Martin O’Neill returns to Celtic as interim manager alongside Shaun Maloney

Changing the manager can't solve the problems we have across our club. You've seen the huns do it enough times for all the difference it makes. When the rot sets in, it's hard to get it out.

The root of the problem - the boardroom - needs gutted asap or it'll crystallise and set in - like the hun manager cycle, or being 'Spursy'. If you do something long enough, it becomes who you are. Their apathy is a death sentence for us as a European side of any quality. Forget the manager debacle, which they will drag on endlessly. Focus on the board.

 

Wouldn't really judge them harshly tonight; I thought we'd get dog-walked, and we did. If we keep winning domestically until the January transfer window, I'll be happy. That might be unambitious, but it would be an absolute disaster if we lost the league..

 

Can you sum up your thoughts on that, Martin?

It was a tough evening, there's no question about it. We were in the game for half an hour, we conceded two goals within a minute or 90 seconds of each other and the game goes away from you very, very quickly. They score a third after seven minutes and it's a long way back.

In terms of European football, they're a very fine side, there's no question about it. They're strong, physically very, very strong. It was something that I knew anyway because I'd seen them a couple of weeks ago. It was a bit disappointing, but I thought that we showed the character in the second half.

We could have gone under, it could have been any sort of score but the players, I thought, pulled themselves together, pulled it round a bit and showed some character.

Yesterday you spoke about the physicality of Midtjylland, so you were aware of that. From that point of view then, how disappointing and frustrating was it in the manner to concede the goals?

Yeah, the goals that we conceded weren't good but eventually that hadn't really much to do with physicality or certainly to the goals in the sense that we left 1 v 1.

I think in terms of defending, I've just said to the players in there, some things change in the game, other things don't change and once a player starts to take you on, let's say a winger takes you on at full-back, you've got to stop him from getting into the penalty area and you have to engage him before he gets there because once he gets in there, then he's as safe as anything.

It's a safe place for him because the minute then you might put your foot in, you could give away a penalt. Attackers, that's the one thing they want to do, 1 v 1s, they want to get at the players and they want to get into that penalty area as quickly as possible. So we didn't do that very well. Then in the second goal, we had a 2 v 2 situation and we allowed the players just to come inside and then into the net. So from our viewpoint, not good defending.

Where does it leave you now in terms of the league table, the league group?

Right, okay, well, I suppose I probably always thought this here that 10 points would probably get you, so we're not out of it. That's a big lesson for us to know, to know what it takes to be a really decent European team. Midtjylland have shown that and they have good experience in the side, they've got really good players and they have that thing that is necessary, a bit of physicality.

Just a final one from me, Callum Osmand comes off, he looks absolutely distraught. Can you explain what happened?

Yeah, he's pulled the hamstring and that's something that obviously, he's very young, it's never happened to him before, so he doesn't know and yeah, he was distraught because I think the reason being he was just trying to get his career going.

But if everything looks out well, he'll recover from that and then start again. That's what I've said to him, don't do this. You will certainly get going, this is just a setback for you but it's not terminal in that sense and you can fight back, you'll be out for X number of weeks now. It is a shame because he was trying to make an impression but that's it.

Martin, the club seem to be really struggling in terms of injuries at the moment, they just keep piling up, especially these hamstring ones. Do you feel that you're going to be really light in the forward areas now over the next few weeks?

We definitely have a bit of a problem with it but that's the nature, somebody has to step up and that's the name of the game. So we just have to find a way.

I thought that on reflection, I thought that Sunday, definitely, in terms of emotion of the game, the big match itself, I thought that it definitely took a lot out of us and I thought that we became a bit leggy.

The irony of it all is that we fought back in the second half where we thought that's where we might have gone under but we showed that resilience which hopefully stands us in good stead. But Sunday comes very quickly for us now and it's just a matter of really trying to regroup.

Just in terms of that, obviously it's been such a great week for the club and the fans since your return with the two wins, do you feel that tonight was just a bit of a reminder that the club feels to have some way to go to get back to where they want to be?

Oh of course, absolutely. I couldn't agree more, you're right. This is, European football is where this club, because of the great Jock Stein, has been a priority, but tonight there, it can show you.

We have to get to that stage again. We have to improve.

Martin, were you surprised at some aspects of that tonight? You talked about the lesson that was offered. Were you surprised by some of it?

We conceded the two goals within a minute and then three in seven minutes. So by the time that we moved forward, we were 2-0 down and away from home, we were against a really decent side, I keep saying that, but they are.

