with yet another manager this season, in what has been a terrible campaign to date
However, the Gers have now reclaimed this title, picking up their 173rd win to increase their bragging rights.
Hopefully for Celtic, this loss will not come back to haunt them at the end of the campaign, either in their race for the title of Champions League football, especially if this ends up being to Rangers’ benefit.