Where is the breaking point for Martin O’Neill if poor results continue? And where is the backing from the board??

Yesterday, Martin O’Neill sat down in front of the Celtic TV cameras and told us all that he’s back, he’s raring to go and he’s as determined as ever.

Good for him.

But here’s the thing that jumped out at me – he had to say it himself.

Because it appears as if there wasn’t a single soul in that boardroom willing to say it for him.

If you’re sticking with your man, then back your man

Let’s go over what we know.

O’Neill lost back-to-back derbies to the Ibrox side, and then spent a few days “taking time to reflect” on his position.

That’s his own phrase, by the way, and it tells you plenty about the week he had.

Michael Nicholson could have put an arm around his manager in front of the support.

He chose not to.

Silent Mike was nowhere to be seen when it mattered.

Now, in fairness, I’ll give the chief executive this much.

A few days after the defeat, Nicholson did put out a statement supporting O’Neill and his staff.

But where did it appear?

Tucked away inside the club’s annual financial report, where nobody goes looking for a show of faith in the manager.

That isn’t backing him, that’s hiding a sentence in a spreadsheet and hoping nobody notices.

If you’re sticking with your man, back your man.

It really is that simple.

Radio silence from the board isn’t a vote of confidence, it’s a bit cowardly

So why won’t they do it?

I think the answer is staring us right in the face.

Like everybody else, the board know there’s a very good chance that results aren’t going to go our way over the coming fixtures.

And if you publicly put your neck on the line for a manager and then the wheels come off, you’ve got to answer for it.

Much easier to say nothing at all.

That way, when the time comes, nobody can accuse you of having backed him.

Honestly, it’s pretty gutless if you ask me.

But then again, we shouldn’t really expect anything less from the Celtic board, should we?

They’ve spent years hiding behind statements, behind the annual report and behind the absent meddling golfer.

Why would they suddenly find a backbone because their manager is under pressure?

Make no mistake, O’Neill knows this too.

He’s been around long enough to read the room.

He told us “it’s certainly not the end of the world as it seemed to be described as”, and he’s probably right.

He also reminded us that we’re two points clear in the league, and that’s not a bad start.

Fair enough, it isn’t.

But he was doing the board’s job for them, and everybody watching could see it.

So where is the breaking point if the poor results continue?

This is the question I keep coming back to.

Because O’Neill told us that it’s “very, very early”, and here is how he put it to Celtic TV:

“Absolutely nothing is over by third week in September, although it seemed from all angles that it was.”

I’d love to agree with him.

But the fixtures don’t care how early it is.

We’re only two points clear, and that’s no cushion if the Ibrox side go on a run.

Think about that for a minute.

Another defeat, a backdrop of silence from the people running the club, and the Ibrox side sitting above us at the top.

That would put the tin hat on the whole thing.

And what would the board say then?

I’ll save you the suspense – NOTHING.

Would it be one bad result, two or three?

Would it be another defeat to the Ibrox side, or a European night that goes badly wrong?

Honestly, your guess is as good as mine, because nobody at Celtic Park is prepared to tell us.

And that’s the real problem here.

A manager needs to know where he stands, and the support needs to know what the board are thinking.

Right now, neither of us has a clue.

So many questions, and not one answer from the people who should be giving them

O’Neill said he wants to lead the club and try to win the league.

I’m sure he does, and I’m sure he means every word of it.

But wanting it and being given the backing to do it are two very different things.

At the moment, he’s out there on his own.

His players are being asked to rally round him, the support is being asked to be patient, and the board are being asked for nothing at all.

How convenient for them.

Because if it goes well, they’ll take the credit for sticking with him.

And if it goes badly, they’ll quietly show him the door and claim they were never fully convinced.

We’ve seen this film before, haven’t we?

So many questions, and no answers at all from the board.

No shocks there then.

Nuff said…

Amateurs!

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