O’Neill leaves with Celtic’s thanks – and a tracksuit

He arrived. He won. A tracksuit was nicked by him.

Martin O’Neill’s return to Celtic was nothing short of disappointing. Box office press conferences, a revival of fortunes in the league, and line after line lapped up by the adoring Parkhead supporters.

As Wilfried Nancy prepares to take over, the 73-year-old’s adulation pours out of the place, and on Wednesday, it was gushing on his final bow.

O’Neill led a lap of honor around Celtic Park, received player ovations, and sang his name as the team’s 1-0 victory over Dundee brought them level with Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

He declared, “These players have been absolutely fantastic, and that’s why they are champions.” It’s been a privilege, they say.

O’Neill’s performance in front of the Celtic Park main stand and in front of the media mirrored that of the team he’s helped put back on the rails.

“Do you know what?” He declared in the press release, “I’m going to take the tracksuit.” “Steven, the kit man, he doesn’t know, but I’m putting this in the bag,” he said.

O’Neill is a showman, much like his ancestor Brendan Rodgers.

The self-centered Northern Irishman may have carried himself over these past few weeks with a modest air of amazement, but his presence has been a PR and coaching masterstroke.

The stand-in between the board and the stands has been created by the wily old fox, his patter, and his influence.

It was abandoned as a result of fan protests at the recent club AGM, which was a common practice during Rodgers’ final months.

Celtic’s disastrous attempt to qualify for the Champions League has spewed and sparked like hot lava from some of the support.

O’Neill made a shift when he arrived. In the midst of discombobulation and unrest, it provided a commonality and a serene calm.

Eight games, seven victories, and a place in the League Cup final.

Celtic are now eight points off Hearts’ top flight and still have a chance to win. There have been some ways to win, but it hasn’t been as swashbuckling as there was when Rotterdam defeated Feyenoord in the Europa League.

O’Neill said, “It’s like a complete blur,” referring to the time when his life had been “back at Celtic.”

I didn’t want to mess up Easter Road tonight because I had secretly hoped that it would be the last game played against Hibernan last Sunday.

O’Neill’s explosive arrival helped Celtic escape a hole. However, some might argue that the man coming after him is under a little pressure due to how well-timed and sentimental his fond farewell is.

The experienced boss claimed he had no plans to leave the position permanently and was claiming when he arrived in Glasgow. We will never know whether he had ulterior ambitions in secret.

However, some fans were consistently warming up, suggesting that O’Neill, who has demonstrated that he is the safest of the safes, should stay put for a while longer. Be at least given the chance to play Celtic for St Mirren in the League Cup final on Sunday.

Instead, Nancy will have to deal with a series of events that require him to run the gamut of an Olympic sprinter.

Hearts will visit Celtic on Sunday. Roma, the Serie A powerhouse, travels to Glasgow on Thursday after that. Then Hampden’s final.

With a trophy in the cabinet, Celtic could complete their hat-trick of games at the top of the league and advance to the Europa League knockout stages.

Or maybe not at all.

It’s a massive baptism of fire trying to navigate your way through for any new manager. O’Neill’s continued position may have relieved that immediate pressure, but trust has been placed on his successor.

O’Neill will leave with his anticipated legacy intact and, if anything, improved, and Celtic’s season has been settled. For Nancy to follow it’s a difficult task.

A Celtic team with a new identity is left behind by the club legend. He regains his faith and leaves behind a support. A high bar is left behind by him.