O'Neill insists Celtic's tricky season 'should be a wake-up call for the football club'

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/celtic/QFKRRD8M/"]The Hoops[/a] have won 13 out of the past 14 Premiership titles and numerous other trophies in recent years, but the current campaign has been chaotic.[/p][p]Northern Irishman O'Neill is in his second spell as interim boss this season after being manager of Celtic between 2000 and 2005, and finds himself embroiled in a tight title race.[/p][p]Celtic are five points behind leaders [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hearts/0rGrwwNc/"]Hearts[/a] and one point ahead of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rangers/8vAWQXNS/"]Rangers[/a] going into [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/celtic-QFKRRD8M/rangers-8vAWQXNS/?mid=EDbAVivR"]Sunday's Scottish Cup quarter-final tie against their fierce Glasgow rivals at Ibrox.[/a][/p][p][b]"The overall picture is I think that it should be a wake-up call for the football club,"[/b] said the 74-year-old O'Neill.[/p][p][b]"You could say that in recent years, fans have maybe been spoiled, with no real challenges in many aspects.[/b][/p][p]"Being able to coast home in the last six or seven games of a season, which is great because you've done that. But the challenge has not been strong."[/p][embed guid="64369fb1-5ae0-487f-abb0-0f6ade830d6f" url="https://x.com/CelticFC/status/2029844447454695714" social-type="twitter" /][p]O'Neill said Hearts had "arrived on the spot" earlier than had been expected, and Rangers had also improved.[/p][p][b]"So it's been a challenge all season and certainly been the challenge in my couple of spells in here, where you're winning some matches, and you're still trying to peg teams back,"[/b] he said.[/p][p][b]"But we're in with a chance anyway, that's the point.[/b][/p][p]"I don't think it (Sunday's game) would have a serious bearing (on the Premiership title race) but in terms of confidence-building, of course, those things always matter."[/p]