Martin O’Neill believes Celtic’s dramatic title turnaround has been pushed into the background amid the controversy surrounding the pitch invasion after the final whistle.
The Celtic boss hit out at criticism of the celebrations, after hundreds of supporters spilled onto the pitch, dismissing the reaction as “nonsense” during a live radio interview with talkSPORT during the week.
O’Neill insists the focus has unfairly shifted away from Celtic’s march to five consecutive league titles, claiming the response has exaggerated events and painted the champions as villains who denied Hearts a fairytale triumph.
Speaking to Celtic TV, he said: “There’s no question it’s been lost. Outside our supporters, outside us, outside the diaspora, everybody wanted Hearts to win. So there was just this… what shall I say… just an incredible anti-feeling about us winning it, and so that didn’t become the story.
“The story became the fans coming onto the pitch to celebrate as if it’s never happened before, and yeah, and just downright skullduggery on our part to actually take the win away from Hearts.
“So Hearts have been brilliant all season, and let’s remind ourselves about that there, but we won it, and sometimes I have to remind myself that we did do it.”
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1 Comment
MoN is correct of course.
Only confirms the hatred and bigotry that we still have to endure, within Scottish football. Hence why we celebrate every trophy victory in the manner that we do?
I don’t agree with pitch invasions, but can understand them, especially with the emotions involved, but it is becoming to regular of an occurrence, where I believe consequences will be bought in going forward imo?
But that’s not for now either.
Hun bitterness remains the topic still.
All the minis were denied, was standing in the corner of Celtic park and crying together with there supporters?
The lies of assaults upon there players, when nothing can be produced to say any such things even happened?
Yet evidence of how the minis players reacted to the losing of the title are on show?
We accepted long ago, that we haven’t been anywhere near our best this season.
Yet our hun rivals, weren’t able to take advantage of it.
There problem, that they are trying to deflect upon ourselves?
We won the league fair and square, yet the lame excuses are trying to be promoted still. We won a league in a manner that isn’t usually associated with ourselves, but there isn’t a manner cast in stone, upon how you win football matches either.
No matter what, nothing is going to change, that we still remain CHAMPIONS