Even during the calmer moments Martin O'Neill Land must be a weird and wonderful place to be. Sophisticated, American-style man-management techniques meet Derry guile head on and produce a fascinatingly idiosyncratic character. David O'Leary's baiting of rival players in pidgin French would not be O'Neill's style. He is much more likely to bring them to one side and engage in a debate about the relationship between citizenship, morality and 90 minutes of football.
It is impossible, then, to imagine the maelstrom that has raged in O'Neill Land since Celtic's Old Firm tanning last Sunday as the previously impervious manager faced his biggest challenge so far. For once the spotlight was off the importance of his Irish background, his perceived life-long affinity with the club or the creation of this fabled great big Celtic brotherhood. Instead the focus has been on O'Neill the football manager.
And that is probably just how he likes it. The hype and the bluster that have followed an incredibly bright start to the season were threatening to spiral completely out of control before last Sunday. Despite O'Neill's protestations and gentle proddings, everybody connected with Celtic was beginning to lose sight of the reality that in footballing terms it still remains an underachieving club. The fact that Celtic are emerging slowly from a disastrous trough, during which a succession of managers have come and gone and self-confidence has ebbed away with each fresh exit, seemed to be conveniently forgotten. O'Neill's remit was to steady the ship and plot a credible course for the future. That he has done much more than that is a testimony to his ability, but he is shrewd and tuned-in enough to know that there is still a considerable distance to travel.
The Ibrox result was a wake-up call. Not necessarily for O'Neill himself, but certainly for everyone - players, backroom staff and supporters - who surround him. Even during the impressive early part of this season the manager was prone to dousing the flames of expectation. This would often come during what should have been triumphant and exultant post-match press conferences. All of a sudden O'Neill would pull back for a few minutes and mutter about the shortage of genuine quality players at his disposal and the general paucity of the squad. No one was particularly inclined to listen, because after such a dismal recent past, anything even remotely uplifting was clung to desperately. Last Sunday was O'Neill's vindication.
The signs that everything in the Celtic garden is not as rosy as the consensus seemed to suggest have been around for a while. The 62 result in the first Old Firm game back in August set the tone for the early part of the season and the team surfed that wave for all it was worth. But as autumn shivered into winter there were emerging signs that the initial shot of adrenalin would not last forever. Some of the league performances against decidedly modest opposition were less than impressive, but it was Europe which provided the most accurate barometer.
Away from the workmanlike Scottish Premier League, Celtic found that even the more modest teams in Europe were marching to a different beat. In an earlier round of the UEFA Cup, an extra-time goal was needed in a home defeat to see off Helsinki. Worse was to follow against Bordeaux as two late goals put Celtic out.
Obvious cracks were beginning to appear. Despite the excellence of Valgaeren and Larsson, the midfield was paper-thin and Celtic were struggling to contain sides who pushed men forward at pace from the central areas. It came as a no great surprise that when Rangers' first goal eventually came on Sunday, it was as a result of a surging midfield run by Barry Ferguson.
With his holding player, Paul Lambert, out with injury until the New Year, the manager is conscious that, for all the flair and attacking endeavour of his midfield incumbents, the struggle is likely to increase as Scottish pitches get heavier. O'Neill has already proven himself to be a canny operator in the transfer market, and the fact that his interest in Neil Lennon has not waned in the five months since he made his initial approach reflects his determination to get his man.
He did a lot to shape the Northern Ireland international in his image during the time they spent together at Leicester City, and Lennon has clearly been identified as a player who could give Celtic some much-needed solidity. There were indications last week that the deal may be resurrected and O'Neill's persistence could yet pay off.
Beyond that, the manager's mantra that Celtic are short of another five quality players has been resurrected by the media in the fallout from Sunday. The ironic thing is that it took a 5-1 defeat by Rangers before anyone was prepared to listen seriously to what the manager has been saying for months. O'Neill may have allowed himself a wry smile.
But in Martin O'Neill Land there is now little time for introspection or self-analysis. The games come thick and fast, starting tonight with a potentially treacherous visit to Hibs, who have been hanging on to Celtic's coat-tails for most of the season.
None of this, though will faze O'Neill. He has always said that he is in for the long haul, and there may be a sense of relief that after all the nonsense that has dogged his time in charge he can actually get down to the serious business of managing a football team.
To his credit, he has played little part in the efforts to portray him as Celtic's great Irish messiah. As he fidgets nervously on the touchline at Easter Road tonight, with his sweatshirt sleeves rolled up and his tracksuit bottoms tucked into his socks, O'Neill will be exactly who he wants to be. The manager.
