Celtic are Scottish Premiership champions once more — but this triumph will be remembered for how chaotic the season was before the celebrations. Despite leading the table for only 34 days all campaign, they finished where it mattered on the final day, edging Hearts by two points after a dramatic late victory in a 3-1 win that sealed the title.
Hearts had occupied top spot for 250 days and looked set to end the Old Firm monopoly that has dominated Scottish football since 1985. Instead, club legend Martin O’Neill, 74, twice called out of retirement to steady the ship, guided Celtic over the line. His two interventions this season — first after Brendan Rodgers’ departure in October, and again in January following a brief, ill-fated permanent appointment — proved decisive.
How Celtic recovered from near-collapse
Recruitment failures were at the heart of the unrest around Celtic this season. Key departures — Nicolas Kuhn, Adam Idah, Kyogo and the free transfer exit of left-back Greg Taylor — amounted to the loss of the equivalent of dozens of goals and experience from the previous campaign, with few like-for-like replacements arriving in time. The club brought in Kieran Tierney, Benjamin Nygren and Sebastian Tounekti plus several project signings, but a chaotic Deadline Day and a failure to land main striker target Kasper Dolberg amplified fan anger.
Some signings made real impacts despite limited minutes. Kelechi Iheanacho, signed on a free after the summer window, scored a number of late winners (four decisive Premiership goals among his five strikes) despite ongoing fitness issues. After January’s loan window produced mixed results — only Julian Araujo established himself before injury — Celtic turned again to free agents and signed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who contributed two match-winning goals.
Rodgers, resignation and boardroom tensions
Brendan Rodgers’ relationship with the club frayed publicly. Having confidently declared he would stay in April 2025, he resigned months later in a shock announcement. In the months leading up to his departure Rodgers had repeatedly criticised the club’s lack of activity in the transfer market. The principal shareholder Dermot Desmond responded with a blistering public statement labelling Rodgers “divisive, misleading and self-serving,” a rare and ugly public split that has not been fully reconciled.
The Nancy experiment and more disruption
Celtic appointed Wilfried Nancy, then Columbus Crew manager, in December 2025 after O’Neill’s first interim spell. The move was intended to echo the attacking ethos that had served the club in recent years, but Nancy’s tenure lasted just 33 days. A switch in systems saw the team lose six of eight matches under him, including a League Cup final defeat and a home derby loss to Rangers, and Celtic suffered a four-game losing streak for the first time since 1978. Nancy was relieved of his role and Paul Tisdale, head of football operations, also departed. O’Neill returned again to steady the team.
Fans vs the board
Supporter unrest defined much of the season. After an impressive European run and domestic success the previous year, fans expected investment and progress; instead they staged protests over the summer transfer inactivity and the club’s direction. Campaigns called for board members to go and for fans to withhold spending. The Green Brigade ultras were suspended for “safety incidents” and then reinstated in April ahead of the title run-in. An AGM was abandoned amid demonstrations, and chairman Peter Lawwell said he resigned at year’s end citing abuse and threats. Calls for the resignations of CEO Michael Nicholson, CFO Chris McKay and principal shareholder Dermot Desmond continued despite the late-season turnaround.
The O’Neill effect
Martin O’Neill’s impact was straightforward: he stripped back the failed changes, set the team up to play to its strengths and reforged a resilient mentality. His first interim spell in October narrowed an eight-point gap to Hearts and delivered a place in the League Cup final and progress in Europe, including a memorable 3-1 win at Feyenoord that kept the club’s continental hopes alive. After Nancy’s exit, O’Neill returned once more with Celtic six points behind Hearts; he led them back into contention and ultimately to the title.
The season was littered with dramatic comebacks that reflected the never-say-die spirit O’Neill instilled — late recoveries to beat Kilmarnock and Motherwell, and a rally from two goals down to salvage a point away to Rangers. Those moments, plus crucial late goals from the likes of Iheanacho and Oxlade-Chamberlain, were pivotal in a campaign that rarely looked under control.
Wider context and what comes next
The title continues the Old Firm stranglehold on Scotland’s top flight: since 1985-86, Celtic have 23 top-flight titles and Rangers 18; no other club has won in that period. Despite this renewal of domestic silverware, major questions remain at Celtic Park. The summer will demand significant recruitment and likely a new permanent manager to replace O’Neill if the club chooses to seek a longer-term option. The relationship between fans and the board is fragile, and many supporters say their protests may persist regardless of the trophy.
For now, players, staff and large sections of the Celtic support can celebrate. Against a backdrop of chaos, boardroom rows, managerial upheaval and fan unrest, Martin O’Neill’s two interventions turned a season on its head and delivered another title — secured in dramatic fashion on the final day.