Martin O'Neill's remarkable return to Celtic culminated in a Premiership title that defied logic and expectation. After a season marred by fan fury, boardroom infighting, and disastrous managerial appointments, the 71-year-old guided a wounded team to glory, sealing the championship with a late-season surge of 21 points from a possible 21.
The campaign began with Brendan Rodgers at the helm but quickly descended into acrimony. A Champions League qualifying exit to Kairat Almaty set the tone, and Rodgers' public criticisms of the club's transfer business – famously comparing his squad to a Honda Civic rather than a Ferrari – poisoned the atmosphere. Following defeats to Dundee and Hearts in October, Rodgers resigned, prompting major shareholder Dermot Desmond to issue an unprecedented statement branding the former manager 'divisive, misleading, and self-serving.'
O'Neill, initially drafted as interim boss, brought instant stability with five straight league wins. Yet Celtic's hierarchy then took a monumental gamble, appointing Wilfried Nancy on the recommendation of head of football operations Paul Tisdale. The decision backfired spectacularly: Nancy lost the League Cup final to St Mirren and suffered league defeats to Hearts and Dundee United within his first three matches, reigniting the fury among supporters.
With the club in turmoil, O'Neill answered the call once more in March. Following a 2-0 loss at Tannadice that left Celtic five points behind leaders Hearts, O'Neill set a stark target: seven wins from seven. 'This is a blow but we're not finished yet,' he said. Remarkably, his side delivered. Grinding out results with grit rather than flair, Celtic reeled off six consecutive victories before a dramatic final-day triumph snatched the title.
The numbers behind the championship paint a picture of decline masked by resilience. Celtic finished with 82 points – 10 fewer than last season, 17 fewer than the term before. Their 73 goals scored represented the club's lowest league tally in 19 years, a direct consequence of failing to adequately replace Kyogo Furuhashi, who departed well over a year ago. Defensively, the 41 goals conceded were the most in 33 years, though the absences of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston, who managed only 13 league appearances between them, provided mitigation.
The summer transfer window proved a lightning rod for discontent. Among the 12 arrivals were Kieran Tierney, Isaac English, Ross Doohan, Benjamin Nygren, Callum Osmand, Hayato Inamura, Shin Yamada, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Marcelo Saracchi, Sebastien Tounekti, and Kelechi Iheanacho – yet only five would feature in double-figure league matches. Rodgers insinuated many were 'club signings' forced upon him, further stoking tensions that spilled into public view.
January's business offered little respite. Loan signings Julian Araujo, Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu, Benjamin Arthur, Joel Mvuka, and free agent Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived, but Araujo's campaign was curtailed by injury. The disjointed recruitment, spanning three managers, left Celtic with a bloated yet unbalanced squad, echoing fan frustrations over the lack of coherent strategy.
Off the pitch, the board faced relentless protests. Banners and chants condemned the hierarchy, and at November's AGM, Desmond's son Ross accused a vocal minority of 'aggressive and irrational criticism,' decrying attempts to 'dehumanise and vilify' chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson. The meeting was abandoned amid uproar, emblematic of a club at war with itself.
O'Neill's achievement, therefore, transcends the trophy. He navigated a toxic environment, healed fractures, and extracted every ounce of spirit from a squad shorn of confidence. His 19 wins from 23 league games – with only two defeats – underscored his calming influence. While this Celtic side lacked the swagger of recent vintage, their unity under fire proved decisive.
In the end, the story was one of redemption. Two decades after his first Parkhead tenure, O'Neill delivered a title few thought possible. The scenes of celebration masked a season of discontent, but for now, Celtic can savour a triumph that was as improbable as it was hard-earned.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.