Martin O’Neill’s cat and mouse game with mainstream media

Q: Martin, you’ve managed in a number of these fixtures now. How exciting is it to be making your return to Ibrox for a Derby?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, gosh, never expected that again. But yeah, it’s, as you mentioned, really great fixtures to be involved in, and I’m naturally looking forward to it.”

Q: Some people are saying ahead of this one that (the)Rangers are favourites. That’s perhaps because the game’s at home, maybe the league position as well. Do you accept that tag? Do you see yourself as underdog?

Martin O’Neill:  “The Old Firm (sic) fixtures still are something special. I think I said to you before that, you know, when they finally allow, and I’m sure it will happen in the not too distant future, the full allocation of away fans at both grounds, it would be terrific. And I think we are for the cup game, which is great. So, but they are definitely special. And having lived down south for quite some time, they’re still talked about, which is great.”

Q: We get the sense that perhaps the narrative has changed after that great result in Europe last night? Do you feel there’s been a shift in confidence?

Martin O’Neill:  “I don’t think we’ve ever lost confidence. I seem to be debating this point, but we got beaten last week, last Thursday in the game here at home. I never thought it was 4-1, although the fourth goal probably, in many aspects, maybe knocked it beyond us. It didn’t seem that after we scored early. And then there’s the last-ditch tackle on Daizen Maeda, just about four or five minutes later. It could have been 2-0 at this stage. But it was a tough ask, it always was. But we played really well in the game. And if you think that we maybe lost a bit of confidence from the Hibs game, which I don’t think we did, then it’s restored after last night’s performance.”

Q: Just on that game last night, we’ve been speaking to (the)Rangers head coach Danny Rohl this morning. He said he was a little bit surprised, in his words, that you didn’t try and win the tie after going 1-0 up so early. Are you surprised by those comments? And do you think he’s maybe trying a bit of mind games ahead of Sunday?

Martin O’Neill:  “Sorry, he said what?

Q: So we spoke to him this morning and he said that when you went 1-0 up, he was surprised that you didn’t go on and try and win the game.

Martin O’Neill:  “We did win the game, but do you mean…”

Q: Sorry, the tie.

Martin O’Neill:  “Oh, the tie. That he thought we didn’t try to win the tie? He wants to be involved in some of these games! Yeah, I never saw it like that. I mean, if we were driven back, because they are actually a very, very good team. They’re in the top four in the Bundesliga. So, yeah, I’m surprised he made a comment like that.”

Q: He’s also had his say on Luke McCowan’s post-match comments from yesterday, as well as commenting on the goalkeeping situation?

Martin O’Neill:  “Sorry, what? Sorry, you’re in front of me here.”

Q: So, first of all, we’ll take the McCowan one in isolation. Luke said when Celtic put their best on their day, there are no other teams in the country that can get near them. So that’s what he said. First of all, with that, is that something that you would go along with and agree with?

Martin O’Neill:  “Well, Luke’s entitled to his comments, believe it or not. You know, I think the games are hard. I think every game that I’ve been involved in since I’ve come back, I’ve found it difficult. But, you know, what I think he probably meant is that we’re a fine side and we’re playing at our very best.”

Q: So that was put to Danny Rohl this morning. And he pointed out that (the)Rangers are currently ahead of you. He was also unprompted, but brought up the goalkeeping situation as well. So I’m asking you, do you feel like there’s a bit of mind games at play here?

Martin O’Neill:  “He’s picking our team? Well done, old Danny. Well done. He’s only in less than a year himself. He’ll soon know all about it in the next four or five years. Yeah. OK. There’s very little to comment upon, really. I think that I must sit down here and see if I can find out. Maybe he might have a choice of some players and maybe I could put my oar in there, you know, and find out what he’s doing. Sorry, I have to laugh. He’s had a comment about our team? As in the picking of the team? Extraordinary. Absolutely extraordinary. Yeah, he hasn’t been in Glasgow long.”

Q: Is that the sort of comments that, in your time here, comments like that, can they come back and bite you?

Martin O’Neill:  “In my time, absolutely right. They definitely can. There’s no need for him to be commenting on my team or our side. I think he possesses a very, very decent team over there, and it’s going to be tough for us to try and get a result. But regardless, we’re still fighting.”

Q: Can those comments, words, whatever you want to call them, be used to your advantage?

Martin O’Neill:  “I don’t know.

Q: Do you need any more fuel for the fire?

Martin O’Neill:  “No, definitely not.”

Q: I just wonder, on the game itself, we saw what happened here with Wilfried Nancy, who was in charge of the last game. You don’t need to get up for a derby game, but can that still hurt?

