Phew ! Where do I even begin describe our generational league performance throughout the 2025-2026 season ? It was the most absurd, craziest, bewildering, depressing, frustrating, gut wrenching, nerve wracking, dire brand of football I've ever witnessed whilst following my club for over 54 years.
From the age of 12 when, I'd trudge the 8 mile round trip from Govanhill on the South side of Glasgow to Celtic Park in the East end where I attended most home domestic games. The infamous Scottish weather conditions were rendered irrelevant. I'd make my journey through hail or shine. My single parent family background resulted in me being raised by a mother who worked three part time jobs just to make ends meet. Unfortunately I couldn't afford the entrance fee to Celtic Park so I'd inevitably plead with some unknown ' Hey mister ' stranger to raise me over the turnstile or slide under the turnstile with perfect timing before the cop on duty caught me. All this just to watch my beloved team play in green and white. My access into the ground was typically via the Janefield Street, traditional Celtic end then navigate left into the famous ' Jungle ' section where the diehards sang their customary Celtic songs with gusto.I won't dwell on the warm wet urine associated experience felt on the rear of my legs whilst engulfed by the stench of McEwans Pale Ale or Eldorado / Buckfast tonic wines.
The infamous razor gangs still existed in Glasgow and occasionally found my return walks to and from the game rather challenging. In fact I was once held up at knife point by a gang intent on robbing me until they discovered I was poorer than my assailants who left me go uninjured.
Back in those days the Celtic squad consisted of Billy McNeill, Danny McGrain, Andy Lynch, Pat McCluskey, Bobby Murdoch, David Hay, Lou Macari, Tommy Callaghan, Jimmy Johnstone, Bobby Lennox, Harry Hood, Kenny Dalglish, Dixie Deans and Paul Wilson amongst others. No wonder I loved watching my team.
Like millions across the globe I've experienced both highs and lows over the years following Celtic. I'll never forget the emotions during our Centenary Year double, 9 In A Row , Seville and everything in between. Then we were all cheated for 9 years in a row when the unmentionables defrauded everyone during their illegal attempt to reach the holy grail of winning 10 league titles in a row. That bigot dome of a stadium represents all that is evil about our city and should've been razed to the ground on their liquidation.
I thought I'd witnessed everything in football over the decades but nothing prepared me for season 2025-2026. This particular season in our clubs history will always stand out for multiple horrendous reasons alongside the Martin O'Neill miracles.
Brendan Rodgers began the 2025-2026 season as manager. The rifts between him and our Board of Directors over lack of transfer activities promptly became public knowledge eventually resulting in his resignation on 27th October 2025. Rodgers quoted the analogy of the Board effectively handing him a set of keys to a Honda Civic expecting him to race against a Ferrari.
To make matters worse The Green Brigade were banned from the stadium on 7th November 2025 causing an eerie silence at home games. It created a surreal lack of atmosphere both on and off the pitch. The fans were no longer engaging with the players which transferred onto the pitch. We wanted the Board Of Directors to resign en-masse due to their obvious failings on how to run a football club in a professional manner. The whole place was flat during match days. That scenario lasted for 5 months of the season.
The unusual team selections had became mystifying to supporters. Our players were played out of their normal positions and no one appeared to know what they were doing on the pitch. We'd gone from Champions to a team devoid of ideas. Celtic were historically renowned for playing glorious attacking football but the fans had to endure tentative, slow build up play which consisted of three passes sideways or backwards to one going forward. It certainly wasn't entertaining but more akin to a 90 minute endurance test. the attack couldn't score while the defence were leaking goals for fun without the long termed injured Cameron Carter Vickers. Then we suffered from our keeper hiding a double shoulder injury whilst on International duties which lead him to scoring an own goal during a cup final defeat. The whole team was being compromised either through hidden injuries, lack of confidence, fear of making passes etc.
It appeared to our fans from the outside looking in that both the Directors and Rodgers were self sabotaging our club to emphasise their points of view.
In December 2025, Celtic trailed Hearts by a colossal 9 points in the league and literally looked out of the running. There was simply no hope in sight. Every aspect of the club was toxic. Martin O'Neill was duly appointed interim manager on the same date Rodgers resigned. Although stuck with the same set of sub standard players MON reinstated our traditional 4-4-2 format to build up the players confidence slowly but surely. The same group of players miraculously clawed back the 9 points deficit to Hearts in the league plus gained qualification to the League Cup Final V St. Mirren. He also disposed of sevco at their hate fest stadium in the Scottish Cup quarter final. It wasn't exactly rocket science. He played a 4-4-2 format the players were moulded on and played them all in their natural positions. Simple old school tactics which were proving effective.
Our Board Of Directors then effectively committed football suicide. On 3rd December 2025 they inexplicably appointed an unheard of Frenchman named Wilfried Nancy from the USA soccer league as our permanent ?manager. Martin had came to the Celtic calling by Dermot Desmond to save our club from the depths of despair. Now that he'd turned the proverbial oil tanker 360 degrees on it's axis our leaders dismissed him. Another shameful decision. The fans rebelled.
