Martin O'Neill has told Celtic supporters they can be a powerful tool for his team as the club heads into two massive games this week. Celtic travel to Motherwell tomorrow night knowing they must avoid defeat to keep Saturday's top-of-the-table clash with Hearts alive as a title decider.
For O'Neill, the mood around the team has changed enough that the crowd now feels like part of the push. The Green Brigade has been allowed back into Celtic games after a ban, and he said the supporters have been really, really big.
That atmosphere has mattered because Celtic have also had an upturn in performance in recent weeks. O'Neill pointed to the 2-0 win over Rangers on Sunday as the moment that brought him back, saying it did not count as a loss and giving him a lift at a time when the club is trying to turn momentum into points.
He also linked the better form to events beyond the pitch. The Celtic manager said the improvement has come with wins in football matches and some sort of accord between the board and the fans, suggesting the relationship around the club has helped settle things at a decisive point in the season.
Still, O'Neill did not hide the fact that the support can cut both ways. He said the game against Stuttgart was affected when things were thrown on to the pitch, a reminder that the energy inside Celtic Park can help his side but can also disrupt it when it spills over.
That is why the next 48 hours matter so much. A result at Motherwell tomorrow night would keep Celtic on course for Saturday's showdown with Hearts as a genuine title decider, while any slip would change the shape of the week before the league leaders meet.
O'Neill, who has spent enough time around Scottish football to know how quickly a season can turn, sounded confident that the crowd can keep playing its part if it stays with the team. But he also left open the question of how long the current calm lasts, saying he does not know whether it is just respite or something more lasting.
For now, Celtic are carrying form, noise and pressure into a week that could define the title race. If the support stays behind them and the results keep coming, Saturday could become the night that decides everything.
