Martin O’Neill insists he would “have happily stayed on” as Celtic’s interim supervisor for his or her League Cup last, which resulted in defeat beneath new boss Wilfried Nancy.
The 73-year-old returned to Celtic Park following Brendan Rodgers’ resignation and gained seven of his eight matches in cost.
That run included a League Cup semi-final win over Rangers, a 3-1 victory away to Feyenoord within the Europa League and 5 wins from 5 within the Scottish Premiership, which noticed Celtic draw degree with leaders Hearts, with a recreation in hand.
Nevertheless, since taking on on a two-and-a-half-year deal, former Columbus Crew boss Nancy has misplaced in all three of these competitions – together with a League Cup last defeat to St Mirren and a loss at residence to top-of-the-table Hearts.
O’Neill additionally revealed he had a “10 or 15 minute conversation” with the “very affable, very nice” Nancy after handing over the reins.
When requested if he wished to take Celtic into Sunday’s League Cup last at Hampden Park, O’Neill “that wasn’t a driving force” for him.
“If they’d had asked me to stay, I would have done so,” he instructed TalkSport. “However the minute that they mentioned no, ‘pay attention, that is your time’, that’s fantastic by me.
“I stepped into the job, Dermot (Desmond) has said to me ‘you could be in it for two weeks or two months – we’re looking for someone’ – which is absolutely right. And that they’d be looking for somebody younger.
“My job was like holding the fort for some time, however if you get into it, you actually get pleasure from it. You get pleasure from profitable the video games.”
Wednesday seventeenth December 7:00pm
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He continued: “Beating Rangers in the semi-final gave us a chance going into the final. Finals are still difficult, but at the end of it all, if the board had said ‘we still have problems with visas and things like this’, I’d have happily stayed on, whatever that game may be, my last game. But that wasn’t a driving force from my viewpoint.”
Nancy’s begin of three successive defeats, forward of visiting Dundee United on Wednesday, dwell on Sky Sports activities, is the worst begin to any Celtic supervisor’s period.
Nevertheless, O’Neill believes the Frenchman needs to be given time to get issues proper in Glasgow and opened up on his conversations with Nancy.
“The board asked me if I would stay on and speak to the incoming manager. My last game was on Wednesday night vs Dundee. I would have been flying back to London on Thursday anyway, but I stayed until later on, and I met the incoming manager.
“Very affable, very good. It is solely a ten or 15-minute dialog.
“He’s got his own philosophy and his own viewpoint in the game, and that’s absolutely fine, but I was not going to be coming in and giving him advice.
“I’d have handed on something the incoming supervisor would have wished to have heard from me. It is so simple as that.”
Nancy asks Celtic followers to ‘belief’ him
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Nancy displays on Celtic’s League Cup last loss to St Mirren and what it means for his facet’s season
Celtic’s defeat to St Mirren has some followers already questioning his appointment as Rodgers’ everlasting successor. Nevertheless, the 48-year-old is adamant he’ll get it proper.
“I tell them that I want to do better for sure. But I am asking them, not to be patient but to trust what I am going to say regarding I can see what we are trying to do,” he mentioned after the Hampden defeat.
“My point is, I can see something good but this is not enough. We are not able to be consistent.
“I can perceive the followers. It’s completely regular. I can ask the followers to consider in me and to belief I can do issues, however that’s not my job. I’ve to behave as a substitute of speaking.”
Sutton: Nancy does not have squad capable of making changes
Wilfried Nancy has misplaced his first three video games as Celtic supervisor
Nancy instantly modified Celtic’s formation, opting to make use of his favoured again three since he took cost.
Nevertheless, Sky Sports activities’ Chris Sutton says the squad at his former membership aren’t ok to adapt to what he needs.
He mentioned: “I feel for Wilfried Nancy. He is trying to implement a style, but his problem is that he has overestimated the level of player at the club right now.
“To play the best way he needs takes tactical intelligence and suppleness and good resolution making, one thing this group of gamers lack.”
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Highlights as Nancy misplaced his first recreation as Celtic supervisor at residence to Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts
Nancy was requested if his gamers had been struggling to deal with the swap, however doesn’t really feel that’s the case.
“No, not at all. To be honest with you, we had a really good performance in the first half vs Hearts, second half vs Roma and first half today,” the previous Columbus Crew and CF Montreal boss added.
“I am questioning everything. That is my job. Here, in the past and so on, this is our job to try and find solutions.
“I did not see it like that. The construction we had was actually fascinating. We had been in a position to go vast, undergo the center and we had been in a position to assault the field.
“To me this is taking care of the ball and this is the only way to maximise our chance to do better.”
Celtic’s upcoming fixtures
- Dundee Utd (A) – Scottish Premiership – Wednesday – dwell on Sky Sports activities
- Aberdeen (H) – Scottish Premiership – December 21
- Livingston (A) – Scottish Premiership – December 27 – dwell on Sky Sports activities
- Motherwell (A) – Scottish Premiership – December 30
- Rangers (H) – Scottish Premiership – January 3 – dwell on Sky Sports activities
