McNamara thinks O’Neill could
Former Parkhead defender tips old boss to remain in charge of champions
JACKIE McNAMARA believes Martin O’Neill will remain in position as Celtic’s manager next season. McNamara registered just shy of 200 appearances under O’Neill during his initial fiveyear spell in charge at Parkhead between 2000 and 2005.
Now 74, the Northern Irishman briefly returned earlier this season following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation.
O’Neill was then called upon once more in January following the failed Wilfried Nancy experiment.
He subsequently led Celtic to a frenetic William Hill Premiership title triumph and could win a double on Saturday if his side can overcome Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final.
And McNamara – knowing O’Neill as well as he does – reckons he will take the reins once more for 2026/27.
“I think he might,” McNamara said. “One more season. It would need to be a quick turnaround if someone was coming in now. There are a lot of things to be sorted in terms of the players and recruitment and all the rest of it.
“There’s no doubt they need players to come in.
“I think it would be down to him and how he feels about it, if he really wants to do it. I think if he does, then he’s shown between the three managers how successful he is with the group of players he’s had to work with.
“How he turned it around from before Wilfried and after Wilfried. The fact that he’s going for a double could have been a treble this season for Martin. I think he’s got the best out of the players that he’s had. And that’s what a manager is.”
O’Neill’s man-management has always been well regarded. But those around him have been equally as pivotal to Celtic’s success this season.
“He’s got Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham, and Stephen McManus,” McNamara added.
“The training ground stuff, they can do all that and the coaching. But I think Martin’s strength was always the dressing room before you go out and doing things and making the wee decisions that he does and getting the best of the players.
“That’s what he’s done with the group there.”
Celtic’s league triumph booked their place in the Champions League play-offs. The club are one tie away from returning to European football’s top table.
McNamara reckons continuity and O’Neill’s impressive continental record could be a swaying factor in any decisions made this summer.
“He’s got experience of getting there and qualifying,” he said. “That’s the other thing that Martin’s had to contend with coming in here, having the European games and then the domestic games and the cup games on top of it.
“He’s managed to navigate his way through all that. Some big matches away at Stuttgart and a few other ones there. He’s used to that pressure as well.”
When Celtic, needing a win to secure the title, were level with Hearts going into the dying embers of the season, O’Neill rolled the dice.
His bold switch to a 3-5-2, coupled with the introductions of Marcelo Saracchi and Callum Osmand, could not have been more effective.
Osmand scored one goal and set up another in the 3-1 victory, while Saracchi’s fearlessness on the ball proved crucial.
The Uruguayan left-back is currently on loan at Celtic from Boca Juniors. The club have expressed their desire to sign him permanently.
“I like him,” McNamara said of Saracchi. “I think he’s done well. Obviously, [Kieran] Tierney’s played a lot of games this season, not finished them all.
“I think it’s changed days when you can use five subs every game and change half your team. I wish they were doing that when I was managing!
“But it’s definitely changed days when you’re picking your subs on your bench and who you bring on. The fact you can change five players is a big advantage, especially for the bigger clubs.”
Even if O’Neill remains in situ, there is expected to be sweeping changes at Celtic this summer, both on the pitch and off it.
“There needs to be quite a few added,” McNamara said. “There’ll be a few that maybe will leave as well. I think they need a proper No.9 to lead the line.”
Celtic meet Dunfermline Athletic in this Saturday’s Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup final. For McNamara, the game holds added significance given his move from the Pars to Glasgow’s East End back in 1995.
“I think Dunfermline gave me a great grounding,” he recalled. “It was a fantastic club, well supported.
“There was a bit of pressure in the Championship, which was League One at the time. There was a lot of pressure for us to win every game, which obviously helped me when I got to Celtic, the expectation and the demands that went there.
“Obviously, Celtic is a lot higher. But Dunfermline was a big factor in me handling going to Celtic. And stepping in and staying there.”
McNamara’s old team-mate, Neil Lennon, is currently in charge of Dunfermline.
“I think he’s done a great job,” he said. “It’s funny, everybody thinks this weekend is a formality, but Dunfermline have beaten three Premiership clubs to get where they are. It’s not been lucky or lucky draws on the way through. They’ve done it quite the hard way.
“And they deserve to be there. I’m sure Lenny will have them all organised and difficult to beat.”