Glasgow Times journalist Colin Watt has recently made a claim about Martin O’Neill and the possibility of him managing the club in the future.
Watt was a guest on the latest episode of the ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ podcast and the panel discussed multiple issues involving the Bhoys. One topic of discussion was O’Neill, his recent comments about Neil Lennon and the rumours about him replacing the current Celtic boss.
O’Neill backed Lennon to succeed at Parkhead and blamed the pandemic and Boli Bolingoli for the situation at Celtic. He said that fans shouldn’t panic about the possibility of missing out on 10 titles in a row and concerns about it are ‘premature’. It has been reported that the Hoops have contacted O’Neill about the possibility of replacing Lennon.
Do you think O'Neill is an outdated manager?
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When talking about O’Neill, Watt said that he wouldn’t be the right man to turn to if Lennon does get sacked.
He said: “I think if Neil Lennon was to let go, I don’t think Martin O’Neill would want to take over that role from him. I also don’t think he’s the right person to turn to, if that was the case because I think the game of football has moved past managers like Martin O’Neill.
“When you look at the performances he’s had in charge of the teams most recently, I think his style of football doesn’t suit the modern game.”
TIF Thoughts on Watt’s comments about O’Neill…
O’Neill is a former Celtic manager and he left the club’s managerial position 15 years ago in 2005. Having said that, his most recent managerial position was at Nottingham Forest, where he was in charge for only 19 games (As per Transfermarkt).
It has been said that his exit at Forest was largely down to a poor relationship with important players, who had never embraced O’Neill’s methods. This led to a loss of discipline at the club (as per The Guardian).
That isn’t a good sign at all and keeping that in mind, it is understandable why Watt doesn’t want O’Neill to replace Lennon in the future.