Celtic

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill has been speaking to the media before his side's Premier Sport Cup semi-final against rivals Rangers.

Here are the points from the press conference:

• O'Neill admits being Celtic boss again is "still surreal" and reveals he hadn't seen the fixture list when he took the job, joking that if he had he "probably would have stayed at home".

• Old Firm derbies bring "a nervousness for about 72 hours before. If you got the result, there was a great relief. That's what the great Walter Smith used to say about it, it was relief more than anything else". O'Neill adds the nervousness is "worse this time round".

• He says replicating his derby debut as Celtic manager - the 6-2 demolition in 2000 - will be "extremely difficult" and he'd settle for a "lousy 1-0 victory".

• The physios and staff will assess Kelechi Iheanacho and Kieran Tierney. O'Neill hopes the latter - who missed the midweek win over Falkirk with a groin strain but is set to train on Saturday - will be fit for the game. Marcelo Saracchi missed training on Friday but will be "okay" to play.

• He calls Alistair Johnston "a lively lad" and "really nice fella" but the Canada right-back isn't available for games in the near future.

• On whether there will be many changes from midweek: "We'll have a think about it. [Daizen] Maeda obviously will come into [the reckoning], although he got about 25 minutes or something there in the game. So we'll see. I genuinely don't know. I've got another day to think about it."

• O'Neill has been "demanding help" from Shaun Maloney and the other coaching staff as he is "relying on them".

• He has "heard a lot of good things" about Danny Rohl - "a lot of the players at Sheffield Wednesday were very complimentary about him" - and thinks Rangers be confident after a "big win" over Hibs at Easter Road.

• Johnny Kenny scoring two goals in the 4-0 win over Falkirk makes O'Neill's selection decisions "probably more difficult".

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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If you're using the percentage of games won while in charge of Celtic, Martin O'Neill stands alone at the top of the tree.

Not even Ange Postecoglou or Jock Stein could rival O'Neill's 75.5% win ratio during his five-year spell at the start of the millennium.

But, with the Old Firm going head to head on Sunday for a place in the Premier Sports Cup final, what is O'Neill's record against Rangers?

He made the best possible start. A 6-2 win was hailed as the 'Demolition Derby' and had statisticians dusting off the record books.

It was Celtic's biggest win over their arch rivals since the 1957 League Cup final, on the way to winning their first treble since the Stein era.

However, they did suffer a 5-1 loss to Rangers on their first trip to Ibrox just a few months later.

Had things evened up? Yes and no.

When Alex McLeish first arrived as Ibrox boss, O'Neill struggled to get the better of him.

In fact, he went six games without a win over Rangers in a run that included two Hampden heartbreaks - the League Cup semi-final and Scottish Cup final in 2002.

However, the tide turned again and O'Neill went on to win seven Old Firm derbies in a row, including a whitewash in the 2003-04 season in which Celtic won all five fixtures.

Overall, O'Neill won 16 of his 27 derby fixtures, drawing three, and lost just eight - a win percentage of 59% in all competitions.

It's the second-best record for a Celtic manager in this fixture behind his predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, with only one Rangers manager in front of him - Steven Gerrard.

At Hampden though, O'Neill's luck ran a little different. In four meetings at the national stadium, O'Neill only won one - a League Cup semi-final in February 2001.

It ends up being a bit of a mixed bag for O'Neill and Celtic then, but we are truly in unprecedented times when it comes to this fixture.

It is the first time in history Celtic and Rangers have both changed their manager mid-season. And interim Celtic boss O'Neill, 73, is twice the age of 36-year-old Rangers counterpartrt. In fact, Rohl was just 11 when O'Neill was first appointed back in 2000.

Sportscene pundits Jackie McNamara and Neil McCann give their thoughts and predictions for the Premier Sports Cup semi-final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden on Sunday.

