2 days ago
28
Martin O’Neill insists he has loved every minute of his spell as interim Celtic boss as he aims to bow out on a high this weekend.
O’Neill will take charge of Celtic for the final time in tomorrow’s clash with Hibs at Easter Road, before handing the reins to the incoming Wilfried Nancy early next week.
It promises to be an emotional affair for the 73-year-old Parkhead icon, who was serenaded by Celtic fans in Rotterdam on Thursday night after a stunning Europa League win over Feyenoord.
O’Neill admits it has been a whirlwind period after answering the call from Dermot Desmond to step in following the shock departure of Brendan Rodgers a few weeks ago.
‘I was speaking to some of the board members last night, things are progressing very nicely, so I’m hoping that things will be in place by the beginning of next week,’ said O’Neill when asked about the club’s hunt for a new manager.
‘It has been a whirlwind time. If you ask me, deep down, have I loved it? Yeah, I probably have, [even if] the face doesn’t always say that!
Interim boss Martin O'Neill will wave farewell to Celtic fans for the final time at Easter Road
The veteran boss admits he has been put through the wringer in his unexpected dugout return
The Europa League win over Feyenoord in Rotterdam has sparked a feel-good factor at Celtic
‘Did I know that this was always going to be interim? Yeah, of course. Have I got used to the surroundings here at this minute? I’m not sure about that, really strange from my days way back at Celtic Park.
‘I think the lovely thing about it is the team, the players, they’ve really responded.
‘The best example of that was against Feyenoord. We were a goal behind after 11 minutes, when we probably should have been one in front. Heads could have easily gone down, but no, they fought back, played some great, great stuff, and we won. We deserved to win.’
Nancy is in Glasgow at the moment and is expected to be in the stand for tomorrow’s match at Easter Road prior to his formal unveiling next week.
The 48-year-old Frenchman will leave his role with Columbus Crew in the MLS and will be named as the permanent successor to Rodgers.
Asked what Nancy should expect at Celtic, O’Neill added: ‘Hopefully, he’ll find a side that is bubbling with a bit of confidence, which is great, and that’s a restoration, I suppose, from previous weeks in that sense.
O'Neill even managed to claim an Old Firm victory over Danny Rohl in his short tenure in charge
‘He’ll have a fair idea of what he’s coming into. He doesn’t need any guidance from me.’
O’Neill is confident that Celtic will make a European comeback and start competing properly once again on the back of a rousing victory in Rotterdam.
Coming back from a goal down to beat Feyenoord 3-1 at De Kuip, it was Celtic’s first victory away from home in Europe in four years.
The result breathes new life into their Europa League campaign and gives them a fighting chance of progressing, with three games to come against Roma, Bologna and FC Utrecht.
Although they reached the Champions League knockout phase last season and pushed Bayern Munich all the way, recent campaigns have lacked the excitement that O’Neill enjoyed in the early part of the century.
The Northern Irishman led Celtic to the 2003 UEFA Cup final and enjoyed wins over the likes of Liverpool, Juventus and Barcelona. However, setbacks against the likes of Bodo/Glimt, Midtjylland, Malmo, Ferencvaros, Sparta Prague, Cluj and Maribor in the last decade have led Celtic fans to believe their club is consistently underachieving in Europe.
O'Neill believes Celtic will once again be a force in Europe but admits Midtjylland was a setback
‘What I think will happen is that Celtic will come back,’ said O’Neill, hopes to have full-backs Colby Donovan and Marcelo Saracchi available for his final game. ‘They will compete properly in Europe. That’s my strong belief and that should be the aim for this football club.
‘Domestically we’ve been very, very strong. But you want to be strong in European football because that’s what was set in 1967. And that, I’m afraid, is what it’s all about.
‘So we have to be that. Are we at this minute? No, we’re not. Midtjylland taught us a lesson. But it was nice to restore some of that. Qualification would be nice to get through into the knockout stages. That would be a start.
‘But mark my words, Celtic will be back to being properly involved in European football.’
