Celtic manager Martin O’Neill made a strong statement about his future amid the club’s crisis.
Celtic have recently suffered some negative results, including two defeats against Rangers in the latest editions of the Old Firm derby: on September 13, when they lost 0-3 and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup, and on September 20, when they lost 0-1 at Parkhead on Matchday 7 of the Scottish Premiership.
They also lost 1-3 to Ferencvaros on September 17 in the UEFA Europa League, and they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the playoffs after a heavy 1-5 defeat to LASK, after winning the first leg 3-0.
O’Neill confirmed he considered resigning as head coach of the Hoops but ultimately said he wanted to continue, explaining his decision-making process in comments reported by the Daily Record.
Celtic Boss Martin O’Neill Reveals Why He Almost Walked Away: ‘Moment of Weakness’
O’Neill said, “I think you take a moment. I genuinely think this, not completely convinced, but had there been no break then I probably wouldn’t even have given it a thought.
“But you know, time to reflect, having a wee bit of time, but it wasn’t even that, it was almost within 24 hours. It’s almost, you felt as if you’re walking away from something here, well that doesn’t look great, you know, it feels as if you’ve kind of given up.”
“It was probably a moment of weakness, which I’ve got plenty of. But the overall thing was, I wanted to continue. I didn’t consult too many people, family obviously, they did want me to continue anyway, regardless, they just wanted to see me working I think. But yeah, it wasn’t that long.”
On Celtic’s stance, O’Neill said the directors backed him and wanted him to stay. The legendary manager also acknowledged that you are only as good as your last match and that, in football, the past counts for little.
He added, “Regardless of what had happened in the past, I think it doesn’t really matter, you’re only as good as your last game. And that’s something I’ve kept in management all my time. So why should it be different for me? And it’s not.”
“But no, I think the members of the board wanted me to continue and hadn’t thought about it any other way. I think they might even have been a bit surprised at me reflecting in that. I think that was the case.”
“Do I regret saying what I said? It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve regretted saying something, as you can well tell. So, yeah, I probably wouldn’t disagree with you. And I don’t think I would have said it if there had been no international break. And that was just the culmination of the week that we had had.”
Martin O’Neill Breaks Silence on Celtic Future After Resignation Admission