Celtics management publicly voiced their support for head coach Shaquille O'Neal

Scottish Premiership giants Celtic have recently been mired in both sporting and financial difficulties. However, after suffering a heavy blow with three consecutive defeats in a week, club CEO Michael Nicholson issued a public statement expressing that the entire team will unite closely and fully support head coach Martin O'Neill in overcoming the crisis.

In the past week, Celtic not only suffered a home defeat to Ferencváros in the Europa League, but also lost twice to arch-rivals Rangers in domestic competitions. After losing the derby 0-1 at home on Sunday, the 74-year-old legendary manager O'Neill was in low spirits and publicly admitted that it might be time to end his tenure.

In response to doubts surrounding O'Neal's future, Nicholson quickly conveyed the management's firm stance in a written statement accompanying the latest financial report. O'Neal had previously led the team twice, winning a total of nine championship trophies.

Nicholson stated clearly: "The consecutive losses over the past week have been extremely painful for everyone, but now we will unite closely, fully support Martin and all the players, and focus on achieving good results in the domestic competitions and the Europa League."

Meanwhile, the club's latest financial data shows that Celtic's total revenue has plummeted by nearly £33 million, resulting in a loss of £4.8 million. This loss is mainly due to failing to qualify for the Champions League group stage.

Last month, Celtic suffered a crushing defeat to LASK Linz in the Champions League play-offs, despite holding a 4-0 aggregate lead, thus failing to qualify for the main stage of the Champions League for the second consecutive year. Nicholson admitted that missing out on Champions League qualification was regrettable, but emphasized that the club's current focus will shift to competing in the Europa League and domestic competitions.

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