Martin O'Neill has seemingly taken the blame for the delay in his appointment, admitting that much of the delay was down to him making his mind up. The 74-year-old has now been appointed as the full-time boss on a one-year deal with a club option of a further year.
O'Neill led Celtic to a double win during his impressive interim spell, but he was open from the get-go in being unsure of whether he could take on the position full-time. At such a senior age, O'Neill wasn't sure whether he had the energy to run the team over a longer term basis, but he has indeed decided to stay.
O'Neill admits to period of ponder
Celtic came under fire during the time between the end of the season and O'Neill's appointment being announced. The club didn't help itself by speaking to Robbie Keane about the position. A move that, whichever side of the political fence you fall, you can accept that it was always going to annoy a large section of Celtic fans due to Keane's history.
Many felt it took too long for O'Neill to be appointed, and it didn't help that a deal seemed to have been reached on Monday, but the announcement didn't come until Thursday.
But during an interview with Track Radio, O'Neill spoke about his decision, how unlikely he is to stay on after this coming year and the long period he spent considering whether it was the right move.
"Only time will tell, but I must admit I’m in a better headspace, if there is such a thing in this life as being in a better headspace," the Celtic boss began. "It’s another year of your life. Options, in general, don’t really mean a great deal. It means that all parties have to agree to it.
"For instance, if things went really well and I was asking for another year, which is very, very unlikely, I must admit, if I took this length of time to think about this year, you can imagine what another year of your life will do.
"But if, for instance, I thought everything was going fine and wanted another year, then that’s up to the football club to make that decision. If they disagree, then it doesn't really matter."
Those comments put to bed the thoughts of Celtic pondering whether O'Neill was the best option, and it makes it even more likely that the discussions with other managers - puting aside the PR disaster - was the club doing their homework in case O'Neill did not stay on.
UItimately, O'Neill has earned the right to take his time, and at 74 years of age, it is the right thing for him to have done.
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