Martin O’Neill insists Celtic fan protests will solely hurt their season… as chairman Brian Wilson requires fast finish to unhelpful ‘ambiance of battle’

Martin O’Neill fears that more protests at matches could further derail Celtic’s season.

Thursday’s Europa League clash with Stuttgart at Parkhead was disrupted in the first minute when supporters threw tennis balls onto the pitch.

The disturbance came amid a season of unrest, which has seen fans demand the removal of the board after they presided over a sharp decline in the club’s fortunes across the past year. 

With no resolution in sight, O’Neill admits he is anxious that a repeat of the incident witnessed at the outset of the 4-1 loss to the Germans may dent the side’s chances of domestic success.

Asked about the same scenario potentially playing out as his side host Hibs in the Premiership tomorrow, he said: ‘Well, I would hope not, absolutely. Because it could have the same effect. I don’t think it does anybody any good, a disruption of a game like that.

‘I cannot stop people shouting whatever they want to shout at the end of the day. But disrupting the game doesn’t help psychologically or in any other aspect.’

Interim chairman Brian Wilson last night backed O’Neill’s call by urging fans to end the disruptions immediately. He believes such protests could not only affect the team’s performance at a crucial stage of the campaign, but hamper moves to end the ongoing suspension of the Green Brigade.

The former Labour Party politician, who is currently locked in talks with several disaffected groups, said: ‘Last night was deeply disappointing for the club in many respects. This started with an orchestrated disruption of the game, causing a delay to an important match.

‘Over the past two weeks, I have met with a range of supporters groups and individual supporters. I have met in good faith with representatives of the Green Brigade and was hopeful that progress could have been made; indeed this remains the case. I also met in good faith with representatives of the Celtic Fans Collective.

‘When I came into this role, I asked for unity inside the stadium to support the team while trying to resolve other issues. I want to see suspensions lifted and difference set aside, but this cannot be conditional. Last night’s disruption and the reasoning behind it illustrate the difficulty we face and have repeatedly had to contend with.

‘This is not intended to deflect from other issues that affect the club and are fully recognised. However, the possibility of further disruptions needs to be addressed urgently.

‘Surely the priority must be to give Martin and the players every objectives within the remainder of the season.

‘On that basis, I will continue to seek an end to this debilitating and unnecessary atmosphere of conflict.’

O’Neill had intimated on Wednesday that there had been some progress in the discussions Wilson was having, but the manager subsequently admitted he wasn’t certain if a resolution was in sight.

‘I genuinely don’t know,’ he added. ‘I know that we’re trying, seriously. Brian Wilson has got the club at heart. He’s a really good speaker, he’s a fair-minded man at the end of it all. We thought that we might have been making a bit of progress. Tonight (Thursday) might be something separate. Again, I don’t know. But all I’m saying is that a disruption really doesn’t help.’

Celtic now need a miracle in next Thursday’s return leg in Germany, with many wondering if beating sides like Stuttgart may now be a thing of the past for Celtic.

‘Well, I’m hoping it’s not,’ said O’Neill. ‘I was trying to make the point about what you’re competing against. The money has changed the game. There’s not the money in the SPFL. No team here can buy a player for £30million. We can’t do it, Rangers can’t do it, Hearts can’t do it. None of the sides can do that.

‘It doesn’t mean you can’t compete. You’d like to be going deep into European competitions but it’s hard.’

O’Neill is preparing to unleash Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain against Hibs. The midfielder has only made substitute appearances against Livingston and Kilmarnock since joining as a free agent. But O’Neill revealed: ‘He’s had a week of training now. That will help him immensely.

‘He’s a good player so I think he’s got every chance of coming into this side on Sunday. He’s also a player that can lift these guys as well, in terms of his performance.

O’Neill hasn’t yet decided whether to stick with Kasper Schmeichel in goal after he lost two soft goals in midweek. ‘This is for another day,’ he said.