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Ange Postecoglou is set to take a break from football after being sacked as Nottingham Forest manager, ruling out any chance of a Celtic return. (Scottish Sun), external

Former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is very unlikely to return to the Scottish champions at present, while it would take a great deal of convincing for Kieran McKenna to leave Ipswich Town mid-season, but Ferencvaros' Robbie Keane and former Shelbourne boss Damien Duff are being assessed. (Sky Sports), external

Former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou says he needs a breather after leaving Nottingham Forest and Craig Bellamy will not leave Wales during their World Cup qualification campaign, but Kieran McKenna, along with Club Brugge head coach Nicky Hayen and Ferencvaros' Robbie Keane, would listen to Celtic about their managerial vacancy despite saying his focus is on Ipswich Town. (TeamTalk), external

Kieran McKenna could bring former Rangers winger Sone Aluko, who is one of his coaches at Ipswich Town, with him should he become Celtic manager. (Scottish Sun), external

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Johnny Kenny says Brendan Rodgers "changed my life" but hopes his first two goals under interim Celtic manager Martin O'Neill will "spur me on" to be a hero in "probably the biggest fixture in world football".

Celtic face city rivals Rangers in Sunday's Premier Sports Cup semi-final and the 22-year-old striker aims to retain his place after his brace in Wednesday's 4-0 Scottish Premiership win over Falkirk.

"It's probably the biggest fixture in world football," Kenny said.

"A few years ago, Adam Idah came in and scored a big goal against them in the Scottish Cup final. Hopefully I can replicate something like that.

"It would put us into another final and it's against our rivals.

"People will say we haven't been great in the last few weeks and this can be a statement victory come Sunday.

"It's a massive game and it would be a marker put down by us to get into another cup final."

Wednesday's goals were Kenny's second and third of the season after scoring in the 3-0 win over Livingston in August.

"Having got the goals the other night, hopefully it can spur me on," he said.

O'Neill took over against Falkirk after Rodgers resigned on Monday.

"Tuesday was obviously a hectic day - it was disappointing," Kenny added. "It was tough - it's the first time I've lost a manager in my career, so it was strange around the training ground.

"Brendan changed my life and changed my career. I'll be forever grateful for that, but obviously he's gone now and we just need to battle on."

Martin Watt
BBC Sport Scotland

The Honda Civic has roared into life with Martin O'Neill and Shaun Maloney at the wheel.

The Celtic interim management duo made a smooth start to the post-Brendan Rodgers era as Falkirk were dispatched 4-0 on Wednesday night.

But what was different under the new bosses?

Well, for a start, Celtic produced their biggest Premiership win so far, scoring 25% of their season's goal haul in one night.

After the ponderous, slow build-up that marked some of the final performances under Rodgers, Celtic were noticeably quicker and more direct against the Bairns.

Opta stats show Celtic had their fewest touches of the ball (702), second second-lowest possession (60.5%), and lowest number of passes (505) of their 10 league outings.

Celtic's four fast breaks was three more than they have mustered in any other game, while the 56 long passes made was their second highest, and the 33 successful long passes was a season high.

So they clearly got the ball forward quicker - and it proved effective.

O'Neill and Maloney's side registered 11 shots on target - their highest Premiership tally - and joint-most shots, 26. Seven of those shots came from Benjamin Nygren - no other Celtic player has attempted as many in the league this term - with the Swede netting the third goal.

Celtic's four 'big chances' is second only to the five they created against Livingston and Hibs, while their seven successful crosses on Wednesday night was a joint high.

So, plenty to admire about the fresh start after a tumultuous few days at Parkhead. The big question now is can they maintain that level of performance and steer a path past Rangers in Sunday's seismic derby to reach the League Cup final?

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Former Scotland stiker Lee Miller believes joint interim boss Shaun Maloney will want the Celtic job full-time - but doesn't think the fans would be happy.

Maloney spent nine years at Celtic as a player across two spells, winning five league titles and three League Cups, but his managerial record - poor spells at both Hibs and Wigan - may well put supporters off.

The 42-year-old has insisted he isn't seeking the permanent role, but Miller told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast: "I think he will want it deep down. There's no doubt about that, but I don't think the fans will accept that.

"But listen, see if he goes on a run of seven, eight, nine or 10 games with really good, attractive football that wins games... I don't know if you can look elsewhere."

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is the bookmakers' current favourite for the Celtic post, with other candidates including former boss Ange Postecoglou and Wales head coach Craig Bellamy.

"I like McKenna, I like that shout," Miller said. "Bellamy as well. I've listened to a few of his interviews recently. He wants to play football; he understands the game. He's obviously been at Celtic as well. So yeah, there's a few interesting ones.

