Challenges are Celtic 'wake-up call' - O'Neill

Martin O'Neill is in his second spell as interim manager this season The possibility of Celtic ending the season without a trophy "should be a wake-up call for the football club", according to interim manager Martin O'Neill. Last season's beaten finalists face a difficult trip across Glasgow to play city rivals Rangers in a Scottish Cup quarter-final on Sunday. They have already lost to St Mirren in this season's League Cup final, while the reigning champions sit five points behind long-time leaders Heart of Midlothian in a four-team race for the Premiership title along with Rangers and Motherwell. "We are miles away from winning anything," O'Neill admitted. "The overall picture is that it should be a wake-up call for the football club." Rangers 'have to' lift silverware - Rohl What to look out for in Scottish Cup quarter-finals How Old Firm cup tie could provide Premiership momentum O'Neill recalled that Celtic finished without a trophy when he led his side to the Uefa Cup final in 2003 and yet fans still regarded it as "a great season". However, he said: "You could say that in recent years the fans have maybe been spoiled with no real challenges in many aspects and been able to coast home in the last six or seven games of the season. "Here, Hearts have arrived, maybe a few years before they thought they would do. Rangers have come strongly and spent some money in getting good players in. "It has been a challenge all season and certainly been a challenge in my couple of spells in here when you're winning some matches and you're still trying to peg teams back. "But we're in with a chance anyway - that's the point." Celtic came from two goals down to draw with Rangers in the league on Sunday and went on to overtake their city rivals in the table after beating Aberdeen on Wednesday. "We've had three games in six days, which has been a tall order for us, all away from home," O'Neill said. "We withstood that, which was a great effort. "Because of that, we were able to withstand the game at Pittodrie. That was never going to be easy, but it was one we had to win to stay in the competition. "If we play like we did in the first half [at Ibrox], we shouldn't turn up, but the second half gave us great confidence. "It is testament to the players' character as much as anything else." O'Neill is not sure how much the quarter-final result will affect the league title race. "Naturally, taking the game on its own, it would be a big boost for us getting to the semi-final," he added. "Will it eventually have a bearing on how the league will pan out? I don't think it will have a serious bearing, but in terms of confidence building, of course it matters. "There are tough matches ahead for us, tough matches ahead for the other sides concerned, so I really don't know. "I suppose if you get beaten in the game, it's how quickly you can get over it." Visit our Celtic page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Get Celtic news notifications in the BBC Sport app Liverpool cruise past Wolves to reach FA Cup quarter-finals Ireland deny spirited Wales to keep hopes alive Who's to blame for Spurs crisis? Jessie Buckley on The Bride! and Oscar nominated Hamnet The Nations Pod Guide puts Rome in the centre The Mitford sisters refuse to play by the rules The highlights of Piano Room Month 2026 with Vernon Kay 'Aberdeen savour the most perfect game ever played' How McTominay became a Napoli icon after Man Utd exit Scotland men's internationals to be shown live on BBC Commonwealth Games: Why is it so special to be part of Team Scotland? From titles to tinpottery - rank Scotland's top 10 clubs Who is to blame for Spurs' chaotic descent towards relegation? Can Scotland's risk takers prevent Grand Slam procession for France? 'We should not have played' - how tennis was caught in Middle East conflict Winter Paralympics daily guide: 12 golds to be decided on Saturday 'Howard Webb, where are you?' - How we can stop VAR ruining football McCullum and Key look set to retain ECB support Borthwick banks on bibs to beat Italy and ease brewing crisis India reach T20 World Cup final as England fall short. Video India reach T20 World Cup final as England fall short Norris, Verstappen, Russell - and will it be any good? Key F1 storylines How relegation could cost Spurs more than £250m Meet GB's first female Paralympic snowboarder Watershed moment as Russia's sporting exile ends All you need to know about new F1 cars 'I cheated head-injury assessment to play on in 2017 Lions Test' 'I knew the risks, I'd do it again' - Moody opens up in new BBC documentary New era of Formula 1 - what is changing in 2026? 'There were tears - but I had to peek behind curtain of head injuries in rugby' Iran, the US, and a World Cup that starts in three months Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.