“It’s just absolutely been far more difficult,” Martin O’Neill

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The Celtic Star

·11 March 2026

“It’s just absolutely been far more difficult,” Martin O’Neill

Martin O’Neill has conceded that returning to Celtic for a second spell as interim manager has been far more difficult than his first…

The Hoops boss was brought back earlier in the campaign after Brendan Rodgers departed the club. During that short-term stint, O’Neill steadied results and helped push the Scottish champions closer to the top of the table before stepping aside when Wilfried Nancy was appointed as the permanent manager.

However, Nancy’s tenure lasted only eight matches before the club opted to part ways with the Frenchman. With the team again searching for stability, Celtic turned to the experienced O’Neill for a second temporary period in charge.

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Supporters expected the Celtic icon to quickly restore the winning form he had overseen during his initial return. While performances have improved, O’Neill acknowledged that the weight of those expectations has made the job more demanding this time around.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he explained that the temporary nature of his first return was always clear.

He said: “Absolutely. You knew that when you went in there first of all, you were in for a short period of time. As I said to Dermot Desmond, the major shareholder, he said you could be there for two weeks or two months. As it turned out, it was like, what, 36 or no more than 40 days. And you knew that was coming to an end at some stage or another.”

“Then, when you step in in the first week of January. and you start and you think about… I had not a thought in my head about a January transfer window or deadlines and things of this nature. And not just that, yes, expectation going up that you think, ‘Oh, listen, you’ll just step in again and results will follow.’”

Martin O’Neill at the Scottish Cup quarter final on Sunday 8 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

“It’s just absolutely been far more difficult. Far more difficult this time because, as I said, one, it’s a longer period, or you think you’re in for a longer period. And actually, when I was speaking to Dermot Desmond the second time, I said, ‘I might not last that length of time in terms of result’ And you know what he said? I thought he’d be very accommodating – he said ‘I know!'”

The 74-year-old was also questioned about his side’s sluggish starts to matches, with pundit Simon Jordan highlighting their comeback from 2–0 down against Kilmarnock and a first half in which the Ibrox club dominated them 10 days ago.

Martin O’Neill at Ibrox. Scottish Cup quarter final on Sunday 8 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

O’Neill responded with humour, quipping that the slow starts must be the result of his own pre-match instructions and the messages he delivers to the players before kick-off.

“You said the team’s been dreadful for the first half,” he said. “That’s because they’ve had a dreadful first team talk.”

“That’s as simple as it is here. And I could only improve at halftime because it’s been so dreadful in the first instance. So there we go.”

Conor Spence

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