Celtic are on the hunt for their next permanent manager, but a former player reckons it’s Martin O’Neill’s job if he wants it.
O’Neill has deservedly been given immense credit for the job he has done this season. When Brendan Rodgers left in October, the legendary manager came in to steer things in a steady direction.
He did just that, winning seven out of eight games in all competitions, including a win over Rangers to secure a League Cup final spot.
He also oversaw Celtic’s first win on Dutch soil in 24 years as they beat Feyenoord 3-1 in the Europa League. It was the first win in the country since O’Neill’s 2001 side beat Ajax by the same scoreline.
O’Neill then stepped aside for Wilfried Nancy, whose tenure lasted just 33 days.
And with all the talk of Celtic’s next managerial appointment, Jackie McNamara believes his former manager could be the pick of the bunch.
Given the scale of this summer’s rebuild, McNamara highlights the continuity in keeping the Irishman. He said (TCW):
“I think he might. One more season. It would need to be a quick turnaround if someone was coming in now.
“I think it would be down to him and how he feels about it. If he really wants to do it. I think if he does, then he’s shown between the three managers how successful he is with the group of players he’s had to work with.”
If it weren’t for the appointment of Nancy, the Hoops could’ve been on course for a treble this season.
“How he turned it around from before Wilfried, and after Wilfried. The fact that he’s going for a double could have been a treble this season for Martin. I think he’s got the best out of the players that he’s had. And that’s what a manager is”, McNamara added,
“He’s got Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham, and Stephen McManus.
“The training ground stuff, they can do all that and the coaching. But I think Martin’s strength was always the dressing room before you go out and doing things and making the wee decisions that he does and getting the best of the players.
“That’s what he’s done with the group there.”
O’Neill’s man-management cannot be questioned. To come in on two separate occasions this season and clinch the title, having spent just one day at the top since October, is remarkable.
The question comes down to long-term planning. O’Neill has admitted that he would need to think about his future and whether he has the energy to continue in such a high-pressure role. That’s only natural at 74.
If he were to give one more season in the dugout, it would mean the club would be right back in this position a year from now, searching for the next candidate to take the squad forward.
But given the significance of this summer’s transfer activity, having O’Neill, Maloney and Fotheringham remain as a means of continuity may not be such a bad thing. They have credit in the bank, given what they have achieved with a squad that looked down and out not so long ago.
Read Martin O’Neill’s book on Days Like These. And you’ll know why he’s the man for the job. He’s a hero!
His backroom staff Maloney and Fozzy are popular as well.
I’ve even bought a picture of him to stick on my fridge next to the Pope.
He deserves the job and we love him.
We’re not asking for a lifetime. We’re asking for one more season.
May God send legions of Angels to protect O’Neill and may he be carried safely home to the Parkhead dugout. May his family continue to be blessed and Celtic diaspora successful under his tenure.
God bless him.