Dermot Desmond and Celtic board praised amid fan fury after stroke of genius that's kept title chances in tact
Martin O’Neill has been praised for bringing stability back to Celtic
Martin O’Neill has been praised for bringing stability back to Celtic - with Hoops hero Sir Kenny Dalglish believing the under-fire Parkhead board and major shareholder Dermot Desmond deserve credit for recognising he was the right man to turn to in their time of need.
The reigning Scottish champions title defence may still be in serious jeopardy with Premiership leaders Hearts sitting five points clear and still the team to catch in an engrossing title race. Celtic powerbroker Desmond issued a plea for help to the Irishman following Brendan Rodgers’ resignation a phone call that left the 74-year-old in a state of “shock” at the time.
Speaking on talkSPORT, O’Neill stated back in October: “I got a call late afternoon, early evening yesterday from Celtic from Dermot Desmond, and Dermot asked me would I step in because Brendan had resigned from the football club.
“It’s obviously the kind of shock news really as much as anything else. Shocked me as well too. But just to step into the breach and just do it on a short-term basis until a permanent manager is appointed.”
Little did he know, O’Neill would return to the Hoops hot seat just over a month later following the club’s decision to sack Wilfried Nancy after a nightmare 33-day reign. Dalglish has praised the Celtic hierarchy for their genius decision to lure O’Neill back for a third spell in charge.
Dalglish admitted: “I think the biggest difference between now and then is back then Martin was choosing the players. The current group have been on the books since he came back, there’s only a couple that were signed (in January).
“(Alex) Oxlade-Chamberlain came in after a good while out of the game, but I don’t think Martin signed too many of the others. So for him, he’s used to being successful. He worked under a great manager in Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest, so he must’ve got a good education there and he brought it to Celtic Park.
“He got the club to a European final when they got beat in Portugal, so he’s done a fantastic job any time he’s been there. So I think whoever thought up the idea of Martin coming back in to babysit for a wee while - they deserve a whole lot of credit as well because he’s done a fantastic job for them.
“In the circumstances (coming back a second time), he wouldn’t have enjoyed it because (Wilfried) Nancy only lasted 33 days - even I lasted longer than that! It had to be done, that’s for sure. But Martin did a fantastic job before that and he’s picked it back up again.
“He’s done really well and I think the boy at Ibrox, Danny Rohl has done well. He also had a lot to pick up, so both of them have done excellent in recent months.”
Kenny Dalglish’s verdict on return of large-scale Old Firm ticket allocation
Dalglish also offered his view on the return of larger away ticket allocations for Old Firm games after Rangers, last month, agreed to give Celtic fans the entire Broomloan Road stand for this weekend’s Scottish Cup quarter-final tie. It means around 7,500 away supporters will have access to the derby at Ibrox for the first time since 2018.
Away fan allocations have been limited to 800 tickets, with that increasing to 2,500 around 12 months ago following a period where NO away supporters were in attendance.
Asked for his verdict on the decision, Dalglish commented: “I think the best Old Firm games, the venue for one is here (at Hampden Park) when it’s split 50/50. It’s like a wedding cake when you cut it straight down the middle and you get two different colours. It’s the biggest game in Scottish football.
“You can fully understand why both clubs don’t get a full allocation. But common sense will tell you the closer it gets to 50-50, the better the atmosphere and I’m sure it’ll be pretty hot on Sunday.”