YOU AND I – and everyone else of a Celtic persuasion – knew we would have to buckle up to ride out the storm of a bumpy ride in the most extraordinary season in recent memory.
Only the possessors of a superabundance of optimism could relish what lay ahead as we turned the year into 2026.
The champions were a hollowed-out wreck of a team. The clueless Wilfried Nancy had his hand on the tiller and he was steering the club unerringly in the direction of the icebergs.
It appeared it was just a matter of time before the inevitable collision that would bring a premature conclusion to a dismal season. Following seven games in charge after taking over from interim boss Martin O’Neill, the guileless Frenchman had plunged the team into chaos.
Celtic suffered four defeats in his first four games, including a mystifyingly awful performance against St Mirren in a Cup Final, and had scraped two wins – one against 10-man Aberdeen at Parkhead where late goals from Kieran Tierney and James Forrest got the job done.
LOOKING DOWN…Wilfried Nancy has that sinking feeling.
A week later, rock-bottom Livingston contrived to score twice in eight minutes against a zombified set of players who managed to pull themselves out of their stupor in time to register a 4-2 victory.
December came to a halt to the strains of ‘this is too f***ing easy’ from the jubilant, if off key, Motherwell fans at Fir Park as their team utterly dominated the visitors. Thankfully, they were content to settle for a 2-0 win.
I never thought I would say this, but our chums in Govan did us all a massive favour when they visited Parkhead in the first game of the new year and, after trailing at the interval, turned the contest on its head as they practically sauntered to a 3-1 success.
A transfixed Nancy stared on from the touchline. It was painfully obvious to all that the former Columbus Crew head coach hadn’t the foggiest.
Two days later, thank goodness, he was relieved of his duties as he hurtled into the Hall of Infamy as officially the worst manager in Celtic’s history. At a mere 33 days, it was also the shortest reign of any occupant of the Hoops hot seat.
O’Neill answered the call for a second time to step up and try to revive an ailing squad of players in serious decline. Somehow, the Irishman magically and miraculously succeeded in hauling the club back from the cliff’s edge.
Vive la difference!
And here we are today, ladies gentlemen. The gleaming Premiership silverware has returned for a fifth successive year to its spiritual home in the east end of Glasgow where it was joined yesterday by the Scottish Cup.
It’s been a helluva journey, hasn’t it?
HAND’S UP IF YOU’RE HAPPY…Martin O’Neill acknowledges the Celtic fans after receiving his Scottish Cup winner’s medal.
But we managed to manoeuvre ourselves through hell and high water to safety and success. And we’re all still here to tell the tale.
Let’s enjoy a very satisfying moment, but no-one will be kidded we witnessed vintage stuff in a fairly crazy campaign.
Even those who view the world through rose-tinted spectacles will be only too aware there is much work to be done on and off the pitch at Celtic.
An upheaval of playing resources is just around the corner. And we need a full-time manager to oversee the required changes in personnel.
There should be no shilly-shallying about the urgency of this appointment. Will it be O’Neill on a one-year deal to keep the club on an even keel? Or will it be Robbie Keane, Craig Bellamy or A.N.Other?
Whoever gets the nod will have to hit the ground running. If someone comes in and pushes the pause button all will be lost before we know it. The current feelgood factor will be obliterated.
SILVER CELT…Martin O’Neill parades the newly-won Scottish Cup.
O’Neill, after producing a scenario which many thought was impossible a few weeks ago, would be a popular choice, especially on the back of two successive results that come close to defying logic.
The possibility of the 74-year-old charismatic son of Kilrea being in the close proximity when the league flag is unfurled in August to herald the kick-off to the 2026/27 season is an intoxicating one.
However, as history savagely reminds us constantly, sentimental gestures in the beautiful game tend to backfire.
Managing Celtic most certainly takes a physical and emotional toll on an individual. Energy – and lots of it – will be required to lead the rebuild that is required.
I am not suggesting for a heartbeat that an OAP cannot draw on reserves of stamina to get things done. I’m 30 days O’Neill’s senior, so I think I know what I’m talking about.
Having said that, the often-intolerable levels of strain and stress on a Celtic manager – and the expectation of a win every matchday – cannot be compared to anything you or I experience on a day-to-day basis.
O’Neill has many things in his favour. For a start, the players appear to be genuinely fond of a team boss who may not be just as quirky or eccentric as he portrays in interviews.
But we all knew of these situations back in the first week in January. Nothing has changed on that front.
This is neither the time nor the occasion to dither over such an important matter. Action is required. Now!
HAIL THE HAMPDEN HEROES…Callum McGregor and his Celtic team-mates celebrate the Scottish Cup success over Dunfermline.
Celtic return to pre-season on June 26 and the first leg of the Champions League play-off due on August 18/19.
No-one could stomach a repeat of last year’s elimination from Kairat Almaty at the first hurdle. The lack of pedigree of the Kazakhstan side was emphasised in the league stage of the elite competition as they were decimated in seven of their eight games.
With riches in the region of £40million up for grabs, the players will need to be primed and good to go this time around.
Before we know who is still around – with Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Arne Engels reasonable bets to clean out their lockers at Lennoxtown and vacate the premises this summer – the meeting between O’Neill and powerbroker Dermot Desmond in the next few days will be of paramount importance.
The outcome could determine if you and I are still smiling at this time next year.
ALEX GORDON
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