When Martin O’Neill returned to Parkhead to take interim charge of Celtic following the sudden departure of Brendan Rodgers back at the end of October, he knew exactly what to expect.
The five years which he spent in the dugout in the East End of Glasgow in the early 2000s – a spell which saw him complete a first treble in 32 years, reach the UEFA Cup final and lift three Scottish titles and seven trophies in total – prepared him for the travails which lay ahead.
But the Northern Irishman, who will step aside and make way for Wilfried Nancy after the William Hill Premiership match against Dundee this evening, admitted that it was a completely different story when he was appointed on a permanent basis 25 years ago.
The 73-year-old, a double European Cup winner and World Cup quarter-finalist as a player, was an experienced coach by the time he took over at his boyhood heroes. He had led Leicester City into the Premier League and to League Cup glory twice during four-and-a-half incredible years at Filbert Street.
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He was, though, still completely taken aback by the size of Celtic and the intense scrutiny that he was immediately under in his new role. “I didn’t realise how big it was and what it meant to so many people,” said O’Neill. “I should have done, but I didn’t do. No, that I definitely would admit to.
“It was a dream for me. But coming to manage Celtic, despite all the background that I had growing up in Ireland as an Irish Catholic and all that type of stuff, I don’t think that I had a real realisation of how big the club was.”
So the debate which has raged about whether Nancy is capable of delivering domestic and European success at Celtic after just a season at Montreal and three years at their rival MLS franchise Columbus Crew since it emerged who is going to take over does not interest O’Neill.
The French manager won the MLS Cup two years ago and landed the Leagues Cup as well as the MLS Coach of the Year award last year. Will that prepare him for the considerable challenges which lie ahead for him on and off the park? Pundits and fans have discussed his suitability for the post at length in recent days.
Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill (Image: Stuart Wallace / Shutterstock)
However, the man he will take over from believes the top job at Parkhead will be a shock to the system for anyone regardless of their background.
“I genuinely don’t know about the man [Nancy],” he said. “Ange [Postecolgou] came in and did wonderfully well, but people might have thought that was a risk. He didn’t get off to the best start, but he came right through that.
“I’m sure the board have obviously seen his character in the interviews they have conducted with him and Alistair Johnston speaks remarkably highly of him. So that’s encouraging as well.
“I think the MLS is improving. You’re getting a good quality of player there. I know [Lionel] Messi is at the end of his career, but he is still out there playing. Each year the league definitely improves, they are getting big crowds at games. I wouldn’t just make the judgment from that.”
O’Neill continued, “If you’ve got an experience of managing players, go with it. I managed Wycombe and then I had six months at Norwich. That was a jump for me. Wycombe were what was called the Vauxhall Conference. Then we got into the league and then we won again. So I was feeling pretty confident about myself at the time.
“Stepping up to Norwich, I never felt that was a problem. Typical, cantankerous me, arguing with the chairman at the time, I only lasted six months. Then I went to Leicester. Again, I couldn’t win early on, the crowd were baying for blood. You have to win football matches. I won the crowd over and had a great time. But not to begin with. So all of those things can happen to a new manager coming into a football club.”
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Nancy faces three challenging opening games as Celtic manager – leaders Hearts at Parkhead in the Premiership on Sunday, Roma at home in the Europa League on Thursday and then St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final at Hampden three days later.
O’Neill, though, feels the new man will receive a rapid introduction to the demands of his high-profile position in those outings and will give supporters an early indication of whether he has the nous needed to succeed in Scotland.
“You’ve got to win football matches,” he said. “You know that’s a prerequisite at the end of it all. The fixtures that I faced, like Midtjylland and Feyenoord away from home, were tough, but I took on the challenge. I’m sure he will do exactly the same thing. They’re great games to be involved in. The bottom line is you’ve got to win and there’s no time.”
O’Neill has improved Celtic’s performances at home and abroad since replacing Rodgers temporarily and he is keen to bow out with a final victory over Dundee this evening. However, he stressed that Nancy will need to bring in new recruits during the January transfer window due to the players who are currently sidelined.
“With the injuries that they’ve sustained, the injuries to big players as well, the guys we’ve not had at our disposal, then I think that obviously recruitment in January to supplement the squad would be pretty important,” he said.
