Martin O’Neill outlined his thoughts on today’s 1-0 defeat at Celtic Park at the hands of the Rangers and after three straight defeats in eight days, discussed his future at the club, with the Irishman promising to come to a decision in the international break after speaking to the Celtic Board…

Here’s everything that Martin O’Neill had to say in response to the mainstream media questions this afternoon…

Q: Martin, what was your assessment of that game?

Martin O’Neill: “I thought obviously a tough game. I thought it was tough for both sides. There wasn’t much in it between the two teams but from our own point of view I don’t think we created enough during the course of the 90 odd minutes of the game. I think Kieran Tierney hits the bar and then within 90 seconds or two minutes later they score. Maybe we could have got a goal just after half-time but in essence at home, regardless of who you’re playing, you should try and create a bit more.”

Q: Is that quite disappointing when you are chasing the game against your rivals that those chances didn’t come?

Martin O’Neill:  “Absolutely. I cannot honestly question the effort of the side, not at all. I said that in the dressing room. What we did do, sometimes we get into really good positions and either the final ball or the lead-up to it was just misplaced. I think that’s something that we can definitely improve on.”

Q: How damaging does this week feel with the defeats against Rangers and the European result?

Martin O’Neill:  “Right, okay. I’m glad you said how does it feel. It doesn’t feel great. But how will it in the context of the whole season, that remains to be seen. We’re two points clear, players are away now in international duty. The non-internationals will get most of this week off. Then it’s a matter of coming back, regrouping really. But by the time we get the international lads back, I think it will probably be Thursday before the weekend game.

“I think we’ll all just do a bit of, as I mentioned in our previous interview here, just a bit of self-reflection as much as anything else. Asking what I myself, that’s the main thing, asking what I can do to help the team. That would be the most important thing for me to see.

“We had the break last time in March and we came back. I’m not saying the same thing will immediately apply, but we’ve got to just look back to creating more, two, taking some chances when they are there, and three, winning a football game.”

Q: You’ve made alterations and switches throughout the week. Does it just feel at the moment like one of those periods where nothing you try is working?

Martin O’Neill:  “Right, well, naturally if you lose the game, you think that everything you’ve tried doesn’t work. That would be right. Eventually, as I’ve always said here, the most important thing is the result. When you lose the game, you have to take your thoughts into consideration or your team selections and things like that.

“You’re playing midweek, the midweek game, and while you want to play European football, that’s the whole idea. There’s no point in me going back and saying, no. It’s the ultimate that we play. Champions League first, Europa League second. But it does, actually, in terms of Thursday night, late Thursday night game and early Sunday. Please don’t think there’s an excuse. It seems really more strange than playing on a Wednesday and a Saturday.

“But anyway, it’s always been the case. So you do make changes, you make adjustments, because the European games do take a lot out of you. So we try to make some adjustments today, bearing in mind that all the games are big.”

Q: From the support, Martin, it seems as if there’s a growing lack of faith in yourself and in the management team to turn this round. How do you feel about that, first and foremost, when you constantly hear that sort of negativity from the stands?

Martin O’Neill:  “Well, I think they’re absolutely entitled, I mentioned this to you on Friday, absolutely entitled to, of course. And I’m not immune from criticism. Far from it. Absolutely and utterly far from it.

“I think there’s every reason to ask, you know, can you turn this round? Can you change the whole thing? We are, as I said, two points clear, so I have to kind of look at the bigger picture at this minute. But I knew that we were in a big, big fight anyway, with both ourselves, Rangers, and Hearts again, who are far from out of anything. It’s a long season ahead. It’s not the first time I’ve been questioned about my managerial time. So, yeah, I’ll have a look at it. I will reflect and see.”

Q: Martin, when you talk about self-reflection, does a period like this make you more determined to come back and show that you’re still who you believe you are?

Martin O’Neill:  “I will, I genuinely will reflect and see. It’s a matter of whether I can help the team, if that’s the case. That’s the manager who’s supposed to be able to do that. And, yeah, I will have a look at that this week. I think that every single time that something crops up, things don’t go so well, age plays a part. And you know what? They may well be right, you know? I’m 110 in two years’ time, so, yeah, it might be time to wrap it up!

Q: You do have the confidence within yourself to turn this around? There is that belief from yourself and the coaching staff?

Martin O’Neill:  “We’ve lost some big games, there’s no question about it. I personally think every game here is big. I’ve never treated, in all my time here, never treated any other club, any other team lightly. Travelling away from home, even at home, matches like this here are tough. So I think that all games are big games for me. Always have been. Maybe that’s why we had a bit of success, because you don’t treat anybody lightly. But I know what you’re talking about. We lost a European game. We lost the big match out in LASK. And here, two defeats. Of course you have to question it.”

Q: Can I just clarify as well? Seeing you talk about self-reflection, is this you self-reflecting on whether you will continue?

Martin O’Neill:  “Self-reflection is on looking at the games.”

Q: Not your own personal position?

Martin O’Neill:  “I will reflect on the games. I’ll obviously speak to the board. And you never know, they may want to speak to me. But, yeah, I’ll see. I’ve got some time to do that there. I’ve got a short break in the summer time. So I will have a look, try and get a couple of days away and see how it goes.

Q: What happens if you reflect at the end of the week and you’ve decided you can’t improve the team?

Martin O’Neill:  “By that time, I will promise you, I’ll let you know. I don’t know. I’ll have a look.”

Q: You just said there about wrapping it up. Have you thought about that?

Martin O’Neill:  “Me? Well, first of all, let me put it, let me generalise a little bit. First of all, I got an opportunity to come back here last October, which I never thought would ever happen in my life. So I’m really grateful for that.

“And then I get the chance again in January to do it again, second time around. And as it turns out, us winning the league was like, I don’t know, I can’t remember how we won the treble way back in 2001. I can’t remember how I felt. I must have felt really pretty good about it. But I think the game against Hearts was probably one of the great moments of my managerial time. I’ve had some really, really good moments and I’ve had some pretty poor moments.

“So, yeah, when that was good, I’m thankful for that. I was delighted to get that opportunity. But all the time I was still even thinking about, you know, whether you can still have the energy, desire, the things that I say to the boys here every Friday that we talk about. So I’ll have a look at that and see.”

Q: Right now, do you feel that you still do have that energy and desire to keep going?

Martin O’Neill:  “I’ll have a look, yeah. I wish I was your age. I do, genuinely. You look up at me and, how old are you again?

Answer: 24.

Martin O’Neill:  “Oh, you’re a child. I honestly wish I was 24 again. There’s nothing great about getting old. I promise you that. Mick Jagger told me that. He didn’t tell me directly. I didn’t speak to Mick Jagger. I’ve never spoken to Mick Jagger in my life. He wouldn’t have a clue who I am. But at the end of the day, there isn’t anything good about getting old.”

Watch below Martin O’Neill’s mainstream media conference from earlier today after Celtic 1-0 defeat at Celtic Park to the Rangers…

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