Everything Martin O’Neill had to say after impressive Celtic win

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The Celtic Star

·30 de octubre de 2025

Everything Martin O’Neill had to say after impressive Celtic win

Interim Celtic manager Martin O’Neill spoke to the media after Celtic’s convincing 4-0 victory over Falkirk last night at Celtic Park….

Celtic Fans Collective protest at Celtic Park ahead of the Celtic v Falkirk match. 29 October 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

It’s been a wild 48 hours but the players responded well to what has been a crazy few days for the club and the support certainly enjoyed a more positive style of play that’s clearly going to result in Celtic scoring more goals. Here is everything Martin O’Neill had to say after the impressive Celtic victory….

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Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on October 29, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: How do you sum up that moment?

Martin O’Neill: “First of all, I jokingly said I’ve not been as nervous as when I did my 11-plus and I think I passed that when I was 48. I was concerned about the game, naturally. I was concerned about letting myself down or letting other people down. To play in the manner we did, which was great and obviously, most importantly, was winning the game. Naturally, I couldn’t be more pleased. I thought the players did really brilliantly.”

Q: Martin, can you talk to us about your message to the players beforehand?

Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill during the Premier League match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on October 29, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Martin O’Neill: “I said I know that the confidence has been a wee bit low. That’s the most natural thing in the world. Even the very, very best side, if you’re not getting results, confidence is gone. And players then stop doing things that they almost naturally would do. There’s some of the lads in the dressing room in there that would have no idea who I was, but they’re only about 10. And some of the other lads, I said that we have quite a number of winners in the dressing room. That’s really important. Those lads have experienced some lows during the course of the season and then fight back. The captain, he’s a real quality player.

Callum McGregor of Celtic at full time during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on October 29, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“But there were great performances all around today and this evening, just to win. So yeah, they becalmed my dreadful insecurity problems. To be honest, I’m delighted to win the game. But there wasn’t a thought about anything else. The job that John McGlynn has done with Falkirk is phenomenal. And I thought the opening 20 minutes, they’d broken through, could change the game. Schmeichel makes a really great save for us at 1-0. Those are big moments. Eventually we’ve come through and we did really well. So getting back to the message, the message was we’ve got to win this. We’ve just got to win the game.”

Q: For you emotionally, on the touchline, fans singing your name, celebrating the goals in your typical style as well, just how was that for you?

Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney celebrate Celtic’s opening goal during the Premier League match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on October 29, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Martin O’Neill: “I have to say it was the most surreal feeling in the world. You know, you’re sitting, honestly, in a coffee shop on a Monday afternoon in London. Coffee was dreadful by the way. And I get a call and it was the last thing on earth, maybe, that I would ever do another game. And then, having just come out of talkSPORT. I didn’t actually say, or did I, that it would be a good thing for the Premiership if Hearts won the league. But I thought I said, paradoxically, it wouldn’t be great for the league if Rangers or Celtic weren’t involved. And I’m talking a lot of bollocks really. Nothing has changed over the years.”

Q: You spoke in quite simple terms yesterday – just to create more chances?

Celtic v Falkirk 29.10.2025 Scottish Premiership. Johnny Kenny goal 1-0. Photo Kenny Ramsay IMAGO

Martin O’Neill: “Honestly, you can complicate the game. The game is actually still quite simple. You get back to the old word about basics. When in possession, do something. If you are a creative player, make something happen. And when you lose the ball, you’ve got to get back in as quickly as possible. Listen, I got great help from the backroom staff. Shaun Maloney was terrific for me. We had something to eat last night and we’re talking it through again, early this morning again, running through things about Falkirk. And there’s only so much you can do. So, I got great help. I got help from Mark Fotheringham and the rest of the backroom staff were terrific. Really, really good for me. Obviously, when the goals were going in, I took a big sigh of relief and I’m delighted to have won.”

Q: Martin, given the way that such a whirlwind 48 hours got into this day, the match itself, would you say it was almost an ideal night?

