Q: What did you make of Benjamin Arthur?
Martin O’Neill: “I thought he did fine, he stepped into the game. Half an hour beforehand his mind was thinking, I wonder will I get on at any given stage during the course of the match? And then the next thing he’s called upon to do it, to start the game. So you have to have almost a different mindset. So he comes back into the dressing room, gets himself ready, and I thought he really did fine. I think there is, whether it’s here or not, but I think there’s a definite player there.”
Q: What was the issue with Dane Murray?
Martin O’Neill: “Dane, he felt his thigh, which is a concern for us, really.”
Q: Do you think Dane will be a doubt for Sunday?
Martin O’Neill: “I would have to think he would be at this minute, but I don’t know at this minute. He’s just come in, he’s been treated, he’ll obviously be in for treatment tomorrow morning, and we’ll see. If you’re thinking about a thigh, I’m hoping that I’m not doom and gloom, but I’d be concerned about it.”
Kieran Tierney celebrates. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
Q: Is there a cause for concern that you’re letting teams get a wee grip in the game?
Martin O’Neill: “This was going to be difficult. I’ve thought about this game obviously since Sunday was over. I felt this was always going to be difficult for us. It really was. It was the third game in six days, so it’s asking a lot, hence us using the substitutions. Sometimes it’s great that some of the substitutions have come on and the impact has been good. Sometimes it doesn’t.”
Q: Does the second half of the game, the weekend and the 95 minutes tonight, add together to give you confidence that you can get a 90-minute performance this weekend?”
Martin O’Neill: “Wow! Oh, good Lord! Right…Good point. No idea!”
Kieran Tierney scores. Aberdeen v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
Q: How are you feeling about the game this weekend?
Martin O’Neill: “Really, I honestly have not thought about it. I’m going to watch the Aberdeen game on the bus on the way back, and then I’ll start thinking about the game for tomorrow at some stage.”
Q: Do you expect it to be much different from last weekend, given it’s a cup game and you’ve got more fans?
Martin O’Neill: “It’s a really good point, and you’d be better equipped than me. It’s a long, long time since I’ve been to Ibrox twice in three or four days. It’s not something I thought about a couple of months ago. So I will think about it. I don’t know. I’m hoping that just the points that you’ve made, us back in the second half performance and winning tonight, I’m hoping gives us a bit of a lift going there.”
Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr. Click on image to order
Sure Ben Arthur has to be nicknamed The Cobbler