"Ange - I doubt he would come back. I don't think he's in the frame for it. He's been through the ringer recently, hasn't he?

"If he comes back to Celtic and it doesn't work out, what's next for him then? He's probably wanting to try and guard that legacy that he's got at Celtic, so I don't think he'll be in the frame."

We asked for your views after Martin O'Neill began his caretaker stint in charge of Celtic with a 4-0 thumping of Falkirk.

Here are some of your comments:

Ernie: Turns out Honda Civics have five forward gears. Who knew?

John: We were allowed to play freely as Falkirk didn't park the bus. Marcelo Saracchi is a great find in the Greg Taylor style. Arne Engels does a lot of hard unseen graft. Good start Martin, welcome back.

Kev: One swallow does not make a summer, better performance though. Should be an interesting game v Rangers, O'Neill should be positive with his tactics and team selection, let's go for it.

Michael: Easy really isn't it - play the ball forward quicker get in behind defenders. No more side to side and backwards passing and then we get results like this.

Rob: Inspirational to see Martin enjoying it so much. Wow, brilliant - give him the job if he wants it. Love the touchline involvement.

Malcolm: The fight was back. The tackles, movement, crosses and more pace to our game. Martin will get the best out of any average players we have. All players will get their chance and the longer Martin is at Paradise the better.

Davie: People may say "its only Falkirk" but the game was played with a bunch of players who looked like they were enjoying it. Much-needed rewind to our old selves. Sarrachi is a player, Johnny Kenny doesn't stop. I'm happy with the performance as I know a lot of Celtic fans are... roll on Sunday.

Patrick: Rolling back the years under Martin O'Neill, great to see! As he said there could have been more goals so the squad needs to build on that positive momentum and take it ahead to the weekend, block out all the other noise and keep winning.

Jim: It shows there are goals in the team if chances are taken, but there's a long way to go. The introduction of Auston Trusty was needed to stabilise the defence even if he's not a right-sided centre-back.

Watch highlights as Celtic mark Martin O'Neill's first match as interim boss by overwhelming Falkirk 4-0 in the Scottish Premiership. (UK only).

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Martin O'Neill told the Celtic players they were winners before they delivered an emphatic start to his homecoming with a 4-0 defeat of Falkirk.

Johny Kenny's first-half double and goals after the break from Benjamin Nygren and Sebastian Tounekti took Celtic to within six points of Premiership leaders Hearts.

O'Neill, who is in interim charge with Shaun Maloney after Brendan Rodgers resigned, said: "I know the confidence's been a bit low. That's the most natural thing in the world, even the very, very best sides if you're not getting a result.

"Players then stop doing things that they almost like naturally would do.

"I said we have quite a number of winners in the dressing room. That's really important.

"Those lads have experienced some lows during the course of the season and then fight back and the captain [Callum McGregor], he's a real quality player.

"But there was great performances all around and just to win.Naturally, delighted to win the game. But there wasn't a thought about anything else."

O'Neill joked about being nervous before the game.

He added: "Well, first of all, I jokingly said - maybe true - I have not been as nervous since I sat my 11-plus but, again, I think I passed that when I was 48.

"But honestly, really concerned about the game, naturally. Concerned about the usual thing about letting myself down, which is I've done so many times it's untrue, and letting other people down here at the football club.

"Just coming in a bit of a whirlwind and to play in the manner which we did when I thought was great and obviously most important thing was winning the game."

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Celtic have a concrete interest in Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen as Brendan Rodgers' successor. (Nieusblad - in Dutch), external

Hayen, 45, has refused to rule out a move to Celtic. (Record), external

Major shareholder Dermot Desmond's attendance at Celtic Park for Wednesday's 4-0 win over Falkirk was his first visit in years. (Sun), external

Interim manager Martin O'Neill labelled Celtic captain Callum McGregor "brilliant" following the humbling of Falkirk. (Record), external

O'Neill explained defender Kieran Tierney is "much better" and "feeling better" after missing out against the Bairns following "stiffness" at the weekend. (Glasgow Times), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

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Celtic interim manager Martin O'Neill told BBC Sportsound: "I thought we played very well.

