WATCH THE VIDEO above. It took place following a Celtic 3-2 last-gasp Champions League loss against Juventus in September 2001. Notice how positive and animated Martin O’Neill is despite the highly disappointing result.
Now watch the infamous interview below that was conducted in the aftermath of Ireland’s 2-1 win away to Georgia last September.
The contrast between Martin O’Neill in the two interviews above is palpable. Oddly, he seems more buoyant after the loss than he is compared with the win. It’s as if the Irish boss has become a different person in the ensuing years.
In the first video, though hardly pleased, he is still keen on accentuating the positives and possesses an especially upbeat disposition. By comparison, in the second video, he is somewhat cantankerous, subdued and seemingly intent on picking a fight with journalist Tony O’Donoghue, despite the relatively innocuous questions being asked and the favourable outcome of the match in question.
In many ways, the two videos are symptomatic of the apparent change in O’Neill’s attitude and approach to football management in recent years. Whereas once, he was thought of as a an almost happy-go-lucky character, in recent years, he has become ‘morose,’ as one visiting Scottish journalist described him last month.
Part of it is the inevitable consequences of age — O’Neill is now 63. He can hardly continue to bounce up and down the touchline during matches as he once routinely did.
However, perhaps the issue is bigger than just a need to slow down in life. Speaking to The42, following increased speculation that O’Neill was preparing to step down as Ireland manager, one Leicester-based journalist recalled how back in the 90s, the Derry native enjoyed such a laidback and friendly relationship with the local reporters that he would spend a significant portion of press conferences discussing his interests away from football, including music and film. He also suggested that O’Neill’s change in mentality when it came to dealing with the press can be traced as far back as his time at Celtic, with the abrasive nature of certain journalists prompting him to become increasingly guarded in his dealings with the media.
Yet while there are probably a number of factors explaining O’Neill’s current, slightly detached persona, it’s hard to escape the lingering feeling that part of his disillusionment is owing to the considerable toils of managing the current Irish team.
In the aftermath of Ireland’s disappointing draw at home to Scotland last month, which was widely regarded as a serious blow to the Boys in Green’s qualification hopes, Ewan Murray of The Guardian wrote the following:
“O’Neill was needing victory here against an apparently resurgent Scotland. He needed it all right, not only to keep alive the Republic of Ireland’s hopes of progression to Euro 2016 but to remove the unavoidable sense that O’Neill’s career is destined to peter out in an insipid fashion that seemed so unlikely for so long. This scene, this movie, could never have been factored into the grand plan.
“11 years ago the notion of O’Neill coaching what is essentially a Championship team in international shirts was ludicrous. Not so on a June evening in Dublin where he was seeking to invigorate an Irish campaign and move the narrative away from one of disquiet towards the FAI’s chief executive, John Delaney.”
It may be a tad harsh, but there is more than an element of truth to the idea that O’Neill — once touted as a potential candidate to take over from Alex Ferguson at Manchester United — has now been reduced to slumming it with the Irish team.
The Derry native took a long time before he agreed to become Ireland manager back in November 2013 — and perhaps now, with the team’s hopes of Euro 2016 qualification appearing increasingly slim, he is now suspecting that this initial feeling of reluctance was justified.
After Jack Grealish declined a call-up for the Ireland matches against England and Scotland back in May, O’Neill wore a particularly glum expression in the subsequent press conference, as if the team’s one great hope for the future had been extinguished.
At best, O’Neill has probably 10 years left in management. Does he want spend another half-decade toiling away with an Irish team that has shown few signs of emerging from a post-Euro 2012 slump, following the retirement of several key figures and a recurring sense of dwindling morale.
For a number of reasons, there is a palpable negativity around the Ireland team at the moment, and O’Neill, as one of the side’s main figureheads, tends to bear the brunt of large parts of this pervasive frustration. On the other hand, at Leicester, he is still loved by most and even considered ‘God-like’ by some.
Nigel Pearson would be a tough act to follow, after his sudden and unexpected departure, despite numerous impressive accomplishments, but O’Neill would also have the opportunity to be part of an exciting project that would constitute a great opportunity to end his distinguished coaching career on a high point.
The overriding reaction from Ireland fans to today’s increased speculation has been one of relative apathy, with many suggesting whoever is in charge of the team is largely irrelevant, given the supposed lack of top-class talent coming through.
Consequently, while wilfully leaving after just 13 games in charge undoubtedly would represent an significant blemish on the veteran manager’s CV, perhaps it would regardless be best for all parties if O’Neill decided to move on.
