Wilfried Nancy may be in the door at Celtic, but many fans are struggling to get off the Martin O’Neill hype train.
O’Neill had an emotional farewell at Celtic’s win against Falkirk on Wednesday, with many Hoops fans staying in the stands to serenade the club legend.
Since replacing Brendan Rodgers on an interim basis, O’Neill has had a perfect domestic record, closing the eight-point gap with Hearts.
Assisted by Shaun Maloney, he has restored confidence among a struggling Hoops squad. This, coupled with his pre-existing reputation, made him an extremely popular interim boss among supporters.
There aren’t many Celtic supporters more famous than Rod Stewart, and the music legend has reacted to the end of O’Neill’s reign.
Rod Stewart on Martin O’Neill leaving Celtic after Wilfried Nancy’s arrival
It’s certainly interesting timing for Nancy’s arrival.
He faces a gruelling first week with a top-of-the-table clash with Hearts, Europa League tie against Roma before the Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren.
READ MORE: Mark Fotheringham’s outstanding tribute to Callum McGregor after interim Celtic spell
Speaking on talkSPORT, Stewart admitted that he wished that O’Neill could stay on for longer.
But he firstly admitted that he wouldn’t be at Nancy’s first game on Sunday, saying: “I don’t think I’m going to be there, as I’m still in the middle of a tour.
“I’m still in Mannheim, and then I’m off to Zurich and Munich at the weekend, so I’m going to miss it. But I’ll get it on Celtic TV, I’ll be there in spirit.
“I wish [Martin O’Neill] could [have stayed], but I don’t think it was possible.
“I wish he could just stay behind the scenes, because he’s done something to those players. You know, Rei Hatate, especially, believes in himself again, and he’s played on fire.
“So it would be wonderful if we would keep him.
“I don’t think everybody thought he was going to do so well.
“I think Celtic would’ve kept him. He’s just turned everything around so quickly. Quite a genius, wonderful.
“I think he had a bit of a lump in his throat last night. Did you see how many of the supporters stayed behind?”
Martin O’Neill jokes he is a ‘complete coward’ after Maeda header
Martin O’Neill’s interim Celtic spell
It may have only been five weeks, but O’Neill’s interim spell provided some memorable occasions.
In just his second game, he made the bold calls to start Johnny Kenny and introduce Callum Osmand against Rangers – being rewarded with goals by both in a 3-1 extra time win.
However, this was probably topped by a 3-1 win against Feyenoord in Rotterdam. The win resurrected Celtic’s Europa League campaign, and it was the club’s first in six attempts in the Netherlands since O’Neill himself famously won at Ajax in 2001.
In five league games in the interim reign, Celtic conceded just one goal, winning them all. Not bad for a 73-year-old.
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