Fellow Celtic fans, let me ask you a wee question. What comes to mind when you think about Martin O’Neill?

A Celtic man. Someone who understood the club to its core. A master of the dressing room. His impact on Celtic is beyond dispute, and the numbers behind his record are extraordinary by any historical standard. When I look at that era, which all happened before I was a fan, I can nevertheless feel the positive energy. The stability. The sense of control. Celtic playing strong, confident football and looking like a team that knew exactly what it was doing.

Martin O’Neill’s record is honestly remarkable, and for me he even edges someone like Brendan Rodgers in terms of emotional impact.

When he arrived in 2000 from Leicester City, he took Celtic into a period of sustained success both domestically and in Europe. His authority in the derby matches built real belief. He didn’t win every Glasgow derby game, of course, but Celtic were strong in those fixtures and that psychological edge mattered enormously. O’Neill gave supporters a feeling of stability, especially in the biggest moments.

In his very first season, Celtic won the domestic treble. The league title...