Martin O’Neill expressed his willingness to continue as Celtic’s interim manager if the club had requested him to do so. O’Neill, who previously managed Celtic from 2000 to 2005, stepped in after Brendan Rodgers’ unexpected exit.
During his brief tenure, he led the team through eight matches across all competitions, securing seven victories and achieving an impressive win rate of 87.5% in this stint.
O’Neill’s overall success rate at Celtic stands at 75.2%, the highest in the club’s history, with 194 wins out of 258 games. He departed following a 1-0 triumph over Dundee on December 3, making way for Wilfried Nancy as the new permanent manager. However, Nancy has struggled, losing all three matches since taking charge, including a surprising 3-1 defeat to St. Mirren in the Scottish League Cup final.
When asked about leading Celtic in major fixtures, O’Neill told Talksport: “Only if asked. That was not a driving force. I’d happily have stayed on. If they had asked me to stay on, I would’ve done so, but the minute that they said, ‘no, that’s your time’, that was fine by me.” His comments reflect his readiness to support the club during its transitional phase.
Nancy faces mounting pressure after consecutive home losses against Hearts and Roma in both the Scottish Premiership and Europa League before falling to St. Mirren. Despite these setbacks, O’Neill believes fans should give Nancy time to secure his first victory and stabilize the team.
“I stepped into the job,” O’Neill shared about his interim role. “[Major shareholder] Dermot [Desmond] had said to me, he said, ‘You could be in it two weeks or two months; we’re looking for someone.’ When you get into it, you really enjoy it.” He emphasized that winning is crucial and that patience is needed for recovery.
The Importance of Patience
O’Neill highlighted that judging a manager based on just three games is unfair. “You’re at the football club for 10 or 12 days,” he noted. “You cannot make a judgement on anybody over three games.” He stressed that managers need time to adapt and succeed.
Celtic supporters are encouraged to remain patient as Nancy works towards his first win with the team. With talented players available at Celtic Park, there is optimism that results will improve with time and support from fans and management alike.