27 August 2000: Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson of Celtic during the Scottish Premier League match against Rangers at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic won the game 6 – 2. Mandatory Credit: Stu Forster /Allsport

Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, absolutely. I’ve worried about football matches since I became a manager. So, nothing has ever changed. When I had players like Larsson and Sutton and Lennon, people like this here, we never, never once treated a game lightly. We could never do that. And that’s been me. That’s the way it is because I know how difficult it is to win a game. The minute you take your eye off it, or think that you are better than you are, then things become difficult. So, to win tonight was the most important thing, obviously, for me as the manager. But the manner in which we did it, I was really pleased. Really pleased. And the lads got a bit of confidence from it.”

Q: Not long into your first tenure as boss, there was a transformational game against Rangers. You’ve got Sunday now. Is that potentially the same for this team?

Celtic interim manager Martin O’Neill during the Premier League match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on October 29, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Martin O’Neill: “That’s a good point. I genuinely have not thought of it. And I told the players, we cannot think of anything here until this game has been won. And I think that message got through. You say whether messages get through or not, you don’t really know. But that was it. And I also think to praise players when they’ve done well, and so that eventually there will be criticism to players, but they might be able to treat it better if they’ve had some praise tonight. And it was nothing but praise tonight for them. So, listen, everything changes again on Sunday. But just to win tonight was great.”

Q: Daizen Maeda came back from injury tonight, but has Johnny Kenny staked a strong claim on Sunday?

Daizen Maeda of Celtic is seen during the Premier League match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on October 29, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Martin O’Neill: “He did really fine, he’s learning the game. He took his goals like a proper centre-forward. The physios told me Maeda could get 35 minutes. How they calculate 35 minutes, well there’s things I’ve got to learn again. Listen, that’s not against them. They’re great. The physios are really good. But I said to them, I’d just rather go for 33 minutes! I felt James Forrest was brilliant tonight, considering he’s the same age as me. But he was great. We needed him. Great, because down the right-hand side, somebody to take people on. Got that little burst of pace as well too. He made some great crosses. Just a fine footballer. Really fine player.”

Q: Dermot Desmond was in the stands tonight, Martin. Have you had a chance to catch up with him yet?

Celtic Chairman Peter Lawwell, Dermot Desmond, largest shareholder and Michael Nicholson CEO are seen during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on October 29, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Martin O’Neill: “I just saw him there now for a couple of minutes. Hopefully, I’ll have a chat with him, I haven’t seen him for quite a considerable time. If we’d been beaten tonight, I would have regretted the phone call!”

Q: And the manner of the performance tonight must really get the team’s confidence going?

Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney celebrate Celtic’s opening goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on October 29, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Martin O’Neill: “That’s absolutely right. For me as a manager, to win. It’s always been the thing to win. And even if we’d struggled tonight to win, I thought it was still important. But the way in which we did. You can see the confidence growing after the second goal. Players wanting the ball, wanting to do things with it. And then the work rate back again was pretty impressive. I’m really pleased. And obviously, in a day or two, not knowing some of the players or what they’re capable of doing. Relying on Shaun and Fozzy and the rest of the backroom staff about what the lads can do. And just when you think you’ve won the game and it wasn’t one of those to treat lightly, then maybe try and get a couple of young players on just to see what they’re capable of doing in match conditions. That was all.”

Q: Is Kieran Tierney okay for Sunday? Just rested after a few games?

Kieran Tierney. Hearts v Celtic, 26 October 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Martin O’Neill: “He said he’s much better. He’s feeling better. It’s just a niggle. The answer is, I’ve just seen him in the dressing room before the game, and he’s feeling much better than he did. I know he played the game [at the weekend], but he was sort of niggling around. It was a stiffness as much as anything. We’ll see. But the wee lad who played at left back I thought he was great. He was a really great player. He’s an international player. I met him for the first time today. You just get out and play, young man. Go and play. And he said, yes, that’s what I’ll do. He didn’t say it like that!”

Conor Spence

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Celtic in the Eighties and Willie Fernie – Putting on the Style both by David Potter. Photo The Celtic Star

Danny McGrain signing copies of Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Photo: Celtic Star Books