Is O'Neill the long-term answer for Celtic?

Breaking news from the world of sport: Is O'Neill the long-term answer for Celtic? Image source, ReutersImage caption, O'Neill won his fourth title with Celtic, 21 years after the thirdByGeorge O'NeillBBC Sport ScotlandPublished47 minutes agoWatch Celtic v Hearts highlights on iPlayer16/05/26 Watch on iPlayerIn October last year, Martin O'Neill was enjoying retirement. The then 73-year-old was a regular pundit on radio shows, but had not had a managerial job since leaving Nottingham Forest in 2019.

Then, just a few hours after tipping Hearts to win the Scottish Premiership, he received a phone call in which he was given 10 minutes to decide whether he wanted to make a stunning return to Celtic following Brendan Rodgers' departure. With the fanbase revolting over a perceived lack of summer spending and dismal Champions League play-off defeat by Kazakhstan's Kairat Almaty, Dermot Desmond turned to the one man he felt could weather the storm. O'Neill returned, two decades after his first successful spell, donned a fetching club tracksuit, and got to work like he had never been away.

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Two spells for the veteran Northern Irishman - either side of Wilfried Nancy's awful 33-day reign - have culminated in Celtic's 14th league title in the past 15 years. It has further enhanced O'Neill's legendary status at the club and he still has a Scottish Cup final to come next Saturday against Dunfermline Athletic. But how has he done it and what is next for the man in the three stripes?

Title decider not cut short by pitch invasion - SPFL Published3 hours agoResilient Celtic time run perfectly to win race after eight-month chase Published1 day ago'Celtic gave me reasons to live' - but O'Neill unsure about staying on Published23 hours agoGood vibes & churning out winsA 4-0 victory in O'Neill's first match in interim charge against Falkirk set the tone for a triumphant five-and-a-half-week first spell. Five straight league wins. An eight-point gap to Hearts - gone.

Rivals Rangers dispatched in the League Cup semi-finals. O'Neill paved the way for Nancy in his inimitable style and rode off into the sunset with a wave and a smile. Or so we all thought.

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The veteran Northern Irishman was back just over a month later, Nancy having been binned after 33 days and six losses in eight games. And O'Neill picked up where he left off, churning out wins. He has taken an average of 2.

57 points per game this season - by far the best of any manager in Scotland's top flight. It makes you wonder what would have happened had Celtic left him in charge in December. Twice this season he has had to pick up a dressing room lacking confidence amid fan unrest.

Twice he has done so. Along with coaches Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, he has stripped things back to basics. It is not the exhilarating football that delivered titles under Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou, but it has been mightily effective.

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.