Martin O'Neill slaps Charlie Nicholas down as Celtic icon smells delusion from pundit over withering claims

Legendary Celtic boss Martin O'Neill reckons Charlie Nicholas' biting critiques of Parkhead life are misplaced.

The 70-year-old believes the former Sky Sports pundit's full-on assertions are more akin to a player who starred in five successive European Cup Finals during his own stint in Glasgow's east end. O'Neill spoke with passion about the success he enjoyed rejuvenating the Hoops on the continent during his storied five–year stay at the club and the road to Seville which followed.

Speaking during a special edition of the Record Celtic Podcast, he said: of "Sometimes when I hear Charlie Nicholas speaking, I feel as if he's played in five successive European Cup finals for Celtic. While he was there, they never qualified [for European football after Christmas], so I'm not so sure Charlie is actually primed to speak about European football after Christmas time, I must admit."

Nicholas has been a vocal dissenter of certain aspects of how Celtic are run despite their dominance domestically for a large part of the 21st century. Despite his previous fears, the 60-year-old is a vocal member of the Ange Postecoglou fan club.

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