Exclusive: Celtic legend Jackie McNamara on what would turn club around

By Euan Davidson

April 20, 2021

After Sunday’s dismal defeat at the hands of our rivals, Celtic need to turn things around pronto.

Simply put, the season’s been a disaster. From a supporters’ perspective, it’s been one of the most shameful league defences in memory. From being all-conquering, winning trebles and beating established European sides, the club has become listless.

Sunday was a perfect encapsulation of everything that’s gone wrong this season. Celtic looked afraid at times, and were outclassed by a side we really should be beating with regularity. Celtic legend Jackie McNamara talked to 67 Hail Hail about the problems at the club.

The former defender, who turned defence into attack so many times in the Green and White, remains optimistic. Jackie Mac told us that change was needed immediately, and that it’d turn the culture around the club around.

Jackie told us [67 Hail Hail/YouTube]:

“Just now it’s quite doom and gloom [after Sunday]. Obviously, there’s a big change coming. But it needs to happen, it needs to happen quickly. You need to make decisions on players. If Eddie Howe was watching the game yesterday, what would he be thinking?

“We’ve obviously seen a lot of [the players] over the last number of years.

“Pure and simply, if a manager comes in quickly, that would turn everything around. It’d be a real positive for the fans and something to look forward to.”

Dismal. / (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic hero Jackie McNamara is right: act now, Bhoys board

In 2016, after Celtic were knocked out the Scottish Cup, the board made huge changes [Scotsman]. Granted, there were no fans at Ibrox, but you can bet Dermot Desmond will have been livid.

If improvements have to be made out of spite, rather than a clear vision, then at this stage, so be it. But Jackie’s right; to get supporters back in their seats (hopefully) next season, the hierarchy can’t watch impotently. Sure, Covid will have had an impact on the coffers, but it’ll be worse for the accounts if the club can’t sell season tickets.

After a chastening defeat like Sunday’s, it’s surely time to act. We’ve been saying this for months, in hope rather than expectation. But if a match like Sunday’s won’t bring the board to life, what will?

Come on lads. In this cruel grind of a season, we surely can’t end it on a whimper. The best thing we can do now is to fire a warning shot to the rest of the league before Euro 2020 begins a year late.

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