“I turned 73 last Monday; now I’m 94!”
Celtic triumphed in an exhilarating derby against their arch-rivals, Rangers, securing a spot in the Scottish League Cup final. The intense rivalry between the two Glasgow clubs is renowned worldwide, though recent encounters have often fallen flat. However, on a dreary afternoon at Hampden, the match exceeded expectations, with Celtic ultimately winning 3-1 after extra time. Following Thelo Aasgaard’s red card on the 38th minute while Rangers were already trailing 1-0, it appeared Celtic would have a straightforward victory.
Despite this, Danny Röhls’ squad mounted a courageous effort in the second half, equalizing with a late penalty from James Tavernier and forcing the match into extra time. Yet, Celtic’s numerical advantage bore fruit as they secured the win with goals from Callum McGregor and Callum Osmand, leaving Martin O’Neill thrilled. The 73-year-old returned to Parkhead twenty years after his previous stint, stepping in after Brendan Rodgers’ departure last week. In his second term, O’Neill has led the team to victory in both matches, rekindling the passion of the Celtic supporters with a managerial record that is unmatched at the club.
Comparing Martin O’Neill’s Record to Other Great Celtic Managers
According to Transfermarkt’s statistics, O’Neill boasts a points-per-game record of 2.34, the highest of any manager in Celtic’s storied history. Over his first tenure, he managed 266 games, most notably guiding the Hoops to the UEFA Cup final in 2003. O’Neill’s record slightly eclipses that of Ange Postecoglou (2.31), who remains a fan favorite, alongside Neil Lennon and Rodgers, both of whom also achieved significant trophy success at Celtic. Jock Stein ranks fifth, famously leading the Hoops to a European Cup victory in 1967.
There are ongoing efforts at Celtic to appoint a permanent successor to Rodgers, and O’Neill has previously distanced himself from any ambition to take on that role. When asked if he would like to lead Celtic against St Mirren in the final on December 16th, O’Neill humorously replied, “I turned 73 on Monday; now I’m 94! I don’t even know when the final is. I assume the club is working towards finding a permanent manager. Ask me that tomorrow. It was an incredible game.”
