Celtic’s O’Neill Reflects on Interim Spell, Expresses Desire to Stay

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Former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has expressed his willingness to have stayed on at the club after his interim spell ended with seven wins out of eight games. O’Neill, who stepped in to replace Brendan Rodgers, praised the team’s performance during his near six-week tenure.
In an interview with Talksport, O’Neill described his time at Celtic as “holding the fort for a while” and stated that he would have happily stayed on if asked. However, he emphasized that his decision to leave was not influenced by the timing or tactics of the team’s recent performances.
O’Neill’s interim spell was marked by seven wins and one loss, with the team securing a 1-0 victory over Dundee in his final game. Despite the success, the team lost to St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final.

Conversation with Wilfried Nancy

O’Neill revealed that he had only had a brief conversation with the new permanent manager, Wilfried Nancy, before stepping down. He described Nancy as “affable” and acknowledged that the Frenchman had faced a challenging start to his tenure, including losses to Hearts and Roma.

Advice for Nancy

O’Neill offered words of encouragement to Nancy, urging the new manager to lean on the team’s senior players and to give himself time to settle in. He emphasized that three games is not enough to judge a manager’s performance and that Nancy needs to be given time to turn the team’s fortunes around.

Future Ambitions

O’Neill, who is 73 years old, expressed his desire to continue managing and stated that his brief return to the game had reinvigorated him. He acknowledged that he had initially been worried about being considered too old for the job but felt that he had proved himself during his time at Celtic.

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