Martin O'Neill is still the most feted Celtic boss since Jock Stein... is he in danger of tarnishing his legacy?

The esteem in which Martin O’Neill is held by Celtic supporters is manifest in an endless sequence of speaking engagements where they hang onto his every word.

Arriving at the club 25 years ago when the fanbase’s morale had been crushed, the man from Kilrea rebuilt the team and took them to unimaginable heights.

In his first season, O’Neill became the first man since Jock Stein in 1969 to win a Treble, turning a 21-point gap to Rangers into a 15-point advantage.

It would be his success in Europe, though, which truly elevated his status to that of a messiah.

His all-conquering side took on and defeated the best the continent had to offer. They bulldozed their way past Stuttgart, Blackburn and Liverpool to reach the 2003 UEFA Cup final - where they lost to Jose Mourinho’s Porto - and knocked-out Barcelona the following year.

Harnessing talents including Paul Lambert, Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson, the Northern Irishman who was given the moniker of the Blessed One came as close as anyone to reprising the days of the Lisbon Lions.

Six managers have sat in the hot seat since, but none have been feted like O’Neill to this very day.

And that’s precisely why the decision to place the 73-year-old in interim charge during the hunt for Brendan Rodgers’ long-term successor does not sit well with many of the rank and file.

O’Neill’s achievements - three titles, three Scottish Cups and a League Cup - are set in stone. The club needs him at this difficult moment far more than he needs them in their current shambolic state.

There is a semblance of logic in Dermot Desmond turning to his old pal in terms of O’Neill’s status among the support. He will assuredly be afforded a warm reception when he walks out of the dug-out before facing Falkirk on Wednesday.

As for what O’Neill the manager has to offer these days? That remains to be seen.

While Shaun Maloney will step up to fill the coaching role having recently been employed by Wigan Athletic, O’Neill has a glaring gap on his admittedly impressive CV.

His last competitive game in charge at Celtic Park was on May 8, 2005, a 2-0 win over Aberdeen.

There were postings at Aston Villa (four years) and Sunderland (15 months). He had five years in charge of the Republic of Ireland during which they made it to the knock-out round of Euro 2016.

Managing Nottingham Forest, where he won two European Cups as a player under Brian Clough, seemed inevitable at some point. He took charge at the City Ground in January 2019 and left five months later with the side still sitting ninth in the Championship.

Since then? Despite making it clear that he still felt he had something to offer football management, there’s been nothing.

The last six years have been spent penning his excellent memoir ‘On Days Like This.’ Together with the broadcaster Clive Tyldesley, he launched a podcast ‘The Football Authorities.’

His question-and-answer sessions have drawn crowds to theatres the length and breadth of the country. As if that wasn’t enough work for one man, his views have been a regular feature on TalkSPORT.

He was certainly no loss to the diplomatic corps when the subject of Celtic and Rodgers was raised on the airwaves last week.

Rodgers likening the current side to a Honda Civic after their defeat at Dens Park had set the media agenda for days.

Asked about it on air, O’Neill offered little sympathy for the stance of his fellow Northern Irishman.

‘That’s a big statement for Brendan to make there,’ he said.

‘I have said thousands of times, I have made a lot of statements in my time, and I have come to regret loads of them. Probably all of them.

‘But I don’t think you should be saying that, at this minute. I am not one to give advice to managers and that.

‘If a manager is making that comment, you feel as if it’s directed at you (the board).’

A long-term friend of Desmond - the man who brought him to Celtic 25 years ago - O’Neill’s stance was hardly surprising.

But those fans conspiring to believe that he already had an inkling he would soon be asked to step into Rodgers’ shoes are faced with an inconvenient truth.

As early as Monday morning, in a comical aside to this bleak week in Celtic’s history, O’Neill was talking up the possibility of Hearts closing out the eight-point lead they opened up on Sunday by lifting the title.

Asked if this could be the season in which a team leave the Old Firm in their wake, he told the same radio station: ‘Without a doubt. This is it, because Celtic at this minute are not that physically strong (and) can actually lose games whereas before that they looked invincible in matches.

‘Rangers are no threat whatsoever although the new manager coming in, I think maybe he can do something in time, but they are so far adrift it’s untrue.

‘This is the moment, this is the time now for Hearts. They’ve gone eight points clear at this minute and that is a decent enough lead.

‘Their confidence is growing and will grow from that victory as well. So, all of those things, all things are happening for Hearts, it’s great.

‘Whereas, just at this minute, Celtic are just in a bit of trouble. But this is the best time for any side outside the Old Firm to go and win (the title).’

This running down of both Celtic and Rangers makes it extremely hard to believe that O’Neill knew what was coming.

He seemed as startled as anyone when relating how he had landed himself in a position where Hearts’ stunning start to the season was now his problem.

‘I got a call yesterday, late afternoon or early evening, from Dermot Desmond, asking would I step in because Brendan had resigned from the football club,’ he said.

‘It was shock news as much as anything else, it shocked me, too.

‘He asked me to step into the breach on a short-term deal for them until a manager is appointed.

‘Like everything else, I took a gasp of breath, and thought: “Is this real? Or surreal”? It’s difficult to turn down the man who gave me the job in the first place 25 years ago.

‘By the time I’d pulled myself off the floor, I thought then maybe I should do it.’

Adamant that he’s only ‘keeping the seat warm’ for ‘a young coach coming in now who has proven ability,’ the likelihood is that O’Neill will only be in charge for the four games leading up until the international break.

While that’s not a lot of scope to tarnish a legacy, there’s the small matter of Sunday’s League Cup semi-final with Rangers coming into view. You might well ask if he needs the grief.

A few weeks back, the prospect of Celtic losing that game would have been unthinkable. As events of the past 24 hours have shown us, it’s dangerous to assume anything.