O'Neill proving wife wrong with Celtic turnaround
Martin O'Neill joked his wife said he would mess up his return to Celtic as he revelled in the club's turnaround in fortunes during his interim spell in charge.
O'Neill took charge of Celtic on a temporary basis last month after the departure of Brendan Rodgers, who resigned over a disagreement with the club's leadership.
At that stage, Celtic was eight points behind Scottish Premiership leader Hearts.
Yet under O'Neill's guidance, Celtic has won five of its six matches, including beating Rangers in the Scottish League Cup semi-finals. On Friday (AEDT), the Hoops beat Feyenoord 3-1 to claim a first away win in Europe since 2021.
While reports suggest Celtic is close to appointing Wilfried Nancy, coach of Columbus Crew, as its next permanent boss, 73-year-old O'Neill is enjoying his unexpected return to management.
"My two daughters were all for going for it, but my wife said I'd probably mess it up," O'Neill quipped after the win over Feyenoord.
"I haven't messed it up so far. It's been great. The results are what you live by and they've been terrific.
"We played really well. There was a period where we were dominant, controlling the ball and exuding a lot of confidence, which was lovely to see.
"Going a goal behind, we could have crumbled. But we showed character and resilience and then when we got the equaliser, the confidence flooded into the side.
"I said to the players, 'You will get a chance to play tonight'. We took that chance."
Celtic is now just four points off Hearts, while it is in the running to qualify for the UEFA Europa League knockout stages.
Asked about Nancy's potential arrival, O'Neill said: "He has got some players who are big winners.
"I'm sure he will lean on some of those lads and then it's about improving some of the other players.
"The restoration of confidence is big and it's keeping it going after that.
"Winning away from home is terrific – it's not easy away from home in Europe. It gives them belief that they can come and compete."
