Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
O’NEILL ON THE OLD FIRM
Ex-Ireland and Celtic boss O’Neill wants to see Gerrard given time at Ibrox to push Bhoys towards perfect 10
MARTIN O’NEILL is adamant Celtic do better with a strong Rangers breathing down their necks – and believes Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard deserves time to get it right.
Few Old Firm boss survive back-to-back trophyless seasons but former Celtic and Republic of Ireland manager O’Neill insists Gerrard must be cut some slack given Rangers’ recent history.
The former Liverpool captain oversaw a competitive opening half of the season and ended 2019 with Rangers’ first win at Celtic Park since 2010.
A catastrophic collapse after the break meant Neil Lennon’s side were 13 points clear when the league was called to a halt following the Covid-19 outbreak.
O’Neill said: “Steven Gerrard was in a difficult position when he took over.
“He had a pretty big task on his hands given what the gap was between the teams.
“He is an up-and-coming manager and I think he deserves a wee bit of time yet.
“This season coming up will be huge for him but he will be totally aware of that and totally aware of the 10 and what it means.”
While O’Neill (below) believes Gerrard is entitled to be given a chance to get it right at Ibrox, he believes there is a real need for an injection of quality in the ranks at Rangers. Gerrard has signed 21-year-old Romanian Ianis Hagi on a permanent deal after he impressed last season during a loan spell. O’Neill believes, though, that in order to catch Celtic there needs to be further investment.
He said: “Rangers need to get stronger as a team and Steven needs better players to come in.
“I don’t know him as a young manager. As a player he was extraordinary, a really great player. But he will know what test is coming up.
“There isn’t a Rangers fan who won’t be reminding him every five minutes about Celtic winning a tenth title.
“And I do think Celtic are at their best with a strong Rangers. I think that goes without saying.
“You are never genuinely going to have Aberdeen or Hearts or
Motherwell vying for the title over the course of a full season.
“I honestly believe Celtic need competition to be at their very best.
“If you want to get those big performances in Europe it helps when you are being domestically challenged to be at the peak of your game when you are going into games in the Champions League or the Europa League.”
Gerrard’s celebrations following the win at Celtic Park in December may well have been the result of some of the frustration weeks earlier from the League Cup Final defeat at Hampden.
O’Neill said: “There was maybe
a bit of over-exuberance there. It is three points and an important three points.
“But it was the turn of the season when Celtic became stronger, mentally as much as anything.”
O’Neill also believes the League Cup win in December was vital for Lennon. He lifted the first trophy of the season by seeing off a Rangers side who dominated much of the game.
“They were second best for long periods of that game but it shows something about you as a team and the character within your team that you go on and win it anyway,” said O’Neill.