Martin O’Neill has responded to Frank McAvennie’s recent criticism of Celtic.
When there’s no news in Scottish football, we create news, so the ex-forward-turned podcast host was put in front of the press to give his opinions on Celtic this week.
He didn’t disappoint, saying that the Hoops now leave him “bored s—less” and have lost their fear factors against Scottish Premiership clubs.
Given the chance to respond, O’Neill didn’t even know about his comments, but still took them in good faith.
Have Celtic lost their fear factor?
Join the debate, Celtic fans…
Martin O’Neill says he ‘couldn’t give a monkeys’ about Frank McAvennie’s Celtic comments
Presented with McAvennie’s criticism. O’Neill said: “Away back, somebody used to give me the papers and I was really angry…
“Now, I couldn’t give a monkey’s, honestly. I really don’t.
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“Celtic can be better. Celtic Football Club will be better. Hopefully, they’ll be a better side next season. Able to compete from the start and things like that.
“I think that any criticism that’s delivered to us, I think, mostly is probably fair at the end of the day. So, I’m not really bothered.
“I feel that it’s gone. It doesn’t really matter. I didn’t even know about Frank. Frank is frank! Great character, really great character.
“[He] probably hasn’t seen the games he’s saying he’s seen – I bet you he hasn’t seen a live game for a long time! But it doesn’t matter.
“It’s to do with just me being just too old and I can’t change things, and I’m not that bothered.
“I am bothered about football, I’m just not bothered about the criticism, which I said to you, absolutely you could level at us easily.”
O’Neill raises a great point: is McAvennie actually bored, or is he just not suited to sitting down and watching 90 minutes of football?
Regardless, the Celtic boss won’t be paying any attention to his opinions.
Is this the worst group of finishers you’ve seen in a Celtic squad?
Why Celtic may be leaving Frank McAvennie ‘bored s—less’
As the interim boss acknowledges, there are more-than-valid criticisms that can be levelled at this current team.
This is especially the case when comparing them to other Celtic sides in the recent past under Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers.
The team had 112 goals last season, compared to just 59 so far in this campaign. That stat is unavoidably damning.
However, it’s not a manager thing; of those 112 goals, almost half of them were scored by players who are no longer at the club.
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