Would Celtic Gamble On O’neill If Idol Brings Success Against Oldest Rivals?

It feels unwise to beryllium fooled by Martin O’Neill’s self-deprecation. The 73-year-old remains publically patient that his second stint successful complaint of Celtic will beryllium short term. “I deliberation my remit was that they would beryllium looking for personification [else] beautiful quickly,” he said connected Friday. “I don’t deliberation this is simply a renaissance. I conscionable deliberation this is simply a fill-in.”

Shock is still reverberating astir Celtic Park, not truthful overmuch astir Monday’s resignation of Brendan Rodgers but nan follow-up savaging of nan erstwhile head by nan main shareholder, Dermot Desmond.

O’Neill is unwilling to estimate upon nan ‘what if’. It is undeniable, though, that if he guides Celtic to a League Cup semi-final triumph against Rangers connected Sunday location will beryllium a swell of support for affording him a longer spell successful office. “The only group who would beryllium saying that is my 2 daughters,” said O’Neill. This is incorrect, which he will cognize only excessively well. O’Neill masks his intellect good erstwhile he chooses to.

“I deliberation today’s crippled is 1 for young coaches, young coaches coming into nan game,” O’Neill said. “With nan exemplary astatine nan infinitesimal you’re talking about, mostly speaking, overseas owners, overseas agents getting their group successful first of all. And I conscionable deliberation that’s nan case. So I don’t deliberation there’s immoderate existent room for personification who mightiness person immoderate experience. I don’t deliberation they fuss pinch that.

“Strangely enough, you could person each nan acquisition successful nan world and still beryllium crap. I return myself back, let’s opportunity backmost to 48 erstwhile I came here. I wonderment what I would person thought of personification 70-plus coming in. I astir apt would person nan aforesaid position arsenic group do now.” That self-deprecation again.

At look value, it is ludicrous to contemplate O’Neill arsenic nan permanent Celtic manager astatine this juncture. On Wednesday evening, aft a comfortable triumph against Falkirk, he struggled to sanction nan Celtic left-back. Six years person passed since his past spell successful nan dugout – astatine Nottingham Forest – ended abruptly.

“I didn’t consciousness awesome astir it,” he said. “Particularly astatine a nine I’d spent 10 years arsenic a subordinate at, pinch a adjacent magnitude of success. I deliberation I conscionable hid distant for a while. Listen, you’re forgotten very, very quickly successful nan game. I wholly understand that. I sewage 19 games astatine Forest nether Mr Marinakis. That seems a life now. If you inquire Ange Postecoglou, a lifetime.”

Martin O’Neill’s first crippled arsenic nan Celtic interim head was a 4-0 triumph against Falkirk. Photograph: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

There are much superior points worthy of consideration. Should O’Neill hit Rangers (and a manager, Danny Röhl, who is little than half his age) successful a crippled that is fiendishly difficult to call, his prospects should beryllium taken seriously. O’Neill is idolised by nan Celtic support, which matters successful a clip of turmoil. His age, which he plays connected rather a lot, disguises an power and quickness of mind that has ne'er receded.

Celtic could salary £5m successful compensation to coax Kieran McKenna from Ipswich. They could return an moreover bigger bet connected Robbie Keane. The Scottish champions whitethorn opt to springiness Club Brugge’s Nicky Hayen a first sensation of British football. These are each gambles successful their ain way. Even much than O’Neill? This is debatable.

“I don’t deliberation I’ve ever mislaid nan bug,” O’Neill said. “I really did miss nan game. And sometimes I utilized to deliberation that I could do arsenic as severely arsenic immoderate of nan different boys were doing.”

There is an replacement scenario: should Rangers spot disconnected Celtic astatine Hampden Park, nan quest for a caller managerial look will intensify. “You person to triumph nan crippled aliases you’re correct backmost to quadrate 1 again,” O’Neill admitted. “It’s a monolithic lucifer for some clubs.”

O’Neill intelligibly harbours pent-up motivation. “I genuinely deliberation you’re ever trying to beryllium a point,” he said. “I deliberation it was nan aforesaid arsenic a player. I cognize I’ve referred to Brian Clough before, but I ever felt arsenic if I was trying to beryllium him much incorrect than right. That’s why I astir apt felt suspicious of John Robertson. John utilized to get nan bully small motion of support and I utilized to get nan fingers. I was ever trying to beryllium him wrong.”

It seems safe to presume Clough would obstruction against immoderate dismissal of O’Neill’s existent prospects.