Martin O'Neill has confirmed his plans for Celtic after contemplating walking away from his job. The 74-year-old saw his side lose three straight games that included back-to-back Old Firm derbies before the break, and that led him to reconsider his position.
But plenty of time has past since then, and now that the panic around the results has died down a little, O'Neill has finally taken the chance to speak to club media, confirming that he will indeed be staying on.
He told Celtic TV: “We had a difficult week, and that can happen. You can lose to your arch rivals or you can lose a European game but it’s certainly not the end of the world as it seemed to be described as.
“I did think I would take a little bit of time and it didn’t take me that much time to think about it.
I want to lead the club, I want to try and win the league, which is what we’ve we set out to do, and I’m just as determined now as ever before.
“It was a time of reflection for a moment or two, and some things that you think about, but overall, I’m back, I’m raring to go, and the team’s ready.
“We have to try and win football matches. This is what the club is based on, and what I base my managerial career on. You have to win games.
“That’s easier said than done, like anything else, but we have to remind ourselves that we’re actually two points clear at this moment in the league, and that’s not a bad start. It’s very, very early. Absolutely nothing is over by third week in September, although it seemed from all angles that it was.
“The players here who are back, the non-international players who have trained with us, there’s a good spirit about it, and I think this is the most important thing. There is a really good spirit among the players.”
O'Neill decision good news for O'Neill
There was plenty of panic around the O'Neill situation, but as we have already pointed out, a lot of these issues are nothing to do with O'Neill. That's not to say there aren't problems with the veteran boss, who needs to have a bigger say on games with decisions during them.
But Many of the issues are not going away if O'Neill leaves, and that the Bhoys do have is a steady and experienced hand who is not going to lose his mind over a bad run of form.
That proved important last season, and it will remain as important this season. It's early, Celtic are top of the league, and cool heads must prevail. O'Neill remains the best option.
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