theRangers Unveil New Manager Danny Röhl at Ibrox Stadium on October 21, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Q: So, what do you actually expect from (the)Rangers then on Sunday?
Martin O’Neill: “Well, I’ve heard a lot of good things and I think I said this even before I got this job, a lot of good things about the manager. I think a lot of the players at Sheffield Wednesday were very complimentary about him. So, he will have gone in there now. That was a big win for them there at Easter Road. Really big win. So, they’ll be going to the game with plenty of confidence themselves.”
27 August 2000: (L to R) Stilian Petrov of Celtic battles with Barry Ferguson and Billy Dodds of Rangers and Joos Valgaeren and Johan Mjallby of Celtic during the Celtic v Rangers Premier League match at Celtic Park which. Celtic won 6-2. Photo: Stu Forster/ALLSPORT
Q: Martin, you mentioned the 6-2 game was a bit of a catalyst for you that season. Given what’s happened so far this season, a couple of defeats before you came in, maybe the club needs a bit of unity. Could this be equally important if you can get a good win?
Martin O’Neill: “Oh, this would be. Yeah, this is a big game for us. Really, don’t disguise that at all. It’s the semi-final, it’s a big match for us. Any Celtic (the)Rangers game is a big game, but particularly given the circumstances of the recent days, if not weeks, yeah, absolutely.
Celtic’s Craig Bellamy beats Rangers’ Marvin Andrews to the ball during the Scottish Premier League match between Celtic and Rangers on February 20, 2005 at Celtic Park. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Q: Martin, Craig Bellamy, someone you signed here, has been touted for the manager’s position full-time. How do you feel about that? Would he be a good fit for the club?
Martin O’Neill: “Craig? Well, I think he’s done exceptionally well. First of all, he was an assistant, wasn’t he? And then he’s become manager of Wales, and he’s given them an enormous lift, really. I know the result, he got beaten by Belgium. But overall, yeah. The thing I’ve always remembered about Craig, he is a student of the game. He is, even just as a player. Sometimes people just play the game and wouldn’t know the history of anything at all. Seriously, I think you could ask him. Don’t. You could ask him who won the FA Cup in 1893. He probably would know it.” (Notts County is the answer in case you’re wondering).