"I was concerned before the game, but that's just a trait of mine. That's something to do with my dreadful insecurity problems.

"I'm really pleased to win the game in the manner we did, and we played some delightful stuff. Could have scored a couple of more goals, too.

"I'm hoping some of the players have played today are old enough to know who I am, some of the younger lads I wouldn't be totally sure. They see this man stepping into the dressing room and think 'what's happening here?'.

"I'm delighted, satisfied in the sense I thought we played very well. My anxiety has calmed somewhat, and it was really nice to win. When you get a few goals in front you can perhaps enjoy the last 10 or 15 minutes, and it kind of brought me back.

"I've not seen Celtic often, not live, to make criticism of this side. A restoration of confidence was great."

Celtic defeated Falkirk 4-0 to give interim manager Martin O'Neill a comfortable victory in his return to the Parkhead dugout.

Have your say here.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Given the strength of feeling expressed this week by Celtic's major shareholder, I can't help but wonder where was such firmness of purpose and conviction from the club earlier in the year?

Surely stronger leadership in the summer could have avoided this messy car crash?

For all the recent banter about Honda Civics and Ferraris, what's clear to this correspondent is the club's custodians were asleep at the wheel for large parts of 2025.

These problems at Celtic stretch back to the latter part of last season and it's only now, after the remarkable broadside blasted in Brendan Rodgers' direction by Dermot Desmond, some clarity is emerging from the fog of inertia the club seemed to be lost in.

Desmond's letter to the Celtic support smacked of several things. Anger, frustration, betrayal perhaps. Exasperation, certainly.

According to the Irish billionaire, repeated attempts were made to find out why Rodgers was apparently telling directors one thing while saying something else entirely in public. We don't have the Rodgers version yet, although that will no doubt be arriving shortly.

For now, we have to go with Desmond's side of the story, unedifying and recriminatory as it is. What I find most remarkable is this: he sat down with Rodgers to discuss a contract extension in June. Why has it taken until nearly Halloween for action finally to be taken?

Action that, on the surface at least, didn't even come from the Celtic hierarchy? We're dealing with a resignation here. At least that's what we've been told.

So the main move was apparently made by Rodgers, not Desmond or the board. It smacks of weak leadership and an executive team taking their eyes off the ball.

Let's assume the contract talks did take place, as Desmond claims, shortly after last season ended. If the directors didn't have their answer from the manager by the end of June, why weren't alarm bells ringing?

It's a perfectly acceptable state of affairs, before embarking on a potentially high-spending transfer window, to seek a contract extension to encourage the coach to stick around.

Which perhaps explains the stagnation and inertia in the transfer market. It's now evident the club wanted him to sign on before handing over the war chest. The perfect stand-off.

What then happened was drift. A manager and a club aimlessly slouching into a new season, singing from very different hymn sheets.

Rodgers dropped several hints along the way. "If you're looking to maintain, I'm not your man." The Celtic manager literally telling his board they may be better looking elsewhere.

They could have shaken hands in the summer, called it quits after a fine 24-month second stint and started succession planning. Instead, they chose to do nothing.

A £40m Champions League roll of the dice. An assumption the current squad would still be good enough to mop up domestically. A lack of leadership and direction which ended in Monday night's head-on collision.

No one at the club emerges unscathed. The collateral damage is still to be assessed. Rodgers' response to all this will be fascinating.

We asked who you would like to see replace Brendan Rodgers as permanent Celtic manager.

Here's what some of you said:

Andrew: I want Ange Postecoglou back. Yes he has had a tough time this past month or two, but let's not forget - he won a trophy, with Spurs!

Steve: Get Chris Wilder from Sheffield United. He would stop the rot and rebuild.

Larry: Utter fiasco at Celtic - board and manager not on the same page - Ange is not the answer - give Robbie Keane the job with Martin O'Neill to guide him.

Peter: Henrik Larsson is my choice, after all he is a Celtic legend and knows what's needed at the club. Saying that, I think it's time for the board to go because they have outstayed their welcome.

Gordy: I think Damien Duff and Robbie Keane would be excellent for the manager's role. Duff has already worked under Rodgers and gained invaluable experience at international level. It is time for us to go a different route and bring in vibrant, ambitious, young managers with a point to prove.

