Darren O’Dea was absolutely right to push back on Allan Preston’s comments about Celtic on the BBC.
Preston was trying to explain why a potential Hearts title win would feel more emotional for supporters in Edinburgh, but the moment he drifted into the familiar “Celtic are used to it” argument, O’Dea recognised the problem instantly.
That mentality completely misunderstands what sustained success at Celtic actually demands.
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Darren O’Dea nailed the issue with Alan Preston’s argument
During the BBC Sportsound discussion before Celtic beat Hearts to the title, Preston said, “For every person that’s Hearts orientated, it would be really special.
“It would be, as Celtic won’t have an open deck bus round the town tomorrow if they wanted to. And that’s a sad indictment on our game through here in the West. I’ve got to say that in Edinburgh will be different.”
O’Dea immediately responded, “I don’t buy that for a minute. I totally get the story of Hearts, and it’s incredible. And if they get it over the line it’ll be an unbelievable story. But what I can’t have is that you undermine what Celtic will feel.”
Preston then tried to clarify, “No, no, no, no, no. Darren, I didn’t mean that. I just mean that they’re more used to it. Every league title that they win, it’s not diluted, it’s far from it.”
O’Dea finished the exchange perfectly, “You’ve got people like Martin O’Neill in that dressing room, I’m telling you, this will mean everything to him as well.”
In one sentence, O’Dea completely dismantled the lazy idea that winning eventually means less at Celtic.
Celtic’s dominance makes winning harder, not easier
Celtic’s dominance is exactly why O’Dea’s point matters. Celtic have won 14 league titles in the last 15 seasons. People outside the club use that statistic to argue success becomes routine.
In reality, it proves the exact opposite.
Maintaining standards season after season is the hardest part of being at Celtic. Every campaign starts with pressure, expectation and the knowledge that anything short of winning is viewed as failure.
That is why O’Dea mentioning Martin O’Neill mattered so much. Truly elite winners never become emotionally detached from trophies. They demand more success because standards inside clubs like Celtic never drop.
Preston was right to say a Hearts title would feel extraordinary for their supporters. Nobody disputes that.
But O’Dea was completely correct to reject the idea Celtic victories somehow mean less because they happen more often.
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