Martin O’Neill:  “You know, I mean, the two sides play each other reasonably often during the course of the season. So I think the next fixture, one of the teams is usually trying to rectify something that’s happened before. So now it’s our turn, if that’s the case. This will be a difficult game for us. Absolutely no question about that. But are we capable of winning? Yes, we are.”

Q: Just in terms of the title race, whenever two of the three play against each other, it’s always bandied about that it’s a must-win or a must-not-lose. What’s your assessment of this one?

Martin O’Neill:  “Yeah, it’s a good question. I really don’t know. We’re running out of games. We’ve been trying to catch up for quite some considerable time, and we’re still trying to do that at the moment. So, yeah, losing to Hibs was a setback, but it wasn’t mortal, and we’re still there.”

Q: Just when we were hearing your interviews last night, when we were talking about the real Celtic that you take umbrage of, is it just a case of…

Martin O’Neill:  “I didn’t know I was Celtic, sorry. I wasn’t sure what you were saying. I was talking about consistency, you know. I think we’d taken 31 from 36 points, I think.”

Q: That’s what I was about to ask. So I think, is it just the microclimate of Celtic that when you get beat one game, it’s as if, you know, the roof’s caving in around you and really that’s not the case?

Martin O’Neill:  “Yeah, I think that’s been the case. It’s been the case since I managed here way back 20, 25 years ago. So it’s always been the same. Always seems to be Celtic, never seems to be anybody else’s football club. Yeah, of course. I remember once that we had won the league and the cup.  We lost two pre-season games, and the headlines were Celtic in crisis. It was brilliant. So nothing has changed. And do you know what? In many aspects, delightfully so. Yeah, I think there’s something. There’s something really nice about that!”

Q: Well, you talk about the away allocation. Does it change your preparation? Do you have to steel your players a wee bit more?

Martin O’Neill:  “No, I don’t think so. No, they’re ready for the games. You know, we’ve got a lot of players here who have played in these fixtures and have gone to Ibrox and won. You know, so they’ve done that now. In the recent past, it’s up to us to try and emulate that.”

Q: Did you always enjoy going into that arena, that atmosphere, the fans behind you?

Martin O’Neill:  “Yeah, in a perverse sort of way, I did, really. Yeah, honestly, they are great games still. They’re still great games and things to look forward to. But as the great Walter Smith once said, games to have relief at once they’re over, particularly if you’ve a result. Of course, you can be a bit euphoric, but I think relief might be the biggest way to describe it.”

Q: Is that how you felt after the semi-final? Was it just the same feeling afterwards?

Martin O’Neill:  “Yeah, exactly the same. Yeah, it was no different at all to what I felt 20-odd years before that.”

Q: Obviously, you’ll have a decision to make in central defence with…?

Martin O’Neill:  “Loads of decisions, I’ve just climbed off the plane, believe it or not. Loads of things to think about.”

Q: Do you feel you have good options there for whatever you choose?

Martin O’Neill:  “Yeah, Trusty is obviously a blow. He’s been playing very, very well for us. But we’ll have to try and cope.”

Q: Does experience matter when you’re picking a team for this game?

Martin O’Neill:  “I think experience does matter. I think it’s important. You wouldn’t want to be going with a lot of novices in the side. But if that’s the case, then that’s what happens and go with it. But it would be better if you had some experience.”

Q: Do you still get the same nerves and excitement?

Martin O’Neill:  “Me? Absolutely, yeah.

Q: What’s it like in the morning waking up as a Celtic manager and getting to know you’re heading to Ibrox?

Martin O’Neill:  “Right, that’s a good point. Well, it’s quite some considerable time since I’ve done it. So I’ll let you know afterwards. All right. Thank you.”

Q: Was there any other sort of knocks or niggles?

Martin O’Neill:  “No, I think we’ve come out of it OK. I think so. You know, as I said, we just arrived back. We stayed over overnight in the… and just try and get ready for it.

Q: I wonder, do you take the idea, the sort of two ideas, that (the)Rangers have had all week to prepare? You’ve went over to Germany and had quite an arduous game. Is that an advantage to (the)Rangers, some may say?

Martin O’Neill:  “No, I think that… I think in normal circumstances, you’d like a free week to prepare. But we’ve gone to Ibrox before in my time where we’ve played mid-week games and we’re ready for the matches. You know, so it is what it is.

Q: It’s your birthday at the weekend, Martin. You’re going to be 74 on Sunday. Do you have any plans for after the game, before the game? Have the players got a cake for you in the dressing room, anything like that?

Martin O’Neill:  “I hope not, for a start. I hope not. And secondly, I haven’t… I wouldn’t have celebrated a birthday since I was 49, you know? So, you know, it’s made no difference to me, believe it or not. Honestly, none at all.”

Watch Martin O’Neill’s media conference ahead of Sunday’s Glasgow Derby at Ibrox below…