Celtic's Martin O’Neill Challenges Players After Ibrox Defeat

Martin O’Neill has challenged his Celtic players to let the sting of their Ibrox collapse drive them through a pivotal week in the season.

Beaten 3-0 by Rangers on Sunday, bruised in the scoreline and in pride, Celtic now face a European tie on Thursday before the chance for revenge in another Glasgow derby at Celtic Park.

For O’Neill, the reaction matters more than the result.

“You have to hurt a bit. You have to hurt a lot, I think,” he told Celtic Player, reflecting on the derby defeat. “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.”

Pain, then response

O’Neill wants that pain to linger just long enough to provoke a response, not a collapse. The schedule gives Celtic no time to wallow, only time to react.

“A big game coming up on Thursday, a big, big game on Sunday, then an international break,” he said. The pause in domestic action, he believes, can become a turning point for those left at Lennoxtown.

It will be a period for honesty.

“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.”

The message is clear: no hiding place, no excuses. Improvement has to start from within the dressing room.

O’Neill’s tribute to McGrain

Before drilling into the football, O’Neill paused to pay his respects to a Celtic great.

News of Danny McGrain’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis has rocked the club. O’Neill worked with him during his first spell in charge, when McGrain was on the staff with the reserves, and his admiration remains undimmed.

“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,” O’Neill said.

The respect in his voice was obvious.

“He was just a brilliant player, a great defender, and certainly going forward, he could cause havoc.”

In a week dominated by pain of a different kind, McGrain’s situation adds perspective, and a reminder of the standards Celtic legends set.

European stage, then derby again

Now the focus turns back to the pitch and a European assignment that arrives at a delicate moment. Celtic need a performance, and quickly, to wash away the memory of Ibrox before Rangers come calling again on Sunday.

“It’d be nice to get off to a decent start,” O’Neill said of Thursday’s 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 challenge is stark: turn hurt into hunger, and a bad week into the spark that defines their season.