Martin O’Neill’s Media Conference – One Year after returning to Celtic

Martin O’Neill at his mainstream media conference earlier today looked back on his eventful year since returning as manager of Celtic following Brendan’s acrimonious exit a year ago…

The current Celtic manager also spoke about many of his players including the goalkeepers, Alistair Johnston, Colby Donovan and Yang as he looked ahead to tomorrow evening’s Scottish Premiership match at Celtic Park against Dundee United…

Q: Martin, a year to the day since you came back? Can you reflect on that?

Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, I’ve found a lot of satisfaction. Simply put, I’m just delighted I got the call and I’m happy with the results since.”

Q: Does it feel like a long year?

Martin O’Neill: “It’s a really long year, very long.”

Q: Is there anything looking back over that year that has changed in a way you thought wouldn’t or anything that’s surprised you about the way it is now?

Martin O’Neill: “The club? Or do you mean things in general?”

Q: I suppose both?

Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, obviously I see a lot of changes in the game in my time out of it. I see a lot of good things. I see a lot of things that haven’t improved in the game, let me put it this way. But overall I think that’s just the nature of things and progress going forward.”

Q: You said when you got back that you weren’t sure if you expected it to be short or long term?

Martin O’Neill: “I did, yeah. Dermot Desmond said to me that it would be two weeks or two months at the time. I think the biggest thing for me was not knowing the players and having to try and get to know them very, very quickly. And at the same time trying to get a few results together. They’d lost a bit of confidence from matches before. I think just restoration of confidence was the biggest thing as much as anything else. And some players coming through, doing really well.

“Arne Engels, for instance, wasn’t in the side at the time. And Yang, seeing the things that Yang could do, maybe gave us a bit of confidence as well. And seeing players like that there come through, I think that’s really pleasing.”

Q: It’s obvious what you’ve done for the club. What’s it done for you coming back in?

Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, I mean the club has done more for me than I’ve done for the club. Seriously, it’s rejuvenated me in many aspects. I was doing a little bit of punditry work, talking nonsense most of the time, so nothing really changes from that viewpoint.

“But in a serious sense, really rejuvenation, getting into a game that I absolutely love, will love forever. And something that had passed me by for quite some considerable time. Or, not so much passed me by as the fact that I’d never even thought about it coming back in.

“Hence, I really was watching the game from afar. So all of those things I couldn’t appreciate more. And I realise even today, is it a year on today? So a year on of what the club has done for me.”

Q: Can you give us an update on Alistair Johnston’s situation?

Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, he got a scan yesterday evening, got the results this morning. And it’s not too bad, he’s feeling it’s not too bad. It’s not the same injury, it is one of those muscles in that hamstring, it’s one of those. But yeah, it’ll be shorter term for him, what he believes, and so does the medical team.”

Q: Can you give us a guesstimate what that means short term?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, short term would probably mean, I think, I probably can’t see him involved before the international break, but even so, then after that, I think that’s what they’re thinking.”

Q: He’s had no luck?

Martin O’Neill: “He’s really not, even in the spell that he was on, he looked commanding, he looked like a real player. But he’s very philosophical about it all, you know, he’s treating it, keeping it in his stride. And yeah, I think he’s really happy with what the scan has shown.”

Q: A new contract for Colby Donovan yesterday, just now pleased are you to see him come out of his future for the club?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, delighted, delighted for him. I mean, when I arrived here, first of all, he was, you know, sharing that position at the time. Obviously, Alistair was out with the injury and he’s shown a great determination, really great determination. Yeah, he’s done super, really, really super.”

Q: What are the biggest things you’ve seen in his development over the year?

Martin O’Neill: “I think that, for instance, he played in that game against Hearts, which was just about this time last year. The Hearts players, I think they were taking him on and Colby just kept getting beaten, retreating very, very quickly and not making any challenges before they entered the penalty box. Now he’s coming out, he’s really determined, he’s closing players down more quickly. I thought he dealt with a very, very good Hearts player last Sunday. Josh McPake is flying at this minute, so Colby has gone and done that.

“And he’s done well enough to get himself in the Scottish squad, so that’s nice. I know he didn’t participate at all in it, but it’s just signs of his development. It’s just really the technical side of things that I think he’s improved on. And I think he can continue to improve.”

Q: Can I ask you about the goalkeeping situation? Sam Johnstone’s been in the last couple of games. It happened previously when he came in from two games until Vijami Sinisalo came back in. Is there hope for you that you have a solidified number one at some point for the rest of the season?

Martin O’Neill: “Absolutely, of course. Yeah, exactly that. And I would like to know what Sam can do, and I think this is the whole point. I know exactly what Sinisalo can do now. He stepped into the bleach last year and did brilliantly for us. And I’d like to know that in the next few weeks. And it would be nice for him to make my mind up about exactly what’s in front of us between now and the end of the season.”

Q: So it’s just a big challenge for Sam over the next couple of games?

Martin O’Neill: “Yes, I think the difficulty, obviously, with goalkeeping is that at some stage you know that you’re going to make your mind up about it. And that’s the thing. You can be a very good goalkeeper and you can be sitting behind someone. And the one thing you don’t want to do is that you don’t want to stop people’s progress in doing as well too.

