Martin O’Neill believes Celtic may just have handed Rangers a major morale blow, and has backed Ange Postecoglou to have similar success to himself.
O’Neill, a legendary Celtic manager in the modern era, led the Hoops to a treble in his debut campaign. Of course, more success followed; two more league titles, 3 Scottish Cups overall and – obviously – a league cup. He also led the Hoops to a UEFA Cup Final in Seville.
So if anyone knows about first-season momentum, it’s Martin O’Neill. And he reckons Rangers will be mystified as to how they’ve lost their league advantage. Celtic now top the table, having trailed by six points mere weeks ago. Now Celtic have top spot, they’ll have the confidence to keep it going, O’Neill thinks.
O’Neill told the BBC’s The Nine: “I know it’s early February and I know there’s a lot of points to play for.
“That’s exactly how Rangers will look at it. There’s still big games ahead, they obviously have to play each other again. But you’re talking about a confidence boost, and not just that – the manner of the win, too. You couldn’t ask for better.
“Rangers now, feeling down, that they’ve been caught suddenly, when they thought they had a really reasonable lead. And there’s Celtic now coming in and topping the table. Fantastic effort.
“Now they’ve got on top, it’s a matter of keeping going. I’m quite sure that, as we talked about, the confidence beforehand, that will not disappear overnight.”
Asked whether Ange Postecoglou could have the success of Martin O’Neill at Celtic, the former boss said: “There is absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t.”
Ange Postecoglou and his Celtic side get the backing of a great in Martin O’Neill
Martin O’Neill had to essentially remould a squad to his liking when he took over at Celtic. He was able to bring in some huge players; Chris Sutton, John Hartson, Alan Thompson, Neil Lennon – so many great names. It worked an absolute treat, and Celtic won a famous treble to kick the decade off in style.
Nobody in their right mind would put pressure on Ange Postecoglou to do the same. However, O’Neill is right; Rangers have let a decent league lead slip, and Celtic have pounced on an opportunity. We’re top of the league now, and that ought to bring huge confidence.
Not only confidence, too; belief. Belief in the system, belief in what the manager wants from his players, and belief in the manager himself.
And none of it will disappear overnight.
For Ange Postecoglou, it’s one of the most meaningful endorsements a Celtic manager can get. Martin O’Neill still holds iconic status at Parkhead and always will. So, for him to fully believe Postecoglou can emulate his success really is saying something.
Because Martin O’Neill enjoyed a lot of it when he was bouncing around the Hoops dugout.
Read more: “He was everywhere”; Scott McDonald on Josip Juranovic’s “world-class” Celtic performance
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