‘I would not change my time at Celtic for anything... I don’t think Postecoglou would either’
O’Neill hopes Ange won’t quit Bhoys anytime soon
WHEN Martin O’Neill left Celtic Park in 2005, the reason was personal rather than professional. Determined to do all in his power to support his wife Geraldine after she was diagnosed with lymphoma, the Irishman felt unable to continue to give the club his full and undivided attention.
While the decision was met with respect and a natural sense of disappointment by the fanbase, the consensus was that O’Neill was approaching the end of his shelf life at the club in any event.
The theory went that, sooner or later, the lure of a return to the English Premier League would have been too great. Almost 18 years on, it’s a myth the 71-year-old is only too keen to debunk.
‘I didn’t jump,’ he insisted. ‘I went because of personal reasons. I would’ve stayed here until they bombed me. Sooner or later, you get bombed.
‘If my wife hadn’t taken ill, I would’ve stayed here.’
Drawing comparisons between managers from various eras at different stages in their careers is always an exercise fraught with danger.
Scottish football evidently still held an appeal for O’Neill after five years that Brendan Rodgers no longer enjoyed after two.
Ange Postecoglou is only just approaching the end of his second term in Glasgow but, at 57, he has a few more miles on the clock than his predecessors and is perhaps running out of time if England is where he finally sees himself.
Yet O’Neill sees nothing in the Australian’s demeanour to suggest that he would like to explore that avenue any time soon.
‘He looks to me, from a distance, really happy here,’ he added. ‘I think that genuinely means a lot.
‘I came up here in 2000 having left Leicester. I wouldn’t have left Leicester for too many teams even in the Premier League. I came up here and of course you have to win. If you are winning, then your life is going to be a lot better.
‘I wouldn’t have changed this for anything. And his (Postecoglou’s) experiences here, I don’t think he’d change.
‘He’s on such a run at the moment, regardless of what happens at the weekend, that I think he’d want to continue.
‘Of course there’s a shelf life like anything else but I think Postecoglou has far from reached it. He’s done superbly. Hopefully that continues.’
Twenty-one years ago, O’Neill was the man who was closing in on a second successive title at Parkhead, with the margin of victory also set to be wider than the previous season.
An inaugural Champions League campaign had shown his side to be capable of competing at that level without making it through to the last 16.
Recalling his outlook as he embarked upon a third season in Glasgow that would ultimately lead all the way to Seville, he feels the current incumbent will also be motivated by the prospect of another shot at continental competition.
‘I’m not speaking for him but I would be surprised if he did not want to have a real crack at the Champions League next season, to pull Celtic into that sphere,’ offered O’Neill. ‘I think Europe (last year) would have been a really good learning curve for them. I thought they were always in the matches they played even if the results didn’t show that at the end. ‘I think there can be a couple of adjustments, which I think you have to make in European football. Not everything has to be a beautiful moment. Teams in European football are capable of taking you on and scoring at the other end. ‘I would be looking forward to Celtic’s run in Europe next season to see how they get on. I’m sure those experiences will stand them in really good stead.’ Does Postecoglou (right) need to turn those promising European displays into points in order for the endless links with EPL clubs to crystallise into a concrete offer? Time will tell. Even without them, though, O’Neill is aware that his work in Glasgow is being viewed favourably. ‘Absolutely, he’s getting a good reputation for himself now. Celtic and Rangers, regardless, are still talked about in England,’ he said.
‘Lots of people, who over the course of the season wouldn’t be too bothered, would definitely tune in to those matches.
‘Postecoglou is really highly thought of and not just at Celtic, hence his name being mentioned all over the place as a consequence of how well he’s doing. His whole demeanour is really good.’
Anyone with ambitions of trying their luck in the EPL these days is advised to proceed with caution. No fewer than 12 permanent managers have been sacked this season alone. But O’Neill doesn’t envisage the most brutal cull in history putting anyone off — if that’s their destination of choice.
‘Managers are getting fired all the time now,’ he said. ‘Sometimes, from the outside, for little or no reason. You’re not getting any time. The minute you set foot in the job, you are judged, even though you might not know the strength of the reserve side or where the training ground is.
‘You are judged from the minute you step in. But a manager knows that before he steps into the job.
‘I don’t think those things put them off. Like anything else, when you go into a job, you feel you can win and winning staves off (pressure) — for a while at least.’
The very fact that Postecoglou is even part of that conversation underscores how successfully he’s transformed Celtic over two years. Beat Rangers on Sunday and the Treble will be within sight — 12 months after the Australian won two of the three domestic honours.
Such landmark achievements are inevitably the source of many a pub debate. Asked this week if the current side were superior to the one O’Neill fashioned, Neil Lennon hit the theory for six. His old boss is not minded to disagree.
‘There are comparisons at this minute with Kyogo (Furuhashi). He’s an excellent footballer who scores goals,’ insisted O’Neill. ‘But (Henrik) Larsson was a proven winner and won the Champions League with Barcelona. Obviously I am biased because I thought we had a really, really good team. ‘Sometimes it is difficult to assess. But like everything else, if you are talking about my old favourite word, the benchmark, then the best side Celtic have ever had was the European Cup team of ’67, obviously. Until any Celtic side wins the European Cup again, those comparisons or contrasts are going to be a bit far-reaching, aren’t they? ‘But I thought we had a terrific team, a really good side, very strong. And we had to be strong because I thought Rangers were really good. The Rangers side of the time when I was there (at Celtic), you could not only have respect for them, you could fear them.’ Martin O’Neill was promoting Viaplay’s live and exclusive coverage of Rangers v Celtic on Sunday. Viaplay is offering a special limitedtime offer for Scottish football fans available until Sunday only. Visit viaplay.com for more information.