Q: In terms of the way the game went, the balance of play, it was a great defensive performance but there wasn’t so much going forward. Was that evidence of how much Callum is important to you?
Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, of course. He’s been a great captain. I’ve said this both in the dressing room and on the field. But I think that’s something that at home we’ll have to address. Against Motherwell tomorrow, we’ll have to try and find a few better attacking options.”
Celtic interim Chairman Brian Wilson looks on during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on February 01, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Q: We heard from Brian Wilson yesterday about the olive branch, I suppose you would call it, being handed out to the supporters to find themselves banned at the moment. Is the hope that things can be resolved because this could be a really crucial period where you would want everyone moving in one direction?
Martin O’Neill: “It would be great if that was the case, absolutely. We’re running out of home games now, I don’t think we’ve got that many left, both now and during the split. The sooner it could get sorted, it would be fantastic because, as I said to you before, the club going in the same direction is what we want to do.”
Q: You mentioned the derby allocation earlier and the fear that the bigger allocation might be gone forever…
Martin O’Neill: “That’s just me. It will not be a phenomenal concern to me from a distance, but it would be a shame if that was the case. It is really because there’s something pretty special about the Old Firm atmosphere, particularly when the away fans are in the numbers they were.”
Q: Is your message to those who have that power to stick with it and hope that it’s the case? Can you see why that might never happen?
Martin O’Neill: “My message? Well, my message would blow in the wind, to tell you the truth, because I haven’t even got that power in my own household, so there’s not much chance of anybody listening to me.”
Q: You hold a lot of sway.
Martin O’Neill: “No, I do not. Honestly, it is utterly exaggerated. It really is. But in ideal circumstances, I would love it. And I’m sure lots of people would. I’m sure lots of Rangers fans would like it too, as well. Obviously, it’s still fresh in the memory. I think that, as I said, the SFA are having some meetings. By the way, the allocation that we used up was actually in the SFA rules, isn’t that right?
“I assume the police will have a look at it and think it’s not worthwhile. It would be a real shame, from my viewpoint, from this distance. And also, if I could, for one moment, look at it in sort of a neutral way, I think, I go back to those days. Obviously, memory plays a few tricks with you as you get a bit older, but there were those matches that we both won and lost at the Ibrox where the atmosphere was just electric, really unbelievable.”
Q: Do you think the fan rivalry that you experienced then has changed now? Is there more of an edge to it now?
Martin O’Neill: “I really don’t know. I don’t know. I think people think because society has changed a wee bit in 20 years that automatically everything else does. I really am not in a position to make that judgement. I don’t think I am.”
Q: Can I say something about Motherwell as well? A lot of applause from across the board for the way Jens has been about his business. How tough are you expecting this to be tomorrow?
Martin O’Neill: “Oh, really tough game, absolutely. They’ve had a fantastic time. A bit of a setback there last week at Dundee would really have been the proverbial breath of fresh air for the SPL. It’s been terrific. They’ve played really well and they play matches without any real fear. It’s great. No, it’s been terrific for them. They’ve been terrific. Hearts have been great this season and I also think that Falkirk have been terrific as well. But from our immediate opponents, Motherwell, yeah, a real difficult game for us.”
Martin O’Neill at Ibrox. Scottish Cup quarter final on Sunday 8 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
Q: From a momentum point of view as well, you’ve been applauded for tackling these four away games that were crucial this season. To then keep that going, it would be crucial for that side of things as well?
Martin O’Neill: “Well, it’s crucial in every aspect because you’re running out of games. We couldn’t afford to… I think, if I looked at it really properly, I don’t think that we could drop too many points and still think that you could possibly win the league. It would be very difficult to do that with the games running down.”
UEFA Europa League 2025 2026, Play Offs first leg Celtic FC Glasgow vs VfB Stuttgart Celtic Park. Martin O’Neill with Iain Jamieson, Celtic Head of PR. Photo JOERAN STEINSIEK
Watch Martin O’Neill’s mainstream media conference below. The Celtic Star remains banned by the club with Interim Chairman Brian Wilson unaware of who actually imposed the ban. It was Iain Jamieson, Brian, hope that helps! LOL…
