Truth stranger than fiction as O'Neill leads Celtic from hostility to happiness

Celtic fell 2-0 to Dundee United at Tannadice in March, leaving them five points behind Hearts and two behind Rangers. Martin O’Neill responded with dejection and defiance, insisting Celtic were not finished and would need to win seven of seven in the run-in. Celtic then produced a tense, nervous, often grinding run, collecting 18 points from 18 while chasing the leaders. They later extended the streak to 21 points from 21 and became champions again. O’Neill won 19 of 23 Premiership games with only two defeats, relying more on spirit than class. Controversial officiating decisions also played a role, fueling debate between Celtic and Hearts supporters.

"“We disappointed an awful lot of people today,” he remarked. “It's been difficult since I've set foot in the place. This is a blow but we're not finished yet.” The truth was that O'Neill and Celtic were only getting started. He asked for seven wins on the bounce and, up until Saturday's endgame in Glasgow, he had six. Tense, nervous, only occasionally impressive and frequently a grind, but 18 points from a possible 18 while in chasing mode."

"Now they've made it 21 points out of 21 and they're champions again. They've hunted down and overtaken a Hearts side that has done very little wrong all season. After walking into a shambles, exiting and then re-entering an even bigger shambles, O'Neill has won 19 of his 23 Premiership games with just two losses. They are not impressive winners but they are worthy winners."

"They've triumphed on the back of spirit rather than class. They've benefitted from some extremely controversial calls along the way - particularly in recent weeks - but a race is run across an entire campaign and their fans will not be slow in telling you about decisions they felt went against them, and for Hearts, over the past 10 months. That's a wearying game to play, not that it's stopping people from playing it."

"Their victory merits proper analysis, though. The Celtic board should be doing a deep dive on this stuff rather than solely basking in their"

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