Martin O’Neill did not need much encouragement to respond to the noise building before Sunday’s trip to Ibrox.
What began as a question about Luke McCowan’s post-match comments quickly turned into something else. Rangers boss Danny Rohl had weighed in on Celtic’s team selection and mindset after the win in Stuttgart.
The Celtic manager has been around this fixture long enough to know how words can travel across the city in a matter of hours. He also knows when to swat them away and when to lean into them. This time, there was a smile, but there was steel underneath it.
Celtic head to Ibrox still chasing at the top. They won in Germany but went out on aggregate. The focus now is domestic. Selection calls, especially in goal, are under scrutiny. That is normal before a derby. What caught O’Neill’s attention was the idea of another manager commenting on his picks.
He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “Luke’s entitled to his comments, believe it or not. I think the games are hard. Every game I’ve been involved in since I’ve come back, I’ve found difficult. What he probably meant is that we’re a fine side when we’re playing at our very best.
“He’s checking our team. Well done, old Danny. Well done.
“He’s only in less than a year himself. He’ll soon know all about it in the next four or five years.
“Maybe I should sit down and see if he’s got a choice of some players and put my oar in there, find out what he’s doing.
“He’s had a comment about our team, about the picking of the team. Extraordinary. Absolutely extraordinary.”
There was humour in O’Neill’s comments, but also a reminder. Derby week is not the time to start looking across the city for answers. he made that clear.
He didn’t throw Luke under the bus. He just put it in context. Since coming back in, O’Neill hasn’t had many straightforward games. Most of them have been a grind. When Celtic play well, they can take hold of a match. When they switch off, even briefly, it costs them.
O’Neill knows that better than most. He’s been through enough of these derbies to understand that the chat in the build-up disappears the second the ball starts rolling.
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