Two Wins in Seven: Celtic’s Apathy Continues Under Martin O’Neill

Two wins in our last seven matches. Out of the League Cup. Our European campaign in tatters. And yet, somehow, it feels like we are having the same conversations we have been having for months.

The honeymoon period is well and truly over for Martin O’Neill. Whatever goodwill came from his return to Celtic, the recent results have brought us straight back to the same uncomfortable reality: this team is nowhere near consistent enough, and the problems at the club run much deeper than one bad afternoon.

Two wins in seven games is simply not good enough for Celtic. Not when we have the resources we do, not when the expectations are so high, and certainly not when we are watching another season threaten to drift away from us.

The League Cup exit was bad enough. Europe has been even more frustrating. We should be looking forward to these occasions, believing we can compete and make a statement. Instead, we have been left picking through disappointing performances and wondering how we have ended up here again.

The 7-1 win over Hearts briefly lifted the mood. It was the sort of performance we had been desperate to see, with attacking football, goals and a team that looked full of confidence. But one brilliant afternoon cannot erase everything that came before it.

That is the problem with Celtic just now. We seem incapable of building momentum. One week there is enough quality to blow a team away, and the next we are back to looking vulnerable, predictable and short of answers.

O’Neill deserves criticism for the performances and results, but he cannot shoulder all the blame. The squad has clear weaknesses, recruitment has left questions unanswered, and the club’s wider direction continues to frustrate supporters.

We cannot keep pretending that changing the manager, or bringing back a familiar face, will solve everything. At some point, the people responsible for building this squad have to answer for what we are watching.

Celtic should be aiming to dominate domestically while building a side capable of making genuine progress in Europe. Winning the league cannot be the only measure of ambition. We should be improving year after year, not finding ourselves having the same arguments about recruitment, squad depth and whether the team has enough quality.

And that is where the apathy becomes worrying.

There is a difference between supporters being angry and supporters beginning to lose faith that anything will change. Anger comes from believing the club can do better. Apathy grows when the same mistakes keep happening and the same excuses keep appearing.

The fans will always turn up for Celtic. They will travel, sing and support the team because the club means more to them than any manager or director. But that loyalty should never be mistaken for acceptance of mediocrity.

Two wins in seven matches should be setting alarm bells ringing. It should force serious questions about the manager, the players and the people making decisions behind the scenes.

Instead, it feels as though we are becoming accustomed to disappointment.

O’Neill needs to find answers quickly. The Hearts result showed what this team can do when everything clicks, but Celtic need far more than the occasional brilliant performance. We need consistency, better decision-making and a team that looks capable of competing on every front.

The board must also take responsibility. If the ambition is to compete in Europe, then the recruitment and investment have to reflect that. We cannot keep talking about taking the next step while watching the same shortcomings undermine another campaign.

Two wins in seven. Out of the League Cup. Europe slipping away.

Those are the facts facing Celtic right now, and no amount of nostalgia or one-off victories can hide them.

The concern is no longer just about Martin O’Neill’s form. It is about a club that keeps repeating the same mistakes, leaving supporters to wonder when anything will genuinely change.

The apathy continues — and Celtic have to give us a reason to believe again.