Celtic’s 14th Manager (2000-05) – Martin O’Neill gave us back our glory…

At long last in summer 2000, Celtic got the right man. For four successive years we had begun the season with a new man in charge, and this time, we got Martin O’Neill, a man with a proven record, and this time we backed him with money as well to buy players, notably Chris Sutton.

The effect was immediate. Martin O’Neill earned his spurs in the Demolition Derby, and for that season, apart from Europe, we never looked back as we earned our first treble since 1969 with Henrik Larsson clearly world class.

In his five years, Martin won the League three times, the Scottish Cup three times and the League Cup once.

Ironically his most famous season – the Seville experience of 2003 – was the only one of his five where we won nothing! “Taking the eye off the ball” was hardly appropriate, but in the wake of our triumph over Liverpool, we went down to Rangers in the League Cup final and then, with a strange team selection, we lost up at Inverness in the Scottish Cup.

Then we lost the League on a heartbreaking Sunday after Seville. We had possibly spread ourselves too thin, but we still had the bitter sweet experience of the Spanish sun to remember.

Martin O'Neill — Martin O’Neill of Celtic celebrates victory with his players after his last game in charge after winning The Tennents Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Dundee United at Hampden Park on May 28, 2005 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

We bounced back with a Double in 2003/04 and with a defeat of Barcelona into the bargain, but 2005 is still recalled as “Black Sunday”. It was an accident looking for a place to happen. In the run in, we managed to lose at home to both Hearts and Hibs (a very unusual occurrence) and the danger signal was up.

We had gone stale, and O’Neill was increasingly worried about his domestic problems. Things imploded piteously at Fir Park that awful Sunday, but with his final throw of the dice, O’Neill still managed to win the Scottish Cup before he departed. He returned to manage in England and with the Irish national side. His performances were respectable, but his glory years were with Celtic.

A dejected Martin O'Neill in Seville — SEVILLE – MAY 21: A dejected Celtic manager Martin O’Neill after the UEFA Cup Final match between Celtic and FC Porto held on May 21, 2003 at the Estadio Olimpico in Seville, Spain. FC Porto won the match and trophy 3-2 after extra-time. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

If Tommy Burns as Manager gave us back our self-respect in 1995, Martin O’Neill gave us back our glory in the 2000s. If Stein and Maley gave us our golden years around 1967 and 1908, then Martin’s years were silver. Not quite golden, but glorious all the same, and to be looked back with happiness and affection, and light years away from what we had seen in the 1990s!