Copyright glasgowworld
As Martin O’Neill prepares for his 28th Old Firm Derby as Hoops boss, here’s a walk down memory lane to the last time the current caretaker led his side out against Rangers. The 73-year old has taken interim charge of Celtic after the shock resignation of Brendan Rodgers and has been thrown right into the deep end with an Old Firm semi final to prepare for less than a week after being appointed. Alongside him in the coaching staff is former Celtic midfielder, Shaun Maloney, who O’Neill coached at Aston Villa. Celtic beat Rangers 2-1 at Ibrox over two decades ago the last time O’Neill managed in the fixture, as goals from Stiliyan Petrov and Craig Bellamy were enough to see The Hoops over the line, before Steven Thompson fired in a consolation. The match was dubbed as a ‘title decider’ at the time however, due to subsequent losses against Hibernian and Motherwell, Rangers ended up winning the title on ‘Helicopter Sunday’. From outspoken pundits to International managers, here’s a look at the Celtic side that defeated Rangers in Martin O’Neill’s last Old Firm in charge and where they are now: An International hero, the stopper’s Scotland career began when he was at Celtic as a 19-year old. He left the club in 2007 where he enjoyed a successful career south of the border, most notably at Cardiff City, for whom he made over 250 appearances. In Scotland he will always be the remembered as the man who took the tartan army to their first major tournament in 22 years. He retired in 2024 and is currently Technical Performance Director at Hibs. It’s not very often a centre back becomes everyone’s fan favourite, but that’s exactly what ‘Bobo’ was in the East End of Glasgow. A no-nonsense defender, who could beat anyone in the air on his day, he made 161 appearances for Celtic before moving to Valenciennes. After hanging up his boots in 2013, he became a Sport Coordinator for the Guinea National Team. A solid figure at the back for O’Neill, the Slovakian made 80 appearance in three years at Celtic Park. An asset in both boxes, ‘Stan’ scored ten goals for Celtic from centre back, the most notable of which coming in a Champions League match against AC Milan. He had brief spells at Sunderland and Bolton before retiring in 2008. Since then, he has managed a plethora of Slovak clubs. A dependable full back synonymous with O’Neill era, McNamara spent a decade at Parkhead, making over 250 appearances, after signing from Dunfermline in 1995. The versatile defender left Celtic Park around the same time as O’Neill, when Glenn Hoddle signed him at Wolves. His playing days came to and end in 2011 with Partick Thistle, however he went straight into management with the Maryhill side. He currently works in agency. Lennon became Dunfermline manager in March on a short term deal, however after helping them secure Scottish Championship safety he has now secured a two-year contract. The Northern Irishman had a great relationship with O’Neill as a player and captained the side for the majority of the 2004/05 season. He made 214 appearances for Celtic before leaving for Nottingham Forest in 2007. Perhaps the more well-known ‘Stan’ in the dressing room, the Bulgarian scored the opener on the day and was always one of the first names on the team sheet during his seven years at Celtic Park. He covered every blade of grass in each of his 228 games for Celtic and also had an impressive goal tally from midfield. He left the club in 2007 for Aston Villa and now does a lot of work to spread awareness for cancer research. Today, he is a TNT Sports pundit, often covering Celtic’s European games. A wand of a left foot and another Parkhead fan favourite, Thompson didn’t score tap-ins. The Geordie joined Celtic from Aston Villa in 2000, where he would spend the next seven years. He made 158 appearances for the club, before Dennis Wise signed him for Leeds United. He hung up his boots in 2008 and has became a motivational speaker in his post-footballing years. The assister of the opener on the day, the pace and crossing ability of the Frenchman was frightening at times. During his six years at Celtic Park, he was up and down the wing like a yo-yo. He caught the eye of O’Neill while playing for Hibs in 2000 and was signed for just £27,000. Having been released from his contract, he would reunite with O’Neill at Aston Villa a year later. He currently manages Northern League Division two side, Chester-le-Street United, where he has been for four years. He may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but the lethal pace as well as the finishing ability of the Welshman made him a problem for any defence. He scored seven goals in his twelve Celtic appearances during his loan spell, including the winner on the day, before going back to his parent club, Newcastle United. He is now currently managing the Welsh National Team in the bid for World Cup 2026 qualification and linked with becoming next boss. One half of a deadly duo, whether it was with Alan Shearer or Henrik Larsson, the Englishman knew where the goal was. A towering figure, he scored 63 goals for Celtic in 130 appearances and is another player synonymous with the O’Neill era. He left the club towards the end of his career when he signed for Birmingham City. Not afraid to speak his mind, he can now be found almost anywhere as a pundit but mostly on Sky Sports where he spends the majority of his day arguing with Kris Boyd. Last but not least, O’Neill signed Hartson from Coventry City in 2001, where he would go on to spend five years at Celtic Park. The Welshman scored had a hugely impressive goal record in a green and white jersey, netting 88 times in 146 appearances. He eventually left the club for West Bromwich Albion towards the end of his career. Since retiring in 2007, he also has been a regular pundit since his playing days, working for TNT Sports, Premier Sports and S4C. Your next Celtic read: Martin O'Neill in classy Rangers throwback over Ibrox icon as Celtic ace may make starting XI return for derby
