Martin O’Neill was already a Celtic legend, but he’s only gone and cemented himself once again after a brilliant Glasgow derby win.
Celtic beat Rangers to reach the final of the Premier Sports Cup, where they will face St Mirren on 14 December.
Even though the game had to be settled in extra-time, the Hoops always looked confident of beating their neighbours and reaching another final.
The work put in by the 73-year-old in such a short space of time is mightily impressive, and exactly what the club has been missing.
Celtic have got their groove back under Martin O’Neill
O’Neill says he can take no credit for Celtic’s resurgence, but that is just him being modest.
Just like he was all those years ago, the interim boss was kicking every ball, making every tackle, heading away every clearance.
His iconic jump each time the Bhoys scored transported you back to those years of dominance in his first spell.
Under Brendan Rodgers, Celtic felt stale, stagnant and almost like nothing was going to happen.
In the space of a week, however, every player looks as if they have a spring in their step and are willing to go the extra mile in order to make sure they are the winning side.
Talents like Benjamin Nygren seem to have discovered an extra yard of pace, Daizen Maeda’s tenacious work rate and Kasper Schmeichel stepping up to make match-deciding saves. All of that mixed together has created a recipe for success.
This may be a small thing, but it’s that energy and passion that has been missing from Celtic for some time, and even if O’Neill isn’t here for the long haul, whoever comes in must keep this fire burning brightly.
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