Celtic Must Transform Ibrox Hurt Into Response This Week
Martin O’Neill wants Celtic to carry the sting of their Ibrox collapse straight into a defining week for their season.
Beaten 3-0 by Rangers on Sunday, bruised in the scoreline and the pride, Celtic now have no time to wallow. A European tie arrives on Thursday. Another Glasgow derby follows on Sunday at Celtic Park. The response, O’Neill insists, starts with how much this defeat hurts.
“You have to hurt a bit. You have to hurt a lot, I think,” he told Celtic Player, reflecting on the weekend loss. “That’s the way that I spent my career. I probably overindulged in the hurting aspect of the game, but the games have to hurt you both as a player and as a manager.
“After that, then you go and rise above it again. That defines you as much as anything else.”
The message is blunt. If the players don’t feel this one, something is wrong. If they do, the reaction over the next two matches will tell supporters plenty about the character of this squad and its manager.
Hurt, then respond
O’Neill sees a crucial stretch forming a natural break in the campaign. European duty on Thursday, Rangers again on Sunday, then the international window. No hiding place, but also no excuse not to take stock.
“A big game coming up on Thursday, a big, big game on Sunday, then an international break,” he said. “It gives you a chance for the non-international players to take stock of what’s happened and say, well, listen, what can I do?
“What can I do better? What can I do now to help the team? What can I do to help myself? Obviously, if you can do those things, then you’re going to help the club.”
It is a challenge laid down as much in the training ground as in the dressing room. Lennoxtown will be quieter once the internationals depart, but for those who stay, O’Neill expects honest answers and visible improvement.
O’Neill’s tribute to McGrain
Before drilling into the football, O’Neill paused to acknowledge a figure who helped shape Celtic’s identity long before this current group pulled on the shirt.
He paid warm tribute to club legend Danny McGrain after the announcement of the former defender’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. O’Neill worked alongside McGrain during his first spell in charge and spoke with obvious admiration.
“Danny was here at Celtic working with the reserves when I came here in my first spell, but just a phenomenal footballer and a really great character,” he said.
The Celtic boss added: “He was just a brilliant player, a great defender, and certainly going forward, he could cause havoc.”
At a time when Celtic are being asked questions about resilience and standards, the mention of McGrain – a player synonymous with both – felt pointed. This is the level O’Neill wants his players to measure themselves against.
Eyes on Europe, then Rangers again
Attention now swings to Thursday’s European assignment, the first chance to wash away the taste of Ibrox. The margin for error is thin. Another flat display and the anxiety around Celtic Park will only grow before Rangers roll into town.
“It’d be nice to get off to a decent start,” O’Neill said of the European tie. “It won’t be easy. Nothing is, I don’t think. Nor should it be, really.
“At the end of the day, it’s a European game. Hopefully, we can be up for the game and be ready for the game and then after that, you can concentrate then on Sunday.”
The sequence is clear. Perform in Europe, regain some conviction, then carry that intensity into a derby that already feels like a test of nerve as much as quality.
The hurt from Ibrox is real. Over the next two games, Celtic will show whether it lingers, or whether it forges something harder.
