Martin O’Neill: Celtic job might only last until Thursday if I lose to Falkirk

O'Neill said he stands by opinion that Hearts winning the Premiership would reinvigorate Scottish football, that Celtic lack physicality, and that Rangers are not title contenders. 

Martin O'Neill was "given only 10 minutes to make my mind up" about becoming interim Celtic manager. Pic: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire.

Martin O’Neill vowed to enjoy his shock return to Celtic Park after agreeing to a comeback following a request by the man who gave him the manager’s job a quarter of a century ago.

But the 73-year-old admitted he might be back out of a job on Thursday if Celtic cannot beat Falkirk in his first game back.

O’Neill and former player Shaun Maloney have taken the reins on an interim basis following the departure of manager Brendan Rodgers and assistant John Kennedy.

The extent of the breakdown in Rodgers’ relationship with Dermot Desmond was revealed in a scathing statement from the principal shareholder but O’Neill clearly felt a sense of duty to the Irish businessman when he answered his call on Monday evening.

“I sometimes wondered throughout my career whether I ever really, really enjoyed it,” the former Leicester and Aston Villa boss said. “And I’m probably too miserable to enjoy it. But now, at this ripe old age, I’m going to try and enjoy it.

“But the only way I will do, the only way I’ve ever lived it, is really by trying to win football matches.

“So from that viewpoint, I had no… well, I say no hesitation. I was given only 10 minutes to make my mind up. And so I had to do it in that time. So I’m fine with it.

“I go back to someone who actually gave me the job in the first place a way back 25 years ago, when in all honesty, at that stage, there were a lot of big, big names, bigger names than myself, in for that job. And it was a real honour to manage the football club. And so from that viewpoint, I’m fine.” 

O’Neill stressed that his involvement with Celtic would purely be temporary.

“They could have a new manager in two weeks’ time,” he said. “If we don’t win on Wednesday evening, we might have a new manager on Thursday.

“So I don’t know, and that’s not great news for Shaun to hear, because he was hoping I’d be around for a month.

“Celtic will be looking for a young manager to come in with a very, very decent CV.” 

O’Neill described his feelings as “nervous excitement” ahead of his dugout return.

“If there is some sort of clapping for me, I’m well aware in this game that lasts about 15 minutes,” he said. “At the end of the day, you have to win.” 

Hours before getting the call from Desmond, O’Neill was on TalkSPORT talking up Hearts’ title chances, stating that their success would reinvigorate Scottish football, decrying a lack of physicality in the Celtic team, and writing off Rangers as “no threat” in the title race.

“First of all, I stand by everything I said,” O’Neill said. “Although if I’d known I was going to get the job here, I wouldn’t have said anything. But that’s the nature of the game.

“Hearts are very strong. They’re going brilliantly at this minute. They’ve opened up an eight-point gap.

“And Celtic, it’s something that I’ve thought about for quite some considerable time. Now, there’s different ways of playing the game. I inherited, about 25 years ago, some really great players, and in terms of adding to that, I think I did.

“And eventually over a relatively short period of time, the team gelled and got together. And we were very strong and had lots of good players. And other than a couple of very young lads in the side, proper men in the team.

“And Celtic, I’ve noticed here in the last couple of years, have not got that, but they’ve still been able to win.

“That was my viewpoint. I may end up after two or three weeks changing my mind completely about it.”