“I had a look at the schedule and I thought well that’s four games in very quick succession,” Martin O’Neill said at today’s media conference ahead of his fourth game in charge as interim Celtic manager…
With an international break following on from Sunday’s game against Kilmarnock, this could be the legendary Celtic manager’s last game in charge. There’s certainly a possibility that this will be the case but if you factor in Gordon Strachan’s remarks about Celtic’s preferred candidate not being available until December that we could have Martin around for a few more weeks.
That December timeline would fit with Kjetil Knutsen’s contract ending and those of you who follow such matters will have noticed that the Norwegian coach is now the firm favourite to replace Brendan Rodgers as Celtic manager. Here’s everything that Martin O’Neill had to say at him media conference at Lennoxtown earlier today including injury updates on Callum Osmand, Kelechi Iheanacho and Arne Engels…
Q: Martin, how do you go about picking the players up after the disappointment from last night?
Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, well that’s my job. It was a disappointing night, a difficult game for us. I thought, again, in the second half we showed some resilience so we got something out of it. But yeah, a tough evening, really tough.”
Q: How’s Callum Osmand?
Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, he’s gone for a scan this morning and we haven’t got any news back yet as we speak but it doesn’t look good.”
Q: Is there a time frame on Kelechi Iheanacho?
Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, he is going to be a few more weeks. I think that obviously after Sunday we’ve got this fortnight break and we’ll see how things go from there. But yeah, he certainly won’t be available for Sunday anyway.”
Q: How do you feel now because that’s a whirlwind week, a big emotional day at Hampden and then the come down of losing a game, how do you take it all in?
Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, I saw the game a few weeks ago for Midtjylland and they are very strong. They’ve won all their games, they’re very strong at this minute, and that physicality that they possess. When they were bringing on some of their players as well, they left out some players who played against Nottingham Forest but it didn’t seem to make any difference. In that sense they’re very strong. So yeah, that’s European football which is something that I’ve said, that this football club should be aspiring to but we’re not there yet.”
There will always be a place in the Celtic stand for you among the supporters for your honesty i didnt see you and lawell getting photo hand shake for media what Rodgers has done in winning trophies but is it his just for himself always the agenda with Rodgers he knew after transfer window closed that he didnt fancy the squad but instead of trying to sort it but after we didnt qualify for champions league europa cup was beneath you just like spl you joined Celtic second time i was happy when you joined but would you have joined we were not in champions league you have damage Celtic with your fight against lawell i just hope he goes to it got personal and Celtic Football Club has been damaged cause of your big egos and lawell i hope Desmond Dermit relises how much you have damage the club our m
Collatril should be on the pitch Celtic have made more money by bringing players into the squad and doubling even tripling there transfer fee but you need to have a core of 5 to 8 good proffesional players to lets these players come in relaxed ease them self in eithoit expecting to much Engels young man has to live up to our record transfer the bhoys been trying to do to much and Rodgers brilliant at bringing players forgot what he was there for for to look after these players take the presdure of them instead he was blaming players and if your the big money transfer Engels thinks and why not Rodgers is fingering him instead of tell media he has good players but need just as good meaning £5 maybe £8million players and he asking board to spend that but he wont sign his a contract himself so he decided ill play tippy tappy football terrible