MARTIN O’NEILL HAS revealed he would have prolonged his successful interim spell as Celtic boss if asked to remain in charge.
O’Neill delivered seven wins from eight matches after being appointed as interim boss in the wake of Brendan Rodgers’ departure in October.
Wilfried Nancy was announced as the permanent replacement for Rodgers but has endured a nightmare start to his Celtic reign.
They lost 3-1 against St Mirren in yesterday’s Premier Sports Cup final with Nancy having previously lost his opening two games in charge, defeated by Hearts and Roma.
“That wasn’t really important. And I say that in all sincerity. That was not a driving force in the whole thing.
“Beating Rangers in the semi-final gave us a chance in the final. Listen, finals are still difficult.
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Martin O'Neill and Shaun Maloney during their last game in charge of Celtic. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
“But at the end of it all, if the board had said: ‘Listen, we still have a problem with visas and things like this here’, I’d happily have stayed on, whatever that game may be, my last game.
“But that was not a driving force from my viewpoint. If they had asked me to stay on, I would have done so.
“But the minute that they said: ‘No, listen, that’s your time’, that is fine by me. That is exactly what I want.”
🙏 "Give managers a chance!"
✅ "You've got to win! You've got to steady it again and win!"
“You’ve got to give managers chances. I think back to my own time at Leicester City, where I eventually enjoyed nice success.
“When I went in there first of all, I can’t win a game to save my life, crowd baying for blood after 10 games. How lucky I was to win a couple of matches of real importance at a stage.
“You’ve just got to win, you’ve got to win. You’ve got to steady it again if it’s gone afloat a bit, go in and win a game or two.
“There’s some excellent players at the football club. There’s some boys who have won big time as well. The captain is a terrific example there. Really, really good. Was brilliant for me and to me.
“Lean on some of the senior players. Lean on them and get them on your side. It is recoverable, of course. You’re in the football club 10 or 12 days. You cannot make a judgment on anybody over three games.”
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Martin O'Neill on Celtic: 'If they had asked me to stay on, I would have done so'
MARTIN O’NEILL HAS revealed he would have prolonged his successful interim spell as Celtic boss if asked to remain in charge.
O’Neill delivered seven wins from eight matches after being appointed as interim boss in the wake of Brendan Rodgers’ departure in October.
Wilfried Nancy was announced as the permanent replacement for Rodgers but has endured a nightmare start to his Celtic reign.
They lost 3-1 against St Mirren in yesterday’s Premier Sports Cup final with Nancy having previously lost his opening two games in charge, defeated by Hearts and Roma.
Speaking on talkSPORT today, O’Neill was asked if he had held any ambition to lead Celtic out in the final.
He replied: “Only if asked.
“That wasn’t really important. And I say that in all sincerity. That was not a driving force in the whole thing.
“Beating Rangers in the semi-final gave us a chance in the final. Listen, finals are still difficult.
“But at the end of it all, if the board had said: ‘Listen, we still have a problem with visas and things like this here’, I’d happily have stayed on, whatever that game may be, my last game.
“But that was not a driving force from my viewpoint. If they had asked me to stay on, I would have done so.
“But the minute that they said: ‘No, listen, that’s your time’, that is fine by me. That is exactly what I want.”
O’Neill believes there must be patience shown with Nancy, given the short amount of time he has been in charge.
“You’ve got to give managers chances. I think back to my own time at Leicester City, where I eventually enjoyed nice success.
“When I went in there first of all, I can’t win a game to save my life, crowd baying for blood after 10 games. How lucky I was to win a couple of matches of real importance at a stage.
“You’ve just got to win, you’ve got to win. You’ve got to steady it again if it’s gone afloat a bit, go in and win a game or two.
“There’s some excellent players at the football club. There’s some boys who have won big time as well. The captain is a terrific example there. Really, really good. Was brilliant for me and to me.
“Lean on some of the senior players. Lean on them and get them on your side. It is recoverable, of course. You’re in the football club 10 or 12 days. You cannot make a judgment on anybody over three games.”
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