Nancy introduced his infamous pitch-side handheld blue, red and white coloured magnetic strategy diagram board. His pre-match team talks referred to his bewildering ' Atoms and fusion ' footballing philosophy which naturally blew up like mini atomic bomb on the football pitches. He introduced his much loved 3-5-2 system instead of our traditional 4-4-2 format throwing all the players into further confusion. O'Neill was tossed aside like some piece of garbage.
During Nancys disastrous 33 day reign of terror as Celtic manager we lost the League Cup Final and another five games in charge, all but surrendering the league title by the end of December 2025. He now holds the worst record as Celtic manager in our entire history. The man was wrongly appointed into a post clearly beyond his capabilities.
Incredulously the Board of Directors then sacked Nancy and reappointed Martin O'Neill as interim manager on 5th January 2026. The hierarchy expecting him to once again change our course of direction following their catastrophic decisions.
The Green Brigade were alson banned from attending home matches during a five month spell. Celtic never bought a player in the January transfer window. Everything that could go wrong did. The fans rebelled and introduced the ' Not A Penny More ' campaign losing the club £millions on revenue streams. Toxicity reigned eveywhere. The fans wanted the resignation of all board members including the minority shareholder. The Board of Directors oversaw the appointment of 4 managers in the space of 9 weeks, To put that into perspective Celtics first four managers namely Willie Maley, Jimmy McStay, Jimmy McGrory and Jock Stein held their respective managerial posts at Scotlands most successful football club for 81 years as opposed to 9 weeks. The common denominator during this tragic 9 week period involving 3 different managers over 4 appointments were the Board of directors.
The legend that is Martin O'Neill overcame all the injury woes that ensued alongside overcoming players personal issues with the hierarchy by gradually turning our group of misfits into catching sevco in the league. He then slowly started eating away into Hearts massive 8 point lead on his second interim appointment but games fast running out.. Hearts began to wilt with the Celtic juggernaut chasing them down. Hearts were clearly running out of steam especially in away matches. Come the post split fixtures Celtic were by now only 3 points behind the league leaders who also held a superior goal difference of 6.
By match 36 out of 38 games, Celtic had reduced the league points deficit on Hearts to a solitary point. The goal difference had also been reduced to only 3 in Hearts favour.. Celtic were piling on the agony on our opponents who suddenly realised we were actually capable of pulling off the impossible with Martin O'Neill at the helm.
We'd beaten the bigots 3-1 at home by blowing them off the park but to be fair so did Motherwell, Hearts and Hibs following the post split fixtures. sevco had become the whipping boys mirroring their European adventures. They suffered a total capitulation when faced with pressure at the business end of the season. The bigots are now approximately £77million in debt and losing on average £1million every month since the SPFL allowed them to join the Scottish league as a new team. Celtic still have around £70million in the bank. The gap between Celtic and sevco continually increases year on year both on and off the park. Death by a thousand cuts to the team that never learns. . It's the hope that's killing them. I diversify - sorry.
Then came match 38 winners takes all fixture at Celtic Park which thankfully had the Green Brigade back in full voice. The club and the fans were buzzing.
Celtic being Celtic typically trailed 0-1 against Hearts at Celtic Park in the champions decider final day encounter and we were rank rotten in the first half. Scales and Trusty had reverted back to their dreadful passing backwards all the time. However, just before the half time whistle blew Tierney won us a stonewall penalty whereby Arne Engels equalised from the spot. The players returned to the pitch for the second half and became an entirely different animal. Martin changed the format from 4.4.2 which was producing very little into a much needed 3.5.2 all out attack formation only this time deploying players in their natural positions
Hearts delaying tactics ensured there was 8 minutes injury time. They were hell bent on securing the one point from a draw which would crown them champions. Then with only four minutes of normal time left on the clock when Celtic, having created wave after wave of attack and hitting the post, eventually took the lead through Daizen Maeda on the 86th minute. Hearts suddenly decided to play attack football desperate to equalise but it was all in vain.
In the dying seconds of added on injury time the entire Hearts team crowded Celtics penalty box for their corner. The corner was short, celtic broke up the field and Callum Osmond scored to make it 3-1 to Celtic with seconds left to play. Celebrations began and the final whistle blew. celtic were champions for the fifth year on the trot..
The legend that is Martin O'Neil came back to save us the first time in overhauling a nightmare 9 point deficit by December 2025. Second time round he clawed back an 8 point deficit then won the league title by 2 points. I personally don't believe any other manager could have achieved this feat. Martin as far as the Celtic fans are concerned, may be 74 years of age but my goodness he walks on water. From the depths of despair to becoming world record breakers in winning 56 league titles.
All I can say is it's eventually proved to be the best tasting league title win I've endured but I never wish to experience anything like that season from hell again. Celtic must build a statue of our legend Martin O'Neill outside paradise. Theres no amount of superlatives to describe his accomplishment.
