Martin O’Neill meets Celtic fans but maintains his ‘job depends on results’
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill asked to attend a meeting with supporters to gauge feeling but stressed his job would depend on results.
O’Neill was part of a club delegation that met several supporters clubs in Greenock on Monday, 24 hours after Celtic lost to Falkirk.
A run of six defeats in 10 matches has compounded fan complaints over how the club is run, which soon resurfaced after last season’s double triumph amid frustrations over summer transfer business and Celtic’s failure to qualify for the Champions League.
O’Neill said: “I didn’t know about it until the 11th hour, but I just wanted to go down to it and essentially experience what the supporters are feeling and see how we can do something about it.
“The questions were straightforward, I think you would know what they would be. They were fair, absolutely, and the board as a whole tried to answer them as honestly as they possibly could. I don’t think anything really surprised me at all.”
O’Neill was joined by the likes of chairman Brian Wilson, chief executive Michael Nicholson and chief financial officer Chris McKay, but he played down suggestions it was a show of unity.
“My job doesn’t depend on going to meetings like that,” the 74-year-old said. “My job depends on results, it really does, and I cannot forget that.
“If I am the manager and the next meeting comes up and time allows, I actually don’t mind going to it, but my job is depending on results.
“It happened to be that, being around at the time, I wanted to go to it just to see exactly what the fans are asking for, or demanding.”
Celtic now host Besiktas on Thursday looking to get off the mark in the Europa League after three defeats.
O’Neill admits their situation is similar to the one he inherited 12 months ago when he agreed to replace Brendan Rodgers on a short-term basis.
“It’s a matter of giving the players confidence again to go and play their very, very best, under difficult circumstances,” he said.
“Sometimes it’s difficult when your confidence is not absolutely at its top and you’re fighting with yourself all the time.
“A couple of the lads were saying it’s a wee bit like when I stepped in here. First of all, lost a bit of confidence from Hearts and Dundee (defeats) and that was just to restore that. So if that’s the case, if it was that last year, maybe it’s just similar this time.”
Celtic’s Turkish opponents, who include former Hoops striker Oh Hyeon-gyu in their squad, have seven points.
“I was told that any team who’s lost their first three games haven’t made it through, so it doesn’t augur brilliantly for us if that’s the case,” O’Neill said.
“So if we go on for a fourth one, then that would be a world record.
“We’re definitely running out of matches, no question about it. But we are capable of still qualifying if, let’s say, 10 points is the mark.”
Oh will not come up against South Korea team-mate Yang Hyun-jun, who is back training after a hamstring injury but has been earmarked to return against Kilmarnock on Sunday.
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