Martin O’Neill exit sealed at Celtic, he has been ‘hung out to dry’
Martin O’Neill has twice come to the rescue for Celtic this season amid their ongoing managerial struggles.
The 73-year-old stepped up to take interim charge of the team after Brendan Rodgers’ departure earlier in the campaign, and was willing to return at the start of January after his own replacement Wilfried Nancy was shown the door.
O’Neill has been a unifying figure at Celtic in recent months, as his popularity among the fanbase has gradually helped to detract from some of the vitriol towards the board that was clear to see earlier in the season.
The veteran boss is desperately trying to battle to retain the Bhoys’ Scottish Premiership title, but he has not found it easy going so far.
Tam McManus claims could lead to Martin O’Neill exit
O’Neill has been in contention for the Celtic job on a permanent basis, when the board make their next concrete appointment in the summer.
The former Aston Villa boss is due to take interim charge of the team until the end of the current campaign, before the club hierarchy then confirm their long-term plans in terms of the managerial role.
Celtic completed five loan signings during the January window to aid their ongoing title fight, with Junior Adamu, Joel Mvuka and Benjamin Arthur all coming through the door on deadline day.
However, former Hibernian striker and pundit Tam McManus feels that O’Neill has been “hung out to dry” by Celtic’s winter business, considering that they haven’t completed a permanent signing or paid a fee for a player.
If the boss shares that viewpoint, then it will surely end any slim chance of him taking the job on a permanent basis at the end of the season.
O’Neill has been keen to ensure that he is given the necessary tools to achieve his remit of trying to retain the league title, but if he feels that he has been undersold by the hierarchy in the transfer market, then he will surely have mentally sealed his exit already.
Celtic remain short in the goalkeeping department
Football Insider revealed at the start of January that Celtic were keen to replace Kasper Schmeichel, with a move for a new goalkeeper towards the top of their list of priorities after the Dane has made a string of errors this season.
However, the deadline ultimately passed on Monday night without a fresh addition coming through the door in that department, not even another option to add further competition to motivate the number one.
Celtic are highly unlikely to become a league-winning team with an error-prone shot-stopper between the posts, and O’Neill will know that as well as anybody.
Schmeichel is commanding a significant wage at Celtic Park and would not have been keen to see himself drop to the bench, but if the board were truly ambitious, then they would have gone all out to get a new gloveman.
The fact that they haven’t leaves the door open for the 39-year-old to cost them more points in the second half of the season, and that is something that they will surely come to regret.