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

That is absolutely true, and a bizarre oversight from me. When he’s not there the rest of the teams work rate drops noticeably. He sets a standard

 

Yep sets the tone. You can't justify not pressing when your teammate is doing it over and over and over again.

 

If we had Pep Guardiola as manager the result would be the same yesterday. So many factors playing in atm.

Board is the obvious reason but we are genuinelly missing half a team of our "star" players. Two of those goals would not be conceded if we had Johnston and Saracchi on the field.

Not on MON what so ever.

 

We could have brought Pep in and I wouldn't have fancied us TBH. Rodgers was not the main problem before and O'Neill and Maloney are not at all the problem now.

We all know what the main problem is and we knew it the morning after the transfer window closed.

Edit: I see Skelleto already made the point about Guardiola.

 

Not gonna hold last night against him, beat Killie and he's done a better job than I was expecting when he came in.

 

Press conference quotes today




Martin, how do you go about picking the players up after the disappointment from last night?

Yeah, well that's my job. It was a disappointing night, a difficult game for us. I thought, again, in the second half we showed some resilience so we got something out of it. But yeah, a tough evening, really tough.




How's Callum Osmand?

Yeah, he's gone for a scan this morning and we haven't got any news back yet as we speak but it doesn't look good.





Is there a time frame on Kelechi Iheanacho?

Yeah, he is going to be a few more weeks. I think that obviously after Sunday we've got this fortnight break and we'll see how things go from there. But yeah, he certainly won't be available for Sunday anyway.




How do you feel now because that's a whirlwind week, a big emotional day at Hampden and then the come down of losing a game, how do you take it all in?

Yeah, I saw the game a few weeks ago for Midtjylland and they are very strong. They've won all their games, they're very strong at this minute, and that physicality that they possess. When they were bringing on some of their players as well, they left out some players who played against Nottingham Forest but it didn't seem to make any difference. In that sense they're very strong. So yeah, that's European football which is something that I've said, that this football club should be aspiring to but we're not there yet.




I appreciate it's been a very busy time since last night. Has anything been updated as far as your timeframe and what your role will be?

No, nothing. No, we just came in. I got back to the hotel I'm staying in around about just after one o'clock time. So no, I haven't had a chance to speak to anybody.






When things don't go well on the pitch, does that alter your appetite for this in any way?

No, my situation remains the same. The minute that the board will say to me, listen we've got someone in place, I'm absolutely fine with that. That was always the intention in the first place. So no, that doesn't alter anything really.

I guess externally it's very easy for fans to get excited once you win two games, I'm not sure you're aware of it, but people then say maybe we keep this until the end of the season?

No, I don't think that that was ever going to be the case. That was my thoughts on it anyway. I knew these games would be very hard.

When Dermot Desmond called me then I had a look at the schedule and I thought well that's four games in very, very quick succession. A game away from home against in the Europa League and then these matches here.

So my genuine focus is just on a Sunday now at this minute and then a fortnight after that there to see obviously some players head off to international duty, some players remain here and maybe they'll get a few days off obviously. But then after that, it'll give me an opportunity to see some of the players that we haven't used.






I don't know if you're aware Martin, of Chris Sutton's comments last night? He was warning you almost to not stick around too much in case your legacy at the club is tarnished in any way by the results and whatnot. I just wonder your thoughts on that?

I've honestly no concern about a legacy, never have had. If you're talking about a legacy then you can talk about Jock Stein, but that's fine and that great 1967 side. So I'm not worried about a legacy losing some games. We had a great victory over Rangers and that's fine. But really I'm very, very aware that it is one game at a time. You win a game then you maybe win another.

I'm not saying that we're back to basics again, you lose the game disappointingly and I think it was the manner in which we conceded the goals.

But getting back to your point about the legacy, it genuinely doesn't worry me one jot, never has done. When you're dead, you're dead. I know you two are not thinking about it at your age, but it is something that is a consideration for people over 52.






I just wonder, you've came into this a bit afresh and you've worked with the squad for how long? You mentioned a few times, especially last night as well, just back to basics and stripping it back and football can be a simple game at times. Do you think within that squad there just has to be that reminder sometimes, and you have to just sometimes to go forward, do you have to strip it back?

That's a good point you make, but I think that it's time. You spend a little bit of time to get to know players. In an ideal world, if you're going into a management job, you would like to have some time with the team. If I'm going back 25 years, I had pre-season with the team. I was able to sign, funnily enough, Chris Sutton, and then I brought some players into the football club to supplement some really good players who, strangely enough, had lost confidence from the previous year.

I'm put into this situation here and it's just a matter of probably getting to know the players as much as possible. There might be a couple of lads who have not participated at the moment that might come and shine and we'll need them really at the end of it. We've picked up a few injuries, but we knew that at the time anyway, and we'll see where we go.






Do you think nights like last night shine a spotlight, Martin, on where this squad is and the suitability to compete in Europe? Because for the last couple of weeks, there's been a lot of focus on the job you've done since coming in, maybe the job the previous manager did. Does nights like last night maybe remind everyone that there's a big rebuild needed here to compete?

Oh, I think that that's pretty plain to see. Yeah, of course. This is it. You need strength and depth to compete in Europe. Obviously you've got your domestic football here and looking down at the fixtures again, there's no respite here between now and probably the end of January time.

So you're playing weekends and midweek and it's relentless. So you need a big squad to cope with that, and if you are trying to rotate as well too, getting to know the players as quickly as possible is something that is obviously really important for me and important to me.







