Derek McInnes unhappy with Celtic bench reaction at Tynecastle

Derek McInnes has criticised what he called an “inexperienced” member of Celtic’s coaching staff after Hearts’ 2–2 draw with the champions at Tynecastle.

The Hearts manager said the unnamed Celtic coach’s reaction to Benjamin Nygren’s opening goal was “a poor reaction”, but made clear he was not referring to interim boss Martin O’Neill or assistant Shaun Maloney. “Just one of their inexperienced coaches, I didn’t like his reaction to scoring the goal, but nothing to do with Shaun or Martin,” McInnes told Sky Sports (h/t CeltsAreHere).

His comments came after a tense match that included VAR intervention, another red card for Celtic, and a late equaliser from a set piece. The touchline behaviour was one of several flashpoints in a game that mattered for both sides in the Premiership table.

Derek McInnes unhappy with Celtic bench reaction at Tynecastle

By publicly ruling out O’Neill and Maloney, McInnes effectively pointed towards other figures on the Celtic bench, such as Mark Fotheringham or Stephen McManus, although he did not name them.

Both are experienced coaches: McManus is a former Celtic captain who has worked with the club’s young players, while Fotheringham has coached and managed in high-pressure roles in England and abroad.

Within Celtic, those two are seen as part of a staff tasked with maintaining standards, guiding players through pressure moments, and supporting O’Neill during a demanding schedule across domestic and European competitions.

Celtic’s bench celebrated Nygren’s early goal strongly, but the club will argue that such emotion is normal in a tight, high-stakes fixture. The decisive factors on the day were again on the pitch: set-piece defending, decisions in both boxes, and the impact of refereeing calls.