Martin O’Neill asks the Celtic players if they beat themselves – maybe he also needs to accept that his tactics played their part in that too…

Yesterday it emerged that Martin O’Neill asked the Celtic players if the Ibrox side beat them, or if they beat themselves?

It’s a good question.

But to arrive at the correct answer, Martin O’Neill must also accept the part he played in Celtic defeating themselves.

In the aftermath of Sunday’s crushing defeat, most fan media discussions have been centred around the fact that the general consensus was that we were beaten before a ball was ever kicked.

The team selection saw to that.

And Martin O’Neill has to take some responsibility for that.

Now, I totally understand that this shouldn’t mean that the team capitulates before a ball is kicked either.

But their task was made all the more difficult by the team Martin chose to start.

Look, I’m not a football coach, and I don’t profess to be.

I also understand that the manager has to look after the morale of the team.

Telling Sebastian Tounekti that he’s pretty crap at the moment isn’t going to help his morale.

Nor is it going to help the team’s.

Maybe Martin thought that showing faith in Tounekti would be repaid by the performance he knew he was capable of?

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

If anything, Tounekti retreated further into his shell.

After Sunday, there are now serious question marks over his future at Celtic

Here’s the thing though.

While Sebastian Tounekti’s future might be hanging in the balance, Martin O’Neill’s isn’t.

The Irishman has made it clear he will be gone at the end of this season, no matter what happens.

What does hang in the balance, however, is Martin O’Neill’s legacy at the club.

Or at the very least, the damage that could happen to it.

He would do well to pay attention to two things.

Firstly, Neil Lennon and Brendan Rodgers are testament to the fact a return to the club as manager does not always end well.

Secondly, the next two games could define what happens to his hitherto unblemished legacy.

Look, exiting the League Cup is never going to be the end of the world.

But the manner in which we exited it is what grates at people right now.

Because that manner seemed to indicate that no lessons were learned after what happened in Linz.

And this is what needs to be set right in the coming days.

Their needs to be evidence that last Sunday was one lesson too many.

We consistently hear about lessons being learned at Celtic, but rarely see evidence that they have been.

So, when Martin O’Neill asks the players if they beat themselves, then maybe he also needs to ask his coaching team if he, Shaun Maloney, and Mark Fotheringham played a part in that too?

Put simply, last Sunday must go down as the final lesson to be learned.

That cannot start with concession of defeat to Ferencvaros either tomorrow night.

Ferencvaros should be the turning point.

It should be where Celtic start to exorcise the demons of last Sunday and Linz once and for all

Next Sunday at Celtic Park should then be the ultimate exorcism.

Because if it isn’t, then we are in serious trouble.

Six years ago, during the Covid season, we witnessed Neil Lennon’s tenure at Celtic begin to unravel when the Ibrox side came and won 2-0 at Celtic Park.

It was the beginning of the end for Lennon, and ultimately ended up trashing an otherwise unblemished legacy up to that point.

Lennon’s stubbornness, and failure to recognise he had lost the dressing room, resulted in serious damage to his legacy.

Dermot Desmond’s stubbornness also ensured maximum damage to Celtic’s aspirations on all three domestic fronts that season.

His insistence on retaining Lennon’s services made sure of that.

Ironically, during that season, Celtic were dumped out of the Champions League by the opponents we face tomorrow night.

Let’s hope that is not a portent of things to come

The other night on the Trinity Tims podcast, Bhoycie ominously said that he felt certain things that have happened this season had an almost Covid season like feel to them.

I understood exactly what he meant.

When I saw Martin O’Neill’s team selection last Sunday, I got the same feeling I used to get when I saw Neil Lennon’s team selections during the ill-fated Covid season.

I’m hoping and praying that this season does not descend into the kind of chaos we witnessed in 2020/21.

That season was the season of square pegs and round holes.

What is clear this season is that the board did not learn from what happened back then.

Because this season we’re talking about square pegs and round holes once again

What we have to hope is that Martin O’Neill and his coaching team have the ability to halt the slide that we all fear could happen if we lose on Sunday.

Prevention is better than cure, as they say.

Win tomorrow night, and win on Sunday, and we enter the international break on the perfect footing.

Lose and it will be the longest, and most painful international break of all time.

It will leave people wondering what to expect at recommencement of club football.

This is why Martin O’Neill and his coaching team need to have done some serious soul searching this week.

This is why when he asked the team if the Ibrox team defeated them, or if it was they who defeated themselves, he should have asked himself and his coaching team the same question.

If he did that much, and he recognises the failings from Sunday and Linz, then we have a chance to turn this around.

The alternative does not bear thinking about.

Martin knows what’s at stake here.

We all know what’s at stake here.

Let’s start putting it right tomorrow night.

And follow that by teaching the Ibrox side a lesson next Sunday.

Nothing else will suffice…

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