There comes a point when words have to be backed up by actions, and I believe Martin O’Neill has reached that point ahead of Celtic’s visit to Hibernian this Sunday.

The Celtic manager has made it clear that domestic football is his priority, and he has also insisted that the team must bounce back from its European disappointments and get back to winning games.

I agree with him entirely. But having made those statements, he has left himself very little room for excuses.

Celtic have to win on Sunday. I cannot see another way around it, and I do not believe we should be searching for one.

I respect Martin O’Neill enormously. His history with Celtic, his achievements and the affection supporters have for him are not things I take lightly.

Indeed, that is precisely why I do not want to see him put himself in a position where his own words come back to haunt him.

I would much rather see him lead Celtic to victory than have to explain why the promises he has made have not been fulfilled.

Unfortunately, football does not care about reputations, however impressive they might be.

Celtic have endured European disappointments, and the manager’s response has been that domestic football must take priority and the team has to get back to winning ways.

That sounds perfectly reasonable to me even if the pricks in the media have claimed that it would just make matters worse. Europe is beyond us now. We have to face facts that this team is not built for it. Domestic success now becomes everything.

If Europe has exposed weaknesses in the team, then domestic fixtures provide an immediate opportunity to restore confidence, find some consistency and remind everyone what Celtic are supposed to be about.

But you cannot announce that domestic football is the priority and then fail to deliver domestically without inviting some very uncomfortable questions.

It is not exactly rocket science, is it?

If the manager tells supporters that the team has to bounce back, then supporters are entitled to expect exactly that.

Perhaps that sounds terribly old-fashioned, but I have always believed winning should be the minimum expectation at a club of Celtic’s stature.

We are not talking about a struggling side desperately trying to escape relegation.

We are talking about a club which should be setting the standard in Scottish football, not spending its time explaining why it has failed to meet it.

And if domestic football really is the priority, then the players and coaching staff now have to behave as though it is.

Sunday’s match against Hibernian is a must-win fixture in my opinion.

I cannot dress it up in pretty language, nor can I find some clever argument which makes anything other than victory acceptable.

Of course, Hibernian will want to make life difficult for Celtic. Of course, playing away from home presents its own challenges.

And yes, football can be unpredictable.

I have watched this game for long enough to understand that a team cannot simply turn up, pull on the famous green and white hoops and expect three points to fall into its lap.

But Celtic must go to Easter Road with the determination to win.

Not merely to compete.

Not merely to show some improvement.

And certainly not to return home congratulating themselves on having played slightly better than they did in Europe. I have had quite enough of performances which require lengthy explanations afterwards.

If O’Neill wants domestic football to be the priority, then this is exactly the kind of match in which that priority has to become visible.

The team needs to demonstrate urgency, organisation, confidence and a genuine desire to take control of the game.

I want to see Celtic impose themselves on Hibernian rather than wait for the opposition to decide how the afternoon is going to unfold.

I want players who understand the importance of the occasion and a manager who has prepared his team accordingly.

Is that really too much to ask?

Apparently, in modern football, expecting Celtic to win consistently can sometimes be mistaken for unrealistic expectations.

If so, I am perfectly happy to be guilty as charged.

There is an important distinction to make here.

I respect Martin O’Neill. I appreciate what he has done for Celtic, and I genuinely want to see him succeed.

I do not want to join the chorus of criticism which inevitably follows every disappointing result, nor do I believe one bad afternoon should automatically become a verdict on a manager’s entire career.

But respect cannot mean immunity from criticism, as I argued yesterday.

O’Neill’s previous achievements do not give him a magical exemption from the expectations which apply to every Celtic manager.

Football does not operate on a loyalty-points system where past successes can be exchanged for present defeats.

We would all love to see O’Neill produce another successful spell at Celtic.

But the best way for him to protect his reputation is to deliver results, not rely on the strength of that reputation when those results fail to arrive.

And this is why I am concerned about the position he has created for himself.

When a manager publicly identifies a priority and insists that his team must respond, he establishes the standard against which his next performances will be judged.

That is entirely fair. He has told us what matters most. Now we have to see whether Celtic can deliver it. Should Celtic fail to beat Hibernian, the questions will be unavoidable.

Why has the team not bounced back?

Why are the domestic performances not matching the stated priority?

And what exactly is the plan for putting things right?

I would much rather not have to ask those questions. I would much rather be writing about a Celtic victory and signs of a team finally finding its rhythm.

But that is up to the players and the manager.

Let us be clear about something else.

A victory on Sunday will not magically resolve every problem at Celtic.

European football will still require attention. Tactical questions will remain. Consistency will still have to be demonstrated over a sustained period.

One win does not make a season, just as one defeat should not automatically destroy it.

Nevertheless, Celtic need a starting point.

They need to stop allowing disappointment to follow disappointment and start building some momentum.

They need to give supporters something tangible to believe in rather than another set of reassuring words.

Sunday offers that opportunity.

I want to see a Celtic side which understands the difference between simply turning up for a fixture and taking responsibility for winning it.

I want to see O’Neill’s experience reflected in the team’s organisation and decision-making.

Most importantly, I want to see three points.

Because if domestic football is the priority, there is no point saying so unless the results support the argument.

Martin O’Neill has made his position clear.

Now Celtic must make theirs clear on the pitch.

I respect the man, and I want him to succeed.

I do not want to see him embarrassed by his own statements, nor do I want to watch his reputation suffer because Celtic cannot do what he has told us they must do.

But I will not pretend the stakes are any lower simply because I admire the manager.

Celtic must beat Hibernian on Sunday.

No elaborate excuses. No philosophical discussions about priorities. And no need for another speech about bouncing back.

So, please, for the sake of everyone involved, let us not turn Monday into another exercise in explaining why Celtic failed to do what Celtic were supposed to do.

I would much prefer to mark this performance with a good teacher’s final grade.

At the moment, the team has some homework to complete.

Sunday is the deadline.

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