IT CREPT in with the merest whisper and went out with an almighty roar.
Celtic’s 2025/26 campaign will go down in the Hoops’ Hall of Fame as one of the most extraordinary in the club’s proud history.
Written off and dismissed, the Parkhead men simply refused to roll over – and completed an unforgettable crusade with a league and Cup double.
CQN continues our EXCLUSIVE series as we tell the tale of how Martin O’Neill, who twice answered SOS calls from his old club, manoeuvred Celtic through a minefield to achieve the impossible dream of a fifth successive title.
Please enjoy!
FAREWELL…Martin O’Neill waves goodbye to the Celtic supporters.
DECEMBER 2025
MARTIN O’NEILL took what he thought was his final bow at Parkhead on the Wednesday evening of December 3 as he waved to the Celtic fans following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Dundee.
Daizen Maeda bravely netted the only goal of the game in the eleventh minute and took a kick on the head for his trouble.
He had to be helped off the pitch before returning with his head heavily bandaged as he continued to play his part in a victorious farewell to the popular Irishman.
The win over the Dens Parkers plus Hearts’ 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock at Tynecastle put the champions joint top of the Premiership on 32 points. The Edinburgh side were three goals better off, but the Hoops had a game in hand.
Wilfried Nancy was confirmed Brendan Rodgers’ long-tern successor as O’Neill bowed out with the support serenading him. Seven wins in eight games would certainly help the Celtic cause.
The Frenchman agreed a two-and-a-half year contract when he arrived from MLS outfit Columbus Crew and he was given the ideal opportunity to take the team back to pole position in the league when Derek McInnes brought the capital side to Parkhead four days after O’Neill’s goodbye.
Nancy embarked on a chaotic and catastrophic 33 days in charge with a dreadful, error-strewn 2-1 loss on his debut. Kieran Tierney struck the team’s consolation goal late in a baffling performance that saw the team blow the chance to go top.
The misery continued in midweek as AS Roma coasted to a three-goal half-time advantage in the Europa League confrontation at the same venue. Thankfully, the Serie A aces took their foot off the pedal after the interval and settled for 3-0 at full-time.
TAYSIDE TORTURE…Wilfried Nancy watches another horror show.
Could Nancy arrest the slump and win silverware in his third game at the Hoops? The answer was delivered in emphatic fashion by St Mirren as they deservedly won 3-1 in the Premier Sports League Cup Final at Hampden on December 14.
Increasingly, the noose was tightening on the misfit manager and the patience of the travelling support snapped when the team suffered a fourth consecutive defeat to consign the Frenchman to the history books as officially the club’s worst boss of all time.
He faced a barrage of abuse from the raging Hoops fans as the team collapsed to a 2-1 loss against Dundee United after yet another x-certificate display.
Nancy admitted the supporters were entitled to vent their fury at him – but insisted he is still the right man for the job.
Daizen Maeda had given the visitors an early lead in a first-half that was littered with astonishing misses from Johnny Kenny before Jim Goodwin’s side fought back after the interval with quickfire strikes from Krisztian Keresztes and Zac Sapsford.
The away support were united in their condemnation of the new gaffer and he admitted: “I heard it and obviously it’s not nice to hear that.
“But I can understand their frustration. It’s new for me, too, to lose four games in a row. It’s something new for the players and something we don’t want.
“We don’t have a lot of time to work. You are going to think I am silly, but I see a lot of improvement.
HAND IT TO HIM…Wilfried Nancy finds something to applaud.
“I can see improvement every day. In terms of results, I can understand why the fans are upset.
“We had a lot of chances in the first-half, we had clear tap-ins and couldn’t score. I’m disappointed for the players because I felt we played a really good game.
“We improve, improve, improve – and then suddenly, boom, we concede two goals.
“We deserved to win, but didn’t.”
There was some merciful relief for Nancy, the players and the fans with two successive victories – 3-1 against 10-man Aberdeen and 4-2 over doomed Livingston – before a fifth setback, the remarkably feeble 2-0 loss to Motherwell at Fir Park on December 30.
The big question was: How long could Nancy survive into the New Year?
RESULTS
December 3:
Premiership:
CELTIC 1 Dundee 0
Maeda
December 7:
Premiership:
CELTIC 1 Hearts 2
Tierney
December 11:
Europa League:
CELTIC 0 As Roma 3
December 14:
Premier Sports League Cup: Final:
CELTIC 1 St Mirren 3
Hatate
December 17:
Premiership:
Dundee United 2 CELTIC 1
Maeda
December 21
Premiership:
CELTIC 3 Aberdeen 1
Nygren, Tierney, Forrest
December 27:
Premiership:
Livingston 2 CELTIC 4
Nygren 2, Yang, Engels (pen)
December 30:
Premiership:
Motherwell 2 CELTIC 0
* TOMORROW: Don’t miss Part Six of The Impossible Dream – only in your champion CQN.
