Celtic board will ease Martin O'Neill out, says Peter Martin
After Falkirk 2-0 Celtic, The Football Show panel weighed up O'Neill's future, the squad he was left with and the questions Dermot Desmond should face at the AGM.
By Peter Martin,
On The Football Show, Peter Martin predicted that the Celtic board will find a quiet way to part company with Martin O'Neill. The prediction came 170 days after O'Neill delivered the double, with the Celtic support now turning on him after a 2-0 defeat at Falkirk.
Peter Martin was joined by Alan Rough, Tam McManus and Alex Rae.
A worthy Falkirk win
The panel went through Cameron Carter-Vickers' early error, the role of Scott Bain and Falkirk's first chance to beat Celtic in 19 years. The verdict on the home side was that "in the end they were worthy winners", while Celtic were judged harshly: "defensively they're very, very poor".
The show also covered the fans' reaction, with O'Neill described as "Tactically clueless" and the slide summed up as "Hero to zero". The panel pointed to "no real pattern of play". Beşiktaş on Thursday, Kilmarnock and the international break were all part of the discussion.
Peter's prediction
Peter Martin's view was that the board "will orchestrate it in such a way that they'll give him his money and say Martin has decided to step down".
The panel did not lay all the blame at O'Neill's door. "I think he's been absolutely exposed and left with a team that he didn't want." Another view from the panel was that "it's got to be Martin that makes the decision really."
On whether 75 is too old to manage Celtic, Alan Rough, nearly 75 himself, offered: "I'm still 74."
Who comes next
On possible replacements, the panel said McKenna would cost "something like 7 or 8 million pound" in compensation, and that Eddie Howe "will not take it".
Questions for Dermot Desmond
With the AGM approaching, the panel turned to what supporters should put to Dermot Desmond. The list included the 77 million pounds in the bank, the recruitment policy, Europe and the communication with supporters. The board's position on the money was described as "trying to defend the indefensible". One further question the panel suggested was: "How are you able to wield that influence".
Celtic's run of fixtures, with Beşiktaş, Kilmarnock and St Mirren discussed on the show, now comes against a backdrop of growing pressure on both the manager and the board.