Celtic Treble Winner Makes “Essential” Martin O’Neill Claim

Former Celtic defender Ramon Vega has praised Martin O’Neill’s lasting influence on the game, pointing to the manager’s experience and knowledge as major strengths in his return to Parkhead.

Vega was part of O’Neill’s Celtic squad that won the domestic Treble in the 2000/01 season and has first-hand experience of working under the Northern Irishman.

More than two decades later, O’Neill is back in charge of Celtic and preparing the club for another campaign after guiding the Hoops through a dramatic return last season.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Flashscore, Vega explained why he believes O’Neill’s age should not be viewed as a negative.

He said: “Look at Martin O’Neill: now at Celtic, at 74 years old, he comes back after 20 years and drives a great development.

“Those characteristics and that knowledge are essential.

“You can see the value of this experience at Celtic, and you see it even more today in other countries too.”

O’Neill’s return has brought a familiar style to Celtic, with his personality, man-management and understanding of the club once again central to the job.

Vega believes that type of experience is too often overlooked in modern football, where clubs and coaches can become overly focused on systems and instructions.

He added: “Everyone is just copying tactics.

“We are playing from the stands with a remote control: ‘go right, go left, go back’.

“There is too much outside influence, from FIFA down, that doesn’t focus on the individual character of the player.”

Those comments offer an interesting contrast to the modern coaching world, where data, tactical structures and detailed instructions now play a much bigger role.

Vega’s view is that football still needs managers who understand personalities and allow players to show their own qualities rather than controlling every decision from the technical area.

That was always one of O’Neill’s biggest strengths during his first Celtic spell.

He built a strong dressing room, trusted experienced players and created a team capable of winning trophies at home while competing deep into Europe.

His latest return came in very different circumstances, but Vega believes the same qualities remain useful.

Celtic are now working through pre-season as O’Neill prepares the squad for the Premiership campaign and the club’s Champions League qualifiers.

There are still questions around recruitment and the shape of the squad, but Vega’s comments show why the manager continues to command respect from players who worked with him during one of Celtic’s most successful modern periods.