Celtic mood music points to parting of ways amid rumours of takeover attempt and Rangers resurgence

Writing a few years later in his autobiography, he recalled the Danish press officer approaching him to offer his support, because he had “never seen a manager treated in the manner in which he has witnessed tonight”. O’Neill told him not to worry as he had faced a lot worse a couple of weeks earlier when a reporter, “who I used to think was quite fair, had me down as some superannuated Luddite not equipped to deal with the modern world”.

O’Neill is hearing a lot more of that now. “Age,” he said on Sunday following Celtic's latest Old Firm defeat, “always crops up”. He added: “And you know what? They may well be right. I will be 110 in two years’ time, so yes, maybe time to wrap it up.”

Those who know O’Neill well will tell you that he’s not an impulsive man. He sounded as if he was simply thinking out loud in front of reporters on Sunday while pondering what the coming weeks might bring, and what soul-searching he might do on the few days’ break in foreign climes that the international window permits for those not involved.

The thing is, the longer he thinks about it, the more sense leaving now is likely to make. Celtic are still top of the league. The memories of an unlikely double last season are still fresh enough to ensure he walks away with his own self-respect as well as the love of the crowd still largely intact.

Staying longer, with some tricky-looking fixtures looming, means the risk to his legacy must be considered a very real threat. Celtic’s post-break schedule reads like this: Motherwell (A), Benfica (A) and then Hearts and Celta Vigo at home.

Whether Celtic want a new manager to undertake such a challenging series of matches is another question. Wilfried Nancy was given a similar hospital pass and did not survive. Better to stick with O’Neill? He might take the decision out of their hands. The mood music suggests there’s a very strong possibility of this happening.

Rumours of a Celtic takeover attempt

Rumours of a takeover attempt by a consortium including, of all people, former manager Brendan Rodgers are adding to the uncertainty. Agreeing to let O’Neill go—whom he so persistently pursued—while also consenting to sell his stake in the club seems like a lot for an autocrat such as major shareholder Dermot Desmond to consider. Maybe Desmond will dig his heels in. Maybe O’Neill will. Resolving to take the fight to the resurgent Rangers, perhaps the Northern Irishman will endeavour to show his managerial chops.

What a month it’s been for the 74-year-old. In the last four weeks, there’s been a 5-1 trouncing by LASK as well as three other terrible defeats against Rangers (twice) and Ferencvaros. Four league wins have been secured as well, three of them by one-goal margins, to keep Celtic at the head of the Premiership pack.

He has also navigated the chaos of a closing transfer window. On deadline day, following a 3-0 win over Aberdeen, he joked that new signings “were lining up outside the door”. It’s becoming clear not all of them had his approval.

What a month and what a mess. The last few days, certainly, could not have been much worse for O'Neill. Barely laying a glove on Rangers in front of 60,000 despairing home fans so soon after Ferencvaros coasted to victory has been compounded by arch critic Keith Andrews’ continued success with Brentford, who swept Chelsea aside 3-0 on Friday night.

O’Neill once challenged the former Republic of Ireland international, who became an outspoken pundit during O’Neill’s managerial reign in Dublin, to do his talking in the dugout after he was appointed as assistant to national coach Stephen Kenny. “He is finding out that winning football matches is more difficult to execute on the field of play than fidgeting about with a remote control button,” O’Neill wrote in On Days Like These, his enjoyable memoir published four years ago. Now shining at Brentford, Andrews has led his side up to fourth place in the Premier League after finishing ninth last season.

O'Neill has no personal beef with Derek McInnes, but the improving prospects of another younger man certainly isn't helping. His Ibrox counterpart’s two Old Firm wins, included in a run of six consecutive victories, clearly impact the Celtic manager, as does the manner of those wins. The general view is that O'Neill has been schooled twice by McInnes - or at least O’Neill along with his coaching staff, principally comprising Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, have been.

McInnes, the first Ibrox manager since Graeme Souness to win his first two games against Celtic, has every right to be feeling very pleased with himself. There was a moment in his pre-match press conference on Friday when McInnes casually mentioned that James Penrice, at 27, was the oldest player in the Rangers team that beat Celtic 3-0 in the Premier Sports Cup the previous weekend.

The same was true again this Sunday. There’s an argument that the Ibrox side’s latest win, although narrow sounding in terms of scoreline, is one of their most impressive recent victories at the home of their fiercest rivals. Not only were five players in the starting XI making their Parkhead debuts, but they were doing so in front of a completely hostile crowd.

Granted, Rangers won 3-1 there last season with a young side – the then 18-year-old Mikey Moore started, as did fellow teenager at the time Jayden Meghoma – but there were some away fans present and Celtic were in perhaps even greater turmoil. That reversal was Nancy’s last stand. Sunday might very well prove to be O’Neill’s.