Martin O'Neill's Position at Celtic: A Matter of Club Loyalty or Managerial Performance?

Former Celtic captain Paul Lambert stated that while Martin O'Neill's departure from the club would not be surprising, he would be "shocked and disappointed" if the manager were to be sacked.

O'Neill, who has served as Celtic's permanent manager for a second time since the summer, indicated he would use the international break to reassess the team's performance following consecutive defeats to rivals Rangers. These losses, along with a Europa League defeat to Ferencvaros and a significant Champions League collapse against LASK where a four-goal aggregate lead was squandered, have intensified scrutiny on the manager.

"I will reflect on the games," O'Neill commented, referencing his interim roles last season which resulted in a league and Scottish Cup double. "I'm not immune from criticism. Absolutely and utterly far from it. I think there's every reason to ask 'can you turn this round? Can you change the whole thing?' I have to kind of look at the bigger picture at this minute."

Lambert, who played under O'Neill during the manager's initial successful tenure from 2000-2005, believes O'Neill is the best manager Celtic has had since Jock Stein. However, Lambert acknowledged that O'Neill might choose to leave. "It wouldn't surprise me if he left. I don't think he needs it," Lambert said. "I'd be shocked and disappointed if Celtic sacked him. I think they give him the option, if that's what's on his mind, if he did want to walk away."

Lambert emphasized O'Neill's past achievements, stating, "He's got enough credit in the bank. It wasn't that long ago people were shouting for a statue for him, so I don't think you can go from one extreme to the other. If he wants to go, then he goes himself."

Lambert recalled O'Neill's ability to stabilize the team last season after the departures of Brendan Rodgers and Wilfried Nancy. "They were hanging on by a thread and he turned that around," Lambert noted. "There was only one person who could rescue Celtic last season and he did that. I'd bet any money that he hasn't changed anything from how he was then."

Critiquing individual player performances in the losses to Rangers, Lambert also expressed disappointment with defender Cameron Carter-Vickers' comments about the team playing "too random" and needing to "get a script and stick to it." Lambert asserted that players must assume responsibility for their performance. "The players need to take responsibility," he told BBC Radio Scotland. "I watched the game and dear oh dear... That was cringeworthy, the stuff from Carter-Vickers. I thought 'hang on, you're not making a movie'. Solve the problem yourselves. When something is not going right, you look to rectify it, you don't look to a manager to say 'do this or do that'. I thought that was bang out of order, coming from someone who's been a decent player for Celtic."