Roy Keane has hailed Martin O’Neill’s impact at Celtic.
Keane is famously familiar with O’Neill from their time working together as the “bad cop, bad cop” duo in the dugout for the Republic of Ireland and Nottingham Forest.
Now a leading presence in the British media, Keane went against the grain with his praise of O’Neill, with much of the talk from down south minimising Celtic’s achievement.
For the legendary ex-midfielder, there is no doubt that the Hoops deserve credit.
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Roy Keane on Celtic boss Martin O’Neill: ‘That’s management’
Discussing the final day on The Overlap’s Stick to Football, Keane said: “Truthfully, Hearts were excellent… but top level sport is brutal.
“It’s a reminder to everybody. If you’re trying to win stuff… win stuff, win… not assists or corners, you’ve got to win stuff.
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“It’s brutal, but that’s why we love it. It was cruel, but that’s why we love it. If it wasn’t cruel, we’d be blasé about it.”
He continued: “Credit to Celtic. Hearts brilliant, but Celtic hung in there. The ups and downs, the change of managers, Martin going in…
“Martin showed why he’s a top manager. Managing upwards, Martin would’ve been built to get them over the line.
“Martin’s done a brilliant job, but to be fair, obviously, the staff, the players… again: the top players found a way to win.
“It wasn’t pretty in the game, I think they’ve won the last seven league games. You’ve got to give them credit as well.”
He concluded: “We speak about managers and coaches now…. Martin would’ve managed the club.
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“A lot of off-the-field stuff going on with the fans and the board — I’m not saying that’s gone away — but he’s managed to get everyone on side.
“The fans at the end, the board… that’s management. That’s the experience that Martin’s got. I’ve worked with him, and that’s probably, certainly, one of Martin’s biggest strengths. Bringing people together.”
Many in the Parkhead faithful are now calling for O’Neill to be given a statue after he solidified his status as an icon of the club.
This weekend’s Scottish Cup final looks set to be the final farewell for the Irishman.
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