Having played under Martin O’Neill for five years during the Northern Irishman’s first spell in charge at Celtic back in the early 2000s, Jackie McNamara knows just how important it is for his former manager to have the right coaching staff in place.
He saw first hand how O’Neill operated – he left the training sessions at Barrowfield to his trusted lieutenants John Robertson and Steve Walford during the week and then stepped in on a Saturday afternoon to give the pre-match team talk and deliver instructions from the touchline – and how successful his methods were.
So McNamara is surprised the backroom team which helped his old mentor to deliver an improbable William Hill Premiership and Scottish Gas Scottish Cup double last season, Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, have still not agreed to reprise their roles.
He believes the duo were instrumental to the success which the Parkhead club enjoyed during the 2025/26 season and feels that it is vital they are in the dugout once again when the forthcoming campaign gets underway at the beginning of August.
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But there is another reason the former Scotland internationalist reckons Maloney has to be involved next term – he thinks the ex-Belgium assistant and Hibernian and Wigan Athletic head coach is a potential Celtic manager in waiting.
“Normally these things are done without being out there in the public domain,” said McNamara at the launch of the new William Hill Premiership fixture list in Glasgow. “It's always kind of done.
“When Martin got announced you expected it all to be done at the same time. Hopefully it’s not an issue and it’s sorted quickly. Gavin Strachan looks like he is going to go to West Brom. So I think it is crucial for Martin to have the guys there he wants.
“Martin is a dressing room manager on match days. He obviously has an input with training, but it's separate. That's where I think it's been a good group with Shaun, Fozzy and [Stephen] McManus taking the training at the tail end of the season.
“Martin’s philosophy was the games. He always used to say, ‘You can't impress me in training’. He was more focused on winning the matches where it really mattered. Having been in management myself, I can see why he would say that. Some guys are good trainers, but when it comes to the game it's totally different.
“I'd expect it to be done. It's a surprise that it's not been resolved. It is what Martin wants with his backroom staff and I am sure it will be sorted. It's taking a bit longer than what it should, but I'd be surprised if Martin didn't get the guys back in and sorted.”
He continued, “It’s important. When you’re doing your badges, they tell you not to bring people in that are your friends, whatever. Some people say that. But for me the most important bit is whether they can do the job.
“Martin and Shaun are colleagues who have been in and out of each other’s lives in football for a number of years at Celtic and down the road at Villa and the trust is there. So I do believe it’s a healthy relationship they’ve got and a trusting one.”
O’Neill, who was lured out of retirement by principal shareholder Dermot Desmond when Brendan Rodgers departed last October and again after Wilfried Nancy was sacked in January, is 74 and has only signed a one year contract with a one year option.
McNamara played alongside Maloney when the forward was coming through at Celtic as a youngster and has followed his playing and coaching career closely ever since.
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He is certain that his former team mate has the experience, the ability and the ambition needed to step up into the top job at Parkhead one day.
“Shaun is a quiet lad,” he said. “He had a little taste of management with Hibs and Wigan. He has a good idea of the game, a good temperament and he knows how he wants to play and wants to do things.
“Some people disagreed with me, but I thought it would be one where they were nurturing him through, that possibly he could take over at some point. I know he's a different personality to Martin. But there are not many people like Martin who have that charisma, that stature.
“I've not worked with him as a coach, but he looks like he's a very good coach. He knows how he wants to play and how he wants to do things and you can see he's well respected by the players and how much they trust him.
“So my thoughts on that hadn't really changed. I know he's a different character from Martin, but long-term I do see him as a quite important person for the football club. Not just in the dressing room, but outwith with players coming in and keeping the standards high.
“I think he has the potential to do that. I know his personality is different. He’s very quiet, he’s a thinker of the game. Obviously, when you’re a manager, you’re taking all of it rather than just the coaching side. You’re dealing with things that’s not football sometimes and that does change you.
“I do think they’re separate, the coach and the manager. You see Martin as a total manager, managing the players, getting the stuff out of them on matchdays. But I do think Shaun possibly could do both in the future.”
Jackie McNamara was speaking on behalf of SPFL sponsors, William Hill, on the launch of the 2026/27 William Hill SPFL fixtures.
