Within hours of Swiss loss IFA asked me to stay... I’m glad to repay their faith

O’NEILL OPENS UP ON DECISION TO STAY RATHER THAN TAKES SCOTS JOB

MICHAEL O’NEILL has revealed how quick-thinking IFA chiefs asked him to stay on within hours of the agonising World Cup play-off defeat to Switzerland.

And he also lifted the lid on why senior members of his Northern Ireland squad played such a key role in his decision to snub Scotland.

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan was left red-faced on Monday when their top target to succeed Gordon Strachan turned them down having held talks.

Since that highly controversial defeat to the Swiss, O’neill has weighed up approaches from a number of clubs, as well as international jobs.

The ex-shamrock Rovers boss had his pick of gigs but is staying put – and has now opened up for the first time on a decisive IFA strike to fend off suitors.

O’neill was back in Switzerland yesterday for the inaugural Nations League draw, where his team will face Austria and Bosnia later this year.

He said: “Patrick Nelson and Gerry Nelson came to me within hours of the game finishing and you’re very flattered by that despite the fact they didn’t have to do it.

“I still had two years on my contract left to run, but they showed great faith in the job I’ve done and it’s nice for me to be able to repay that.”

On top of the four-year contract extension, it is believed O’neill has been offered a financial package in the region of £750,000-per-year to blow the Scots out of the water.

“It’s been difficult since the Swiss game because I’ve had approaches from clubs as well, I’ve had that situation to deal with and the ongoing situation with Scotland,” he said.

“You have to meet people and discuss the job before you know whether it’s

right for you or not.

“But the IFA have been fantastic and they came to me straight after the game in Switzerland and offered me an extension. I weighed it all up.”

But O’neill feels the feedback he got from his senior players was as important as the IFA’S not-hanging-around approach.

“I had a lot of discussions with the senior players,” he continued. “I think it was important they felt it was right.

“After six years maybe they need a new voice and new approach but that wasn’t the case. They’ve all indicated they will play on which is a bonus for us.

“We have to find some new blood. My focus is to continue to develop the national team and improving the game in Northern Ireland as a whole.”

But O’neill admitted he is still haunted by the refereeing error that cost Northern Ireland their spot at the World Cup in Russia.

Romania’s Ovidiu Hategan deemed that Corry Evans handled in the box at Windsor Park, but replays clearly showed it came off his shoulder.

Switzerland scored from the spot and despite a spirited effort in the second-leg, O’neill’s charges crashed out 1-0 on aggregate.

Hategan has admitted his mistake and O’neill said: “It’s disappointing. We knew that on the night.

“That he came out and admitted it is neither here nor there. He knew he made a mistake.

“We’re constantly looking at VAR now and if we could have had it that night, it could hopefully have solved that problem for us.

“But we’ve taken a lot out of the last two campaigns, we’ve won our group and we’ve finished second behind the world champions.

“The progress in the team has been fantastic and we have to continue to

They showed great faith and it’s nice to repay that