He’s an incredible boss, still full of energy, he deserves to win another trophy for Celts
Parkhead hero LUBO MORAVCIK says that Martin O’neill, who brought Celtic great success before, can do it again
Lubo Moravcik reckons Celtic will beat Rangers this afternoon to reach the League Cup final.
And he thinks it would only be fair for Martin O’neill to be allowed to stay in charge to try to win the silverware on December 14.
O’neill was placed in interim charge at the Hoops last week and nobody is certain if it will be for two weeks, two months or until the end of the season.
Moravcik is delighted for his former boss to be back at the helm even though, like everyone else, he was surprised.
But the Parkhead legend was not taken aback to see O’neill lead the team to a 4-0 win against Falkirk after struggling in several games in this campaign.
Moravcik was at Celtic back in 2000 when the Irishman came in and totally transformed the football club to end Rangers’ dominance. He is sure O’neill can also be successful this time around for as long as he is in charge.
The 60-year-old Slovakian told The Sunday Post: “The past few days have been incredible.
“Martin is 73, still full of energy, and back in football. I am delighted for him. He is an incredible manager and a special man.
“Make no mistake, he will be giving it his all and fully focused on beating Rangers on Sunday.
“The team will be confident of beating Rangers on Sunday and they have every right to be.
“If they win this game – and I believe they will – then Martin should be given the final at Hampden next month.,
“He would deserve the opportunity to win that trophy for the club.
“His last game for Celtic in his first spell was at Hampden in the 2005 Scottish Cup final and the team won. It would be nice to add another to the list.
“But I do not know what the full situation is. Nothing appears to be certain, one way or another.
“Martin could be in charge for one more week or for one more year. If he keeps winning, then he deserves to stay in the job. Why not?
“I hope it all works out well for him. He has helped the club in its hour of need and answered the call from Dermot Desmond
A special man, he will be giving the job his all and fully focused on beating Rangers today
to get everything back on track. The supporters also seem very happy at seeing him back in charge.
“They are smiling again and they are confident again of winning games.
It’s a nice combination.” Moravcik smiled on Thursday morning when photos came through of O’neill jumping for joy as the team scored goals against Falkirk.
It took him back to a 6-2 win against Ranges more than 25 years ago.
He said: “Yes, he still has a great leap on him! Very agile! It made me think of the 6-2 win against Rangers. “Something special happened that day and the club has built success on the back of it since that Sunday afternoon in 2000. “I played in that game and we had to beat a very powerful and talented Rangers team.
“We went on to win the Treble and it was incredible to be part of that kind of story in Celtic’s history.
“Our team was full of brilliant players such as Paul Lambert, Stan Petrov, Chris Sutton, Didier Agathe, Johan Mjallby and Henrik Larsson.
“It took me a while to get going under Martin and I know he has serious reservations about whether I was his type of player. “I think he wanted me to run around a little more than I was doing!
“I took his guidance on board but I also told him I needed to keep my energy for the right moments, to be able to produce in the right areas of the pitch. “Remember, I was maybe 35 and didn’t have the same legs as four or five years earlier. “But it worked out well for all of us and he gave me a new lease of life. He made lots of our players better and gave everyone confidence.
“He loved wingers and getting crosses into the box. He wanted us to put the opposition defence and goalkeeper under pressure. “He would give us simple instructions, He never complicated things.
“He was always clear and effective with his messaging. “I’m sure he will be the same now.
“He will leave a lot of the details to Shaun Maloney and the other coaches. Martin will step in to focus at the important times on matchday.
“He will demand that the defenders are tight to the Rangers strikers and not to give them any room to play. “He will be saying to James Forrest, Seb Tounekti and Michel Balikwisha to be brave on the ball, get at the full-backs and whip in crosses.
“Ben Nygren will be encouraged to time his runs into the box to support the main striker.
“I’m sure Martin would have been delighted to get Daizen Maeda back into the team. Daizen can be the match-winner on Sunday.”
Moravcik will watch the game from his hometown in Slovakia. He is back in Glasgow next month and will try to catch up with O’neill.
He said: “I love coming back to Glasgow. The Celtic supporters always make me feel special and comfortable in their company.
“I’ll contact the gaffer and see if he has time to say ‘hello’.
“My wish is that he is still the manager next month and looking forward to a Cup Final at Hampden Park.
“It will not be easy against Rangers. Remember, Danny Rohl and his players will be very motivated to win this game. “But my heart, and my head, is telling me it’s going to be Celtic.
“The Martin O’neill factor is back. Simple as that.”