Twelve months on from Brendan Rodgers' exit, Celtic and Martin O'Neill face a verdict on stability, results and where the club goes next.
A year ago, Celtic's dugout changed hands in dramatic fashion. Brendan Rodgers walked away from a club he had shaped into a domestic powerhouse, and Martin O'Neill was handed the job of keeping the Hoops on course. Now comes the harder question: how well has it really gone?
O'Neill's brief was never going to be simple. Rodgers left behind a squad with high expectations, a demanding fanbase and a standard set by years of silverware. Any successor was always going to be judged against that benchmark, and the veteran boss has had to balance short-term results with the need for a clear sense of direction.
The fairest assessment looks at a few things: whether the dressing room has settled, whether the team plays with identity and intensity, and whether Celtic remain the team to beat at home while competing with credit in Europe. Calm after a messy departure counts for something, but at a club like Celtic, calm is not the same as success.
What happens next matters as much as the past twelve months. Celtic must decide whether O'Neill's tenure is a bridge to a longer-term project or a chapter that stands on its own merits. Either way, the pressure that comes with that famous green and white jersey is not going anywhere.
