Celtic Back Martin O'Neill After Painful Week

Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson has backed manager Martin O'Neill, who is considering his future following a difficult week.

It follows last month's Champions League play-off collapse against LASK, when Celtic led 4-0 at one stage and still lost the tie on aggregate. After the Rangers defeat, O'Neill said he would reflect on his future and admitted "it might be time to wrap it up".

Nicholson said the club "will now come together and support Martin and the players", with efforts turning to the Premiership and the Europa League. Celtic remain top of the table by two points despite the run.

The 74-year-old O'Neill returned to Celtic last October, 20 years after his first spell in charge, following Brendan Rodgers' resignation. He then had a second stint as interim boss after Wilfried Nancy was sacked following a 33-day tenure. In the summer he signed a one-year deal to stay on.

Nicholson made his comments as Celtic published accounts showing a post-tax loss of £4.8m and cash reserves of £66.4m. He pointed to the previous campaign's finish — the Premiership title won on the final day, followed by the Scottish Cup and Women's Scottish Cup — while acknowledging last season had been "challenging" for the club "both on and off the pitch".

Sunday's defeat also cut Celtic's lead over Rangers to two points, and commentator Simon Jordan said on Tuesday that O'Neill should show more defiance rather than step back. With the board's backing now public, the pressure shifts to results: how Celtic respond in the Premiership and the Europa League after the international break may determine whether the question of O'Neill's future returns.