In a corner of the world where patience is the rarest of commodities, Cameron Carter-Vickers knows better than to tell Celtic supporters how they should be feeling in this moment.
For them to witness one comprehensive defeat in a season-defining match in Austria was one thing. For a trend to develop across three significant encounters was troubling.
While another defeat to Rangers at lunchtime today would still see Martin O’Neill’s men enter the international break as league leaders, that would do nothing to stave off the sense that a long, hard season awaits.
The only comfort the American international has taken from the losses to LASK, Rangers and Ferencvaros has been that this is not uncharted territory for him.
Since moving to Glasgow from Tottenham in 2021, Carter-Vickers has experienced similarly troubling periods. The ten winners’ medals he has accrued in that time are proof that autumnal storm clouds gathering don’t necessarily mean brighter days do not lie ahead.
While the management and the personnel are different at the outset of season 2026-27, the defender takes comfort in the parallels he can draw from the past.
Kieran Tierney, Carter-Vickers and Hogh applaud the Celtic fans after defeat to Ferencvaros
‘To be honest, I wouldn’t say it’s new,’ he said. ‘I think throughout my time here there’s been periods, whether it’s two game stretches, three game stretches, where we’ve lost games.
‘I think what we’ve shown since I’ve been here is the ability to bounce back. That’s what we have to focus on and that’s what we have to do in the next game.
‘It’s a process. When I reflect on my time here, in my first season here under Ange (Postecoglou) the first six months were nowhere near as good as the second six months or the second season.
‘Same with Brendan (Rodgers). The first six months of Brendan’s time back was nowhere near as good as the second six months or his second season.
‘We’re probably at the stage now where we’ve had quite a big turnover of players.
‘So, it’s just about sticking to the same plan and sticking to the process as much as you can.
‘And if you do that day in, day out, I do believe that eventually, again, it will all come good and we can really kick on.”
In Glasgow, the level of hysteria in testing times is always amplified if the side on the other side of the city is riding high.
A few weeks back, the debate wasn’t so much if Celtic would retain their title this year. It only centred on the margin of victory and who’d be second.
After an atrocious start to the season which culminating in two European exits and five dropped points in the Premiership, Derek McInnes’ side looked to have clicked.
The Ibrox men’s 3-0 win last Sunday was every bit as one-sided as the scoreline suggested.
With Celtic failing to respond against Ferencvaros on Thursday, there’s a palpable sense of trepidation for Celtic fans as Rangers travel across town.
“I’ll never be one to say what fans expect or what fans want,’ added Carter-Vickers.
‘I think as players, it’s on us to meet those expectations.
Carter-Vickers steps in as peacemaker during last weekend’s 3-0 League Cup defeat at Ibrox
‘But like I touched on, the reality is it does take time and that’s something that we’ve got to accept as players and continue work on day in, day out.
‘Stick to the process, stick to the plan. Like I touched on, under the previous two managers here, it’s always been better in the second half of the season. So, that’s what we’re going to focus on and keep doing.”
It’s extraordinary how quickly the narrative has flipped. At the end of August, Celtic looked bound for the Champions League and seemed eminently capable of stretching out ahead in the title race. Now the flames are licking the ankles of all concerned.
Carter-Vickers accepts this as a fact of life as a Celtic player. Similarly, he believes the players have 90 minutes to change the entire feel around the club.
‘That’s the way we’ve got to look at it,’ he said. ‘What’s happened in the last two games is in the past.
‘Obviously, we reflect and try and improve on what went wrong. All we can do is focus on the next game and try to improve and try to perform.
‘That’s what we want to do. We want to come out on Sunday, with the crowd behind us and with everyone together and try to put a performance together that will get the result we want.
‘Hopefully, the crowd will make a difference. As a Celtic player, that’s what you want – 60,000 Celtic fans behind you and pushing the team on. If we can get that on Sunday, I think it’ll create a good atmosphere for us to perform.”
Almost anything would be an improvement on what they turned in in Govan seven days previously.
Second best in every department, O’Neill’s players were defeated without firing a shot. The lessons from that grim affair have been plentiful.
“There were a few things,’ said the defender. ‘I think the main thing we definitely could have been better at was picking up second balls and trying to smooth out the game and get the game going the way we want to play in terms of our football.
‘So, that’s definitely something we’ll look at and try and do better on Sunday.’
No one would suggest that O’Neill got everything he looked for in the summer transfer window.
While decent money was spent on Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur, Celtic sold Arne Engels and didn’t replace him.
While there was a flurry of activity on deadline day, five loans and one permanent signing was hardly a statement of intent.
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill has come under fire after a string of bad performances
For all that, O’Neill isn’t above criticism. It’s the job of any manager to produce a functioning team with whatever players he has at his disposal. And in three key matches, the Northern Irishman has failed to do that.
Acutely aware of the flak that’s flown in the direction of a club legend, Carter-Vickers feels O’Neill deserves a big performance.
‘Again, that’s just the nature of football now,’ he said. ‘Obviously, like I touched on before, there’s been periods throughout my time here when fans turn on the manager or on players.
‘As a group, we’ve always been fairly together. I think you’ll find that all the players and the coaching staff are together in this and trying to improve and trying to do better for each other.
‘Sometimes, it can feel like that when you are in a moment when moment when things don’t quite go your way and that’s football.
‘All we can do as a group is keep sticking together and double down on what we believe in and keep trying to improve.’
