Celtic back Martin O'Neill after three defeats as annual accounts show loss

Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson has publicly backed Martin O'Neill after three successive defeats prompted the manager to consider his future. In a statement accompanying the club's financial results on September 22, Nicholson said Celtic would support O'Neill and his players while pursuing domestic success and progress in the Europa League, BBC Sport reported.

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The 74-year-old had indicated he would use the international break to reflect on his position after Sunday's 1-0 home defeat by Rangers. That result followed another loss to their Glasgow rivals and a home defeat by Ferencvaros. Despite the sequence of setbacks, Celtic remain at the top of the Scottish Premiership, according to the BBC.

Sky Sports reported that the earlier Rangers defeat came in the League Cup quarter-finals, while Ferencvaros beat Celtic in their opening Europa League match. The three losses followed a separate European disappointment in August: Celtic failed to reach the Champions League league phase after surrendering a 4-0 aggregate advantage against LASK in their qualifying play-off.

Nicholson acknowledged the recent defeats and apologised for missing the Champions League, describing qualification as a shared objective. His remarks were a statement of support from the club rather than an announcement from O'Neill about the outcome of his reflection. The manager had raised the possibility of stepping away after the latest derby defeat, saying it might be time to finish.

The backing arrived alongside annual accounts showing a financial reversal. RTE reported a post-tax loss of £4.8 million for the year ending June 30, 2026, compared with a £33.9 million profit in the previous year. Revenue fell 22.7% to £111 million from £143.6 million. BBC Sport attributed much of the loss to Celtic's failure to reach last season's Champions League.

Nicholson also acknowledged O'Neill's recent service to the club. According to Sky Sports, the chief executive expressed gratitude to the manager and his staff for taking charge twice last season and welcomed his permanent return this summer. O'Neill first returned in October after Brendan Rodgers resigned, then took over again following Wilfried Nancy's dismissal after 33 days in charge.