John: A bit tongue in cheek, Scott Brown and Neil Lennon. They would have a bit more fire in there belly and if the games were poor it would be fun to watch them on the sidelines.

Henrik: I somehow oppose reappointing Postecoglou. He did a great job and I am a big supporter of his style of play, but I think other managers might have figured out how to face his teams by now. I would love to see Edin Terzic or Kjetil Knutsen appointed.

Michael: Cesc Fabregas would be the dream appointment, but I think Barcelona or Arsenal will eventually come calling for him. Most sensible move is Knutsen from Bodo, seems to fit the mould of good up and coming manager who can manage a budget. I'd give Graham Potter a shout too, he showed in lower leagues he can buy wisely on a tight budget and likes his teams to really press from the front.

Senen: Kieran McKenna all day.

Lewis: Knutsen number one choice, Ange number two choice. Whether or not either of them will be interested in the circus that is Celtic right now is another matter.

Logan: I think that Postocoglou will come back and make a strong start.

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Celtic have confirmed long-time assistant manager John Kennedy has left the club.

The former defender, 42, became a Celtic scout in 2010 then moved on to coaching the reserves and graduated to the first-team staff in 2014.

He became assistant in 2019 at the start of Neil Lennon's second spell as manager and served under Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers in the role.

Rodgers resigned as Celtic manager on Monday and Martin O'Neill, for whom Kennedy played, has been installed as interim manager, assisted by another of his former players Shaun Maloney.

Coaches Jack Lyons and Adam Sadler and head of performance Glen Driscoll have also left Celtic.

"We thank each of them for their contribution to Celtic and we wish them all well for the future," the club said of Kennedy, Sadler, Lyons and Driscoll.

Former Celtic captain Stephen McManus and Mark Fotheringham are joining O'Neill's first-team coaching team. McManus has been Celtic's B team coach in recent years.

Goalkeeping coach Stephen Woods as well as Gavin Strachan and Greg Wallace are continuing with the club's backroom team following Rodgers and Kennedy's exit.

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Former Hearts and Dundee United manager Robbie Neilson can see why a return for Ange Postecoglou would be attractive for Celtic, and says the timing might be good for Kieran McKenna to move from Ipswich Town.

But whoever comes in, Neilson believes the new incumbent will be given substantial backing by the Celtic board and that will make this an attractive proposition for a lot of managers.

"Ange had a fantastic period when was up in Scotland," said Neilson, who once shared the touchline with the Australian.

"A lot of the guys that are getting quoted at clubs at the moment, and at big clubs, usually when you're at a big club, you've got a big buyout. So, Ange will be free at the moment, I can see that one, but I would be slightly surprised. I think they'll look elsewhere for this one.

"McKenna is one that everyone's speaking about. It might be the time for him to go. He's sitting 12th in the Championship at the moment, had a fantastic couple of years, so it might work out for both parties on that one."

Martin O'Neill is in interim charge of Celtic, who begin life after Brendan Rodgers with a Premiership home game against Falkirk tonight.

"There's a number of managers out there that will be looking at that job, because it's a fantastic opportunity," Neilson told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I would expect the board to spend big in January. So if you're coming in as a manager, first of all, you want to look at the squad. It's a good squad, but I think there'll be money getting spent.

"There are loads and loads of people putting a CV in and some top managers."

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So many eyes will be drawn to Celtic Park where O'Neill will make his unexpected return alongside his former player Shaun Maloney.

Given the unexpected nature of Brendan Rodgers' departure, the fact Maloney has had one training session, and O'Neill only arrived at the club on Tuesday, means an overhaul of Celtic's personnel and playing style seems unlikely.

The duo have to work with what they've got, which is a squad Rodgers infamously described as akin to a Honda Civic, with injuries to key players.

A meek and damaging defeat by Hearts laid those faults bare, and there is the backdrop of a protest planned by some fans before the game.

O'Neill said himself the job is to win, and dropping points to newly-promoted Falkirk at home to potentially fall further behind Hearts would be a horror start.

It is an unenviable task for O'Neill and Maloney, but maybe dusting off the boots and famous sweatshirt will inspire some of the old magic from his first spell.

Read all tonight's Premiership picks