That was difficult. The third goal, you know, almost puts it beyond you, you know. So, was I surprised? I don't know whether I was surprised, disappointed, just disappointed in the concession of the goals.

Is that a mentality thing as much as an ability thing, Martin? You know, it's the first goal, you've got to hang in the game?

You're spot on, you're absolutely spot on, you've got to hang in, that's really it, that's it. Until you have to regroup, whatever you do, you don't concede a second goal and yeah, it came as a bit of a shock, but I couldn't agree more with you.

It's something that you have to do. I think just to play football at the top level, not only do you need ability, but you need mentality, and mentality sometimes overrides ability as well.

I've seen players with lesser talent but more drive and more determination come through and players who have the talent but don't have that mentality fall by the wayside.

You don't know what's going to happen long term or short term or whatever but is that something you'll be driving into them, that very message that you've just given them?

Do you know what, it sounds from here as if I'm like a teacher to them but I will try and teach them the game as quickly as possible. Things that they may already know, maybe need reminding, maybe they don't know, maybe it's part of my job to do that.

Well, it's not part of it, it is my job to try and improve the football club. Yeah, it was tough tonight, really tough tonight, and I'll take nothing away from that.

Arne Engels, is he okay?

I think he was feeling his hamstring as well, so the games are coming thick and fast for us, playing European football, so we just have to dust ourselves down, and get ourselves prepared mentally I should say and physically for Sunday.

 

Not the same ones who backed Desmond after his rat statement? We have some right pathetic morons in our support.

 

Aye those type of folks

 

Even in defeat, he speaks so well. So refreshing. Doesn't sugar coat anything.

 

I am watching his post match right now. Made me feel so much better. So much honesty and total sense.

 

He's a good, authentic guy. Hard not to like him.

 

If he can get us through Kilmarnock then he deserves so much credit. Tonight was always very unlikely. Time to move on though.

 

Very tough ask tonight. I remember even as a young lad when we used to lose under him (which was very rarely) he’d speak about how he learnt so much from the match. Still would be in no panic to get someone unless it is the right person.

 

There was a shot of him when we were 3-0 down and I just thought to myself that he doesn't deserve to be putting up with this *.

 

Some interesting comments here. Mentality is definitely an issue. We let a goal in and collapsed. You saw something just drain out the team. Like they remembered what level they're at.

Heard him say also something like the younger members of the team are still learning to play football and that he wants to mix that with more experienced winners, if it can be done. Not a particularly glowing endorsement of the level of quality across the side.

Also his comments on defending - tackle outside the box because once they're in they're safe. It's somewhat pointed in its simplicity - we saw people not making the challenge and opponents then getting the cross in or breaking through. Again, it's basics.

I wonder if MON didn't really realise how bad things were until he arrived. He seems a little shellshocked and not at all confident we're going to turn things around, despite trying to exude an air of positivity, which presumably the squad really needs.

 

Ange had an ethos of mentality and attitude first and foremost, talent secondly.

I agree with that. A guy like Ntcham is vastly more talented a footballer than someone like a Scott Brown. Scott Brown better to have in the team nine times out of ten though.

Under Strachan we had signed Donati from Milan, Jarosik from Chelsea and Gravesen from Real Madrid. And we all knew and relied upon Paul Hartley and Barry Robson ahead of them, good players but not guys who’d ever be thought to be considered for teams like we had signed they guys from. And without question as fans we knew we’d rather have they two there.

We can usually point towards 7/8 players in the team who have a special mentality. It’s something required to be a success here. Right now we have Kaspar, Scales and Calmac. Tierney should be in that but is struggling. Forrest is there in a different sort of way for me. And we have AJ, Jota and CCV who are out, and CCV has also struggled in that way since coming back from injury last season.

And from those guys mentioned, Forrest is old and shows in glimpses, Jota is injured… none are guys that are the top end of the pitch consistently. AJ probably brings that drive further up more than anyone.

It’s been apparent since Christmas last season, Bayern aside. Hun games and the final against Aberdeen highlighted it majorly.

 

Thank you Martin,win lose or draw that should be his last game,two week international break coming get whoever it is in, Europe is gone, big January transfer window kick on from there

 

Apologies for picking holes here but your post relies of the board to bring someone in, and to also finance a rebuild, and in January of all times.

 

Not happy with result but happy that it finally (hopefully) puts to be any chance of O’Neill or maloney getting the job

 

He's maybe not a leader in terms of words, but Daizen, albeit wants to leave now, has been an absolute warrior. You have to have a special kinda mentality to run that much.

 

What’s the chances of Martin telling Desmond we need to spend serious cash and him listening? This would be the only good thing to come of it.