Celtic supporters made their feelings loud and clear at Tannadice on Wednesday night as Wilfried Nancy lost his fourth game in charge.
Chants of ‘Martin O’Neill’ were heard from the away end at Dundee United, as Celtic entered a nightmare that only a rival would conjure up.
Only a fortnight ago, O’Neill was ending his second spell in charge of the Hoops by beating Dundee and moving level on points with Hearts in the Premiership table.
But the Nancy era is going so horribly wrong that there are already calls for O’Neill to return for a third spell, especially if the Frenchman loses to Aberdeen on Sunday.
67 Hail Hail looked at the pros and cons of Celtic going down this nostalgic road, and possibly handing O’Neill the permanent gig, just like they did 25 years ago.
- READ MORE: What Wilfried Nancy did at Celtic that was ‘totally unnecessary’ detailed by Tim Sherwood
What permanent role would you give Martin O’Neill at Celtic?
The Pros of Martin O’Neill replacing Wilfried Nancy at Celtic
- Proven winner – O’Neill’s CV speaks for itself, including winning all his domestic games in charge during his interim period. Many of the current players simply aren’t good enough. The January transfer window can only do so much, but O’Neill has shown that he can drag the team over the title line if appointed again.
- Bringing everyone together at Celtic – The relationship between the Celtic board and the fans is probably broken beyond repair. It’s helping nobody’s cause if it continues this way. At least, with O’Neill in charge, he will bring everyone together as best he can. That will only further aid Celtic on the pitch.
- Celtic’s recruitment would be simple and sharp – When it comes to improving the squad via the transfer window, O’Neill won’t beat around the bush. He will keep things simple and sharp, which would probably help the club’s cause, given the nonsense that has been purchased in recent times.
- Celtic in Europe – Celtic’s away win over Feyenoord, albeit only one match, was a small sign that O’Neill’s nature can perhaps improve matters in Europe. Trying to be clever by outplaying teams on such a big stage isn’t working; perhaps O’Neill’s ability to drive a group forward with his sheer will and determination is one of the ways to change that.
How many more games are you going to give Wilfried Nancy?
The Cons of O’Neill returning home again permanently
- Long-term thinking – It depends on what side of the fence you sit on. If you are good enough, then you are old enough. But at the age of 73, you could sense some critics being unsure of O’Neill getting the permanent gig because they don’t see the long-term effects of it.
- The Nostalgia Trap – When it was announced that O’Neill was returning for an interim period, some Celtic supporters did fear it could go wrong, and they didn’t want it to put a dark cloud over his legacy. Thankfully, he only enhanced it. But Celtic’s troubles are still there, and whilst fans could fall down this nostalgia trap because of what the Irishman means to the club, you fear the on and off the pitch troubles of Celtic would drown O’Neill in the long run, even if he isn’t at fault.
- O’Neill and the modern game – It’s a data-driven world, and football is no different. O’Neill has previously spoken about his angst at modern-football, with its xG and complicated ways. If Celtic want to move into modern times, there is going to be a lot of that. Perhaps that’s where O’Neill and the new footballing world don’t meet.
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