Stiliyan Petrov has admitted his surprise at Celtic giving Martin O’Neill the managers job full-time…
The Irishman was given the gig after two interim spells this season, which resulted in a Scottish Premiership crown and Scottish Cup to accompany it this May.
O’Neill’s gravitas and know-how managed to save the club from a guaranteed empty trophy room at one point, after the dismissal of Brendan Rodgers and then the Wilfred Nancy interregnum either side of the Kilrea man’s spells in the Parkhead dugout.
The French coach who arrived from the MLS nearly caused an extinction-level event at Paradise, after O’Neill had did so well to maintain levels after the Rodgers departure. Had it not been for the Board appointing Nancy before the League Cup Final defeat to St Mirren, the Irishman could have unbelievably walked away with a Treble this year.
Petrov, a Celtic mainstay under O’Neill during his initial tenure as Hoops boss way back in the early noughties, revealed his admitted shock when the club’s principal shareholder, Dermot Desmond, decided to hand over the reins to the veteran boss. Speaking to Sky Sports News on his former manager’s appointment at the Scottish Champions, he said: “I’m actually surprised – I thought they would offer Martin O’Neill a different role, a more relaxed one.
“But with his management skills and record for major honours, he has justified his appointment. I hope and wish him all the best for the next season. Martin O’Neill is Martin O’Neill. He’ll feel about 102 by the time that year flies past! But with a one-year deal, they just want to stabilise the club. The last couple of months, he has shown why he’s been such a great character. But here’s a question: if they win again next year, what’s going to happen?
“I’ve followed Robbie Keane’s managerial career and he’s done really well,” the Bulgarian continued. “But when you compare him with O’Neill, you have that maturity with O’Neill, who agreed to continue with this team. There was no doubt about it: he was always going to be the first choice if he agreed to it and showed the same energy and determination to work for this great club,” Petrov claimed.
The man who O’Neill took to Aston Villa from Celtic, added: “Complicity, motivation, man management, this is everything that he’s done in his career. He’s a great motivator, he demands very high performances from every single player. He keeps everything simple. He trusts his staff. When you have that, you have a manager with a pedigree where only one thing can be achieved: the best.
“If O’Neill has agreed to become Celtic manager, he knows the challenges. He knows he needs to add quality, strong characters and big players who can win games. I hope Celtic have learned their lessons, because Rangers will be stronger next season, Hearts will try to push again. Celtic need to have a strong team in Europe and domestically. Last season, they got away with it. Next season will be a big challenge.”
Paul Gillespie
HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…
Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!
3 Comments
More surprised that MoN actually was prepared to take on the managerial role, for ourselves for another season imo?
With the amount of managerial decisions he now faces, with the amount of transformation expected, within our squad building process? Still surprised MoN wanted to place himself into such a situation myself?
Only time will tell, if such a footballing decision taken, will be a successful one taken by ourselves?
Would be lying, if i didn’t have concerns about this footballing decision taken, but at least better unity should hopefully remain in place within our club all the same?
Biggest concern for myself, is whether we can attract the quality of player, we require, with a manager in place for potentially next season alone?
The SPFL isn’t an attractive league any longer, for the quality of player we are looking for imo?
So with the quality we are expecting to lose, over this window, then massive decisions awaits upon the potential replacements, within our squad building process?
Not an easy mix, to find solutions to whatsoever for ourselves.
The quality of football we were producing for large chunks of last season, was well short of CL levels?
Yet we are hoping, to improve upon that, despite the effects of a world cup, is going to complicate pre season hugely?
Could be looking at a number of players, only returning to our club, just before the SPFL season actually starting?
So we hardly have a favourable time line, in operation already, for the starting of next season. At least, MoN already knows what the intentions of many of our current players, are for next season? Even at that, we can never totally rule out huge offers upon player’s, who we are hoping to depend upon next season either?
Haven’t a clue, how everything will unfold, before the window shuts?
But still expecting some amount of transformation within our squad, all the same.
Somehow, still think our squad will be built yet again, on a 433 basis? Could well mean that our team formation, could remain as a 4231, so it might be easier to see, where potential incoming players are going to fit into our team set up?
Going on last January alone, MoN didn’t find that an easy task whatsoever, especially within the notorious harder January window?
Hopefully this summer window, will find better solutions for ourselves imo?
Simplifying some of the above, for me I agree with Petrov, give Martin a powerful overseeing job and let some young manager take the onus. If Celtic have a bad 2026/27 and Martin gets sacked he goes out with his tail between his legs and loses a lot of the impact of what hes done.
On the other hand I dont like the less than gentle persuasion those who opposed Robbie Kean To me the Celtic owner made that decision in the process of the selection of the manager. Im not in to politics but I dont think Kean was in the front line of the Israeli army with a rifle in his hand!!
Regards always Celtic Ziggy
I agree Celtic Ziggy.
The one’s that throw disgusting abuse at Keane are surprisingly the same group who are having a go at the board saying they have no ambition and things need to change and then force the board to not stick but go backwards to O’Neill, which I find funny.
This will be a big rebuild over the summer but we do have a few irons in the fire with players we are tracking so fingers crossed.