CELTIC manager Martin O'Neill has said the turbulent season the Hoops have endured so far amid the challenge from Hearts and Rangers should be a wake-up call for the club.
The Co. Derry native was speaking ahead of the crunch Scottish Cup quarter-final tie at Ibrox this afternoon, the second meeting between the sides in a week.
With both Glasgow teams trailing Hearts in the Scottish Premiership with nine games to go, the Scottish Cup could represent their best chance of silverware this season.
However, O'Neill said a trophyless campaign was not a disaster for a club that has only had one season without silverware in the last 15 years.
"Those things can happen," said the manager in his pre-match press conference.
"In 2003 when we reached the UEFA Cup Final, we didn't win anything, Rangers won it all, yet you've still got Celtic fans saying it was one of the best seasons ever.
"We chased them down until the last day of the season, we played about 15 more games than they did during the course of the season because we'd gone so deeply into European football.
"But you can only look forward now."
'Miles away from winning anything'
Despite downplaying the impact of a season without silverware, O'Neill did say that the rise of Hearts and the financial clout of Rangers should serve as a 'wake-up call' at Celtic.
"We're miles away from winning anything and that is very, very true," said the manager.
"The overall picture is that it should be a wake-up call for the football club.
"You could say that in recent years the fans have maybe been spoiled, no real challenges in many aspects, been able to coast home in the last six or seven games of the season.
"It's great because you've done that but the challenge has not been strong.
"Here Hearts have arrived on the spot, maybe a few years before they thought they would do.
"Rangers have come strongly, spent some money getting good players in at the football club, so it's important for us now.
"It's been a challenge all season, it's certainly been a challenge in my couple of spells in here, where you're winning some matches and you're still trying to peg teams back.
"But we're in with a chance anyway, that's the point."
O’Neill said Celtic fans still cite the 2003/03 season, when they reached the UEFA Cup Final, as one of the club’s best, despite not winning a trophy (Image: Michael Steele / Getty Images)Hearts' rise has come after Brighton owner Tony Bloom bought a 29 per cent stake in the Edinburgh club last summer.
That came a month after Rangers were taken over by a US-based consortium, who spent around £20m net last summer and a further £12m in January.
That will increase scrutiny on an already under-fire Celtic board, with some non-executive directors having been in place for decades.
That includes Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond, who has been at the club for 31 years and has been the largest shareholder since 1999.
The board has been accused by some fans of lacking ambition, selling the club's best players and failing to adequately replace them, despite a healthy bank balance.
The growing disconnect between the board and fans has seen protests in the stands, the abandonment of the club's AGM and the banning of the Green Brigade over alleged safety incidents.
'Tough matches ahead'
Despite the off-field issues, O'Neill was confident going into today's game, saying the players can take heart from their second-half performance at Ibrox last Sunday.
The visitors found themselves 2-0 down at half-time in the league clash after a dismal opening 45 minutes but rallied to earn a draw after a dominant second period.
"I think we should [take positives from the second half at Ibrox], it's not that long ago obviously so I think that would be important for us," he said.
"If we play like we did in the first half we shouldn't turn up but the second half gave us great confidence and the ability to know that we can fight back.
"I think it's a testament to the players' character as much as anything else."
However, win or lose, O'Neill didn't think the result would have much bearing on the title race, adding: "It would be a big boost for us if we could win the game, get into the semi-final of the competition, that would be great.
"Will it eventually have a bearing on the way the league is going to pan out? I'm really not so sure.
"There are tough matches ahead for us, there's tough matches ahead for the sides concerned, I really don't know.
"If you got beaten in the game it's how quickly you can get over it."
Rangers against Celtic in the Scottish Cup quarter-final kicks off at Ibrox at 1pm, with coverage in Ireland and Britain starting at 12pm on Premier Sports 1.
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