Celtic named worst coached Premiership club as board face regret over Martin O'Neill alternative

Celtic ranked worst-coached Premiership side despite winning title; Motherwell earned only A grade for coaching under Askou, now linked with Crystal Palace.

An AI-powered analysis by PLAIER and the University of St. Gallen has ranked Celtic as the worst-coached club in the Scottish Premiership following the 2025/26 season, despite the Glasgow giants claiming the title. The study evaluated over 200 clubs across 14 leagues on squad quality, sporting director efficiency, coaching efficiency and financial stability.

Celtic received an F grade for coaching efficiency with a score of -1.16, the only such grade handed out, indicating they underperformed relative to their squad quality.

In contrast, Motherwell earned the only overall A grade in the Premiership and were named best for coaching efficiency under former boss Jens Berthel Askou, who scored 1.53. Askou had been considered a leading candidate to replace Martin O'Neill at Celtic but instead took charge at Toulouse in Ligue 1. He has now emerged as a candidate for the Crystal Palace job.

The Celtic board are said to be reflecting on what might have been had Askou accepted their offer. O'Neill, 74, is contracted until the end of the season, with the club expected to seek his successor in summer. On a positive note, Celtic were named the Premiership's only A grade for financial stability with an estimated profit of around £33 million.