“And most goalkeepers now are going on for a fairly decent age as well. So I think that’s the thing. Sinisalo has come in and I thought he’s done very well for us. Of course, there’s some games that naturally goalkeepers will make a few mistakes in. And what I would like to see over the next few weeks is who I think would be our number one.”

Q: Martin, how much do you have to juggle when you decide to start with Kasper Hogh in the middle and then Camilo Duran out wide? Obviously, Kasper is struggling through confidence. How do you as a manager and he as a player navigate through that?

Martin O’Neill: “Over time we’ve got a lot of matches and it’s one of those things. Kasper started on Sunday and nearly got himself a goal. I think we’ve talked about this over the last couple of weeks. Just confidence and it will come. And then hopefully there are a flurry of goals after that. It’s easier said than done, of course, but I think that’s the case. But for me, it is a matter. I’ve got a young centre-forward who’s on loan from Chelsea. He’s definitely shown signs of being able to break through and come in. So I’ve got a bit of a problem on my hands.”

Q: A good problem?

Martin O’Neill: “It’s nice at the minute, yes.

Q: What have you made of Dundee United?

Martin O’Neill: “I’ve got a lot of time for the manager. A lot of time for him. He was a young kid here. He didn’t play because he wasn’t good enough! I think I was the first one to get him all those grey hairs. But a lot of time for him. He’s a really fine manager. How he dealt with the pitch away back in March was just brilliant! But really, a lot of time for him.”

Q: He’s probably got the team and the club in a position that they feel they should be?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, Dundee United, look at their history. They are a very fine football club. Yes, they’ve got the history to prove that.”

Q: Yesterday, Martin, appeals were held in regard to the stadium bans for Celtic and Rangers. Are you optimistic that it will be favourable in terms of Celtic’s outcome?

Martin O’Neill: “I didn’t know that. Iain (Jamieson) has just told me about that there, so I genuinely wasn’t aware of that. So, just run through it.”

Q: There’s the stadium closure and the £100,000 fine as a result of the disorder at the Scottish Cup quarter final at Ibrox. Both clubs have appealed that. Is the club, Celtic, optimistic that that appeal is going to go in your favour?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, I don’t know whether the club are optimistic. I haven’t asked them that. It would be nice from my own selfish viewpoint. It would be great if it came to us.”

Q: Martin, can I just go back to Colby? There’s been a lot of talk over the last few months about young Scottish players not getting enough minutes or a chance. Is it great for Celtic that you get these guys through?

Martin O’Neill: “I think there’s a lot in that as well. I’m not saying that every single player that we sign should know the history of the football club. I expect them to know about Celtic. But it is nice to have some kids coming through who are Celtic through and through, who want to play for their club, whose only ambition is to play for Celtic, and to actually come up and play well and do well enough to stay on the side.

“Now, of course, it comes as a matter of circumstance as much as anything else for Colby. By chance he gets it. He gets it by chance because Alistair was injured last season. He gets in, grabs it, he’s sharing at the time, obviously, with Tony (Ralston). From pre-season, he’s done exceptionally well. I know I’ve kept saying this before, he’s got a good heart, but he’s got a bit more than that. He’s doing very well.”

Q: Does it help that he has coaches like Shaun Maloney and Stephen McManus as well, who have made the same journey?

Martin O’Neill: “I think so, yeah. I think absolutely. I mean, the door’s open for them, if the lads want to do it. We have these meetings after matches to see how things can improve. And I think Colby is listening.”

Q: How’s Joel van den Berg?

Martin O’Neill: “That’s his first day today, training with us. So, it’ll be nice to see what he can do. For the lads that we’ve brought in, obviously Landon is another player that we feel has definitely got potential. I can’t wait to see what he’s capable of doing over the course of the next few months. But yeah, the injury has stopped him from doing that. This is his first day back. But yeah, most things are looking up. But it’ll be nice to see how he can develop.”

Q: In terms of the team, is there anything else to report today? Yang, for instance?

Martin O’Neill: “Yang is doing really well. I think it’s next week that he will start training with us.”

Q: Martin, just regards to Alistair again. Are you going to have to be even more cautious in terms of his game management?

Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, of course. Listen, Alistair will be aware of this. You don’t play the football matches just for the sake of someone coming back. It’s the same with Carter-Vickers coming back here with an injury. We’re always concerned about hamstrings. And the idea was that we could maybe give Alistair maybe 30 minutes of the game. Alistair is well aware of this.

“And in all honesty, if Colby had not been injured at the time, chances are we wouldn’t have put Alistair on. And he would have accepted that, even though in his mind he’s thinking that he’d get the last 30 minutes to get himself into it. But the circumstance of the game dictated everything.

“And we were, swirling wind, Hibs pressing forward at the time. So Colby being injured allowed us that opportunity. But had he not been, I’m not so sure whether I would have put Alistair on at the time. And similarly, obviously with the change then, and Dane going to right back, and in comes Carter-Vickers. It was needs must for us at that time. So in terms of being careful with Alistair, yeah, absolutely.

“These are injuries that, up until last season, you’ve never picked up. I’ve done it myself as a player. You get a hamstring injury, you know, later in your career. My first hamstring was when I was 28 or something. You’re saying, what is this? So, it is a concern.”