O'Neill Urges Celtic Unity as Fan Protests Persist After St Mirren Win

Interim Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has urged some form of unification at the club after supporters again pressed for leadership changes during a dramatic win at St Mirren.

The match finished with Callum McGregor’s 95th-minute rocket sealing a 1-0 victory, as away fans sang for the board to be replaced in a display that highlighted ongoing tensions surrounding the club’s direction.

Celtic have seen a drop in results since the turn of the year, sitting four points behind Hearts in the Premiership and failing to progress in Europe after a poor Champions League play-off exit to Kazakh champions Kairat. They have won only one of their four Europa League games as well.

Former attacking signings arrived only after the club exited Europe, leaving supporters to argue that the changes were too little, too late.

• McGregor’s late goal narrows the gap to Hearts

• Fans protest at the AGM as calls to sack the board grow louder

• New signings have been slow to come in amid off-field turmoil

O'Neill, 73, was drafted back into management after Brendan Rodgers’ departure in October, with a history as a Celtic legend after leading the club to seven major honours between 2000 and 2005. Yet protests continued, with supporters pushing for changes in the boardroom.

The club’s AGM was abandoned after shareholders jeered Dermot Desmond’s son Ross for accusing some fans of being “bullies,” following earlier interruptions that forced a half-hour adjournment after chants of sack the board.

Speaking after the St Mirren win, O'Neill described the morning as “sad” and recalled Jock Stein’s maxim that a club not united cannot be successful. He added that the team needed to rebuild some form of unity, insisting the dressing room remains cohesive.

“We just need some sort of unification again,” he said. “Jock built a united club—fans, players, and staff all pulling in the same direction.”

Off-field drama impacting on-pitch performance?

McGregor’s winner masked deeper concerns in Celtic’s attacking play, with the team failing to score in several matches this season and showing a blunt edge against St Mirren. Celtic managed just one on-target effort in added time through substitute Yang Hyun-jun, while other chances fell to Conor McMenamin and Miguel Freckleton, and an own goal by Liam Scales was ruled offside.

O'Neill acknowledged that ongoing disputes may weigh on players at times, but stressed there is unity within the squad and that the manager’s role is to guide them forward regardless of boardroom tensions.

'Stein would have sorted it in two days'

With no immediate news on a permanent successor to Rodgers, which has kept the club in a state of transition, O'Neill suggested that a quicker resolution was possible in the past. Names linked to the post include Wilfried Nancy, Kieran McKenna, and Craig Bellamy, but the interim boss believes a new appointment should aim to heal the rift between fans and leadership.

“Jock Stein would have sorted it out in two days, but that was Jock Stein. We’re all working to move forward now, whatever the next chapter holds,” O'Neill said, adding that he hopes the new leader can unite the club across all levels.

He also indicated that he expects to oversee Thursday's Europa League clash with Feyenoord, while acknowledging that the incoming manager—whatever name emerges—must bridge the divide and guide Celtic toward a shared goal.

“I’d love to see it move in the same direction, with everyone pulling together,” he concluded.

Key takeaway: The club faces a critical moment as fan protests continue to challenge Celtic’s leadership, underscoring the need for unity to restore form and stability. Source

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