Martin O'Neill has revealed that Celtic are set to hold talks with him over a club revamp. The 74-year-old said that this season should be a wake-up call for the under-fire board, especially if the Hoops lose out on the title after years of domestic domination.
O'Neill said: "They can take my opinion or not, as the case may be. It would only be an opinion. This season has been an eye-opener for us, in every aspect. A real proper sit-down to discuss what happened - and to maybe try and unify the club again - would be fantastic.
"That in itself is a major thing, in terms of who would be in charge. You’re hoping that the recruitment would be so important to try and learn from the things that we didn’t do well this year.
"I will speak to Michael and Dermot at some stage. I’d think, generally, we would all feel the same about what would be needed to get us back on top.
"Let’s say a new manager was coming in and I’m at the club as an advisor to the board. If I were the new manager, I wouldn’t mind who was on the board, as long as there was a committee for signing players and as long as the manager would have the final say.
"There has to be affordability, but if the manager has the final say, then it could work. Also, I believe the manager coming in would be hoping that someone, maybe an old figure like me, would be on his side. If I were stepping in now as a 45-year-old manager, those are the things I’d like."
O'Neill spoke about how quickly he believes things can be turned around at Parkhead. He said: "If you’re asking fans about a five-year plan, that’s not working. You’ve just seen what’s happened to managers getting six, seven, eight games. Money’s dictating everything now.
"Recruitment will be very important. Unification of the club would be great, getting people on the same side. It’s not about harking back to my day. But the general feeling was that everybody was together, and that was important.
"Now, Celtic have had a lot of success, and I feel that this idea of taking success for granted should never be at a club.
"Can you change things relatively quick? Yeah, I do believe that. The club should do these things towards the end of every season anyway. But this particular season has been a wake-up call for us all."
O'Neill is keen to help the club
O'Neill's love for the club can't be underestimated. He wants to help Celtic out beyond his return to the dugout, and hopefully, something can be worked out to ensure that happens.
The season has been very up and down. Under Brendan Rodgers and Wilfried Nancy, things were on a downward spiral, but O'Neill has come in twice and successfully steadied the ship.
Although there have been questionable moments under the Hoops legend, such as the defeat at Tannadice that left everyone looking defeated, he has managed to keep us in the title race. Rangers now occupy the top spot, but Celtic are set to play this weekend. They could narrow the gap to just two points, but a win at Dens Park is necessary.
Hopefully, O'Neill will be able to end this season on a high note and help us out next season. With the experience that he has and how eager he is to take up another role at Celtic, it would be silly to say no to him.