Simon Jordan urges Martin O'Neill to fight for Celtic job

Simon Jordan has urged Martin O'Neill to show more fight after the Celtic manager admitted he would reflect on his future following a miserable week for the Scottish champions.

Celtic have lost three matches in seven days. Rangers beat them 3-0 at Ibrox in the Scottish League Cup quarter-final, then won 1-0 at Celtic Park in the Premiership, a result that ended the Hoops' unbeaten start to the league campaign. Sandwiched between those two defeats came a loss to Ferencvaros in Celtic's Europa League opener. Across the two Old Firm meetings, Celtic managed just two shots on target and scored from neither.

O'Neill, 74, signed a one-year contract in June after leading Celtic to a domestic double following his return as caretaker manager in January. Asked about his position after the derby defeat, he stopped short of committing to the job.

"I genuinely will reflect and see," he said. "It's a matter of whether I can help the team. If that's the case – the manager's supposed to be able to do that. I will have a look at that there this week."

Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman, said he would rather have heard O'Neill draw a line under the Rangers results than leave his future open to question.

"I've liked to see him being a bit spikier and a bit more robust, rather than sounding relatively defeated in that clip," Jordan said on talkSPORT.

Celtic still sit two points clear at the top of the Premiership and remain in the Europa League, but the four defeats already suffered this season match the total O'Neill's side collected across 35 games last term. Reports link Robbie Keane, Neil Lennon, Shaun Maloney and Scott Brown as possible successors should the club move on, with Lennon installed as the bookmakers' favourite at 1/1 by one major firm. Lennon has managed Celtic twice before, most recently leaving in 2021, while Keane has already been interviewed for the post, according to Football Insider.

Kieran Tierney, back at Celtic Park since August 2025, is among those who will be expected to help steady the side regardless of who is in the dugout, while goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo, signed in July, has yet to concede fewer goals than the run of results suggests he might. Whether O'Neill takes charge for Celtic's next fixture may say more about the club's thinking than anything said this week.