On that point, Martin, I just wonder, a lot of fans are just seeking clarity of what's next and they just want to know what's going to happen. You've of course got the January transfer window coming up as well. Do you understand the fans' urge to get clarity?

Well, on a really serious note, and I assume that they'll not have anybody in by Sunday, but if Sunday was my last game, that is absolutely fine with me. Really has been, and I think that's been pretty clear.

That's my clarity, as it were, and that's it. It's a fortnight's time to get someone in. I'm sure since Brendan resigned, the board must be thinking about it and must have people in mind at the end of it. I'm not party to that, nor do I want to be.

So, as I said to you, if they announce a new manager on Monday morning or Tuesday morning, absolutely fine, I've done it.

It's just getting back to your thoughts of legacy and that there, it really wouldn't bother me. We did beat Rangers, and that would be that, so I can always mark that down






If it were to be your final game here in this wee stretch, I just wonder how you try and sum up the last few games?

Yeah, honestly, I would go back to drinking coffee, which is rather expensive down in London, and that's what I would do, and think to myself, did that really happen?

I shouldn't even be smiling after last night, and I'm not really, but yeah, it's been really strange indeed. And there are moments I have actually enjoyed, and there's moments when you don't, and like last night was a moment that you couldn't possibly enjoy.

It gives you a reality check, like everything else, and some of the other surreal moments have been really nice, but that's it.

But genuinely, if there was a call on Monday that the board had decided on someone, that's been fine. It would have been a really strange fortnight, and I might meet you for a coffee in a year's time and think, oh my gosh, did that happen?

Just on Arne Engels, I know you said he was limping a little bit.

Yeah, he's a little bit sore at this moment. I think that they think that, they're hoping that he's going to be okay. I think it was just more stretching than anything else, so I think that's the case.

 

Aye he's working with a poor, depleted side who just put everything in to a semi against that mob and extra time..

He did say there were tired legs and some of the selections told us that. Then the way we played kinda made that obvious as well..

Been a hectic week, physically and mentally for the players and some are dropping like flies in from the cold..

 

Worst thing we can do is rush all of these players back and we end up with another 5 Kieran Tierney's.

 

Do we get pre arsenal tierney long enough to sell them and learn not to let them return? If so im up for it

 

The thing for me that’s weird, last season aside, over 3 different managers one of them twice, a lot of different versions of a Celtic team for about a decade now, more infact Ronny’s teams done the same….

How often in Europe when we concede 1 goal, theres another that follows very quickly afterwards? Going back over the years can remember games like Fenerbache, Lille, Cluj, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Betis… and I’m certain of a lot more examples if I sat and thought of them all.

There’s something set in deep in the club.

 

There's a deep-seated lack of resilience about us when playing a better footballing side than us IMHO. We've always had the best footballing side ever since Tommy. Even years when Rangers were the better team, we played the better football. The best example of what I mean by having the best footballers even when the Huns had the better team is the John Barnes season.

It means the Huns are used to playing sides with better ball players and still thinking they can win because they fight more, score from set-pieces or, if all else fails, rely on a dodgy penalty. They experience that domestically against us and so they know what to do when it happens in Europe.

We never experience it domestically, so when we come up against a team with better players than us in Europe, we need plan A to work. If things go against us a bit, we're mentally fragile. We collapse rather than hanging in their and hoping for a lucky break.

 

Might be something in that, most successful teams in Europe in the modern era wouldn’t fit that description.

O’Neill’s was no bullshit, direct and we’d do the football stuff after making sure we’re up in the final 3rd and it was from quality players rather than a style the entertaining football happened with Larsson, Lubo etc

WGS was * resilience, everything put on the line, to the very death fight for it, sheer mental fortitude and an exceptional keeper.

Lenny in the last 16, very strong, played to our strengths, devastating at set pieces, a team full of physical attributes like pacey CB’s, Sammy on the wing as a target man, an extremely clinical striker in Hooper and again, exceptional keeper. It was designed almost to counteract better teams - and was quite poor in the league due to that, lowest points tally to win it ever that year.
We’ve for a long time now had the attitude to do it playing proper football, and when that happens like we did Leipzig my * its beautiful but its rare.


We need a different approach, an approach that is changing steadily all over football as a whole. Set pieces massive again, long throws. Unfortunately where we are in the football market, we will never be able to out talent a lot of teams. But thats not the only approach thwt

 

I love how big fast skillful but physical and direct footballs finally making a comeback. Gone with the tipy tappy midget boring ball, back to the devastating direct powerful play. Yet here we are again playing catchup on it. Like deciding to collect the original pokemon now the cards are no longer in production and cost you hundreds per one. Typical slow moving board.

 

* shame for me how that tippy tappy nippy players type of football evolved to. When it was Pep’s Barca, Juup Hynckes Bayern… * it was unreal.

Then it evolved into don’t losethe ball possession all costs. At the start it was pass around quick, with purpose and if you lose the ball it’s ok, burst yer * to get it back. But watching Xavi, Iniesta and Messi at full flow might be the peak of football I’vr seen.


But if we’re returning to old style football… can we bring back the Ronaldinho and Okocha types? I * miss it

 

He was sounding quite keen about taking the job on for maybe the rest of the season a few days ago but the EL game has been a reality check after what was a positive week beforehand. Things change fast in football eh. Sounds more like he just wants tomorrow’s game out the way now and get outta here.

 

Think he’s had a look at the schedule. Flat out Weekend, midweek, European travelling. At 73 when he was enjoying his retirement, easier life, safe paycheck as a pundit and just picking and choosing to go watch football.

The Hun game would have brought back the young man in him, but aye reality of the slog has dawned a bit again I think