Martin O'Neill downplays latest Celtic comeback behind side's revival as transfer update given after Dundee Utd win
The Celtic boss has been discussing his side’s dominant 4-0 Premiership win over Dundee United and the possibility of some transfer activity
Martin O’Neill marked his latest return to the Celtic dugout with a commanding 4-0 rout of Dundee United at Parkhead - but refused to get “carried away” by the emphatic score line.
It has been a turbulent week for the Scottish champions following the dismissal of head coach Wilfried Nancy on Monday, with Hoops great O’Neill answering the call again in Celtic’s time of need by agreeing a short-term contract until the end of the season.
And his players delivered the type of response that supporters had hoped to see as the Hoops swept past the Tangerines with minimum fuss to move back within three points of Premiership leaders Hearts.
Celtic dictated the flow of the game from the first whistle, pinning their opponents deep inside their own half with goals from Yang Hyun-jun and Arne Engels opening a two-goal cushion at the break.
Substitute Benjamin Nygren and Daizen Maeda rounded off the scoring in the second period to equal Celtic’s two biggest winning margins of the league season so far, both secured under O’Neill.
“It was delightful,” O’Neill smiled. “We played really well in the game and in the end we won quite convincingly. You still have to score the first goal in the game, Yang takes it magnificently and we get up and running.
“The performance was really good. The players have to do the playing and it’s been a strange old week. I’ve come back in again, perhaps to haunt them as much as anything else, but the players did brilliantly, absolutely brilliantly. I think someone was saying there were something like 32 passes before we scored the first goal, and that was great.
“It’s a boost of confidence as much as anything else. The crowd were magnificent. Even moments when we were poor they kept with us. Today was great, there was a nice atmosphere. Now, being in a dog fight for the championship, we need the crowd behind us.”
O’Neill promises Celtic fans that new signings are on their way
Despite the dominant victory, O’Neill still recognises the need to get new signings through the door as Celtic prepare to enter a busy run of fixtures.
He admitted: “Yeah. I am hopeful that we are going to get some people in. But just when you think that something might happen, things change around.
“Listen, it’s not me filibustering. It’s just me feeling that until they’re over the line, I can’t come up and say that it’s happened.
“We obviously need to do it, even just to give help to the boys at present at the minute. Because this week was the only week that we have had since I’ve come to the football club, we had a free week.
“And from here on it, we go right through now to I don’t know how long because we’re going midweek each time. So there’ll be no respite. If we pick up injuries to key players here, we could be in serious trouble.
“We need some people in. And we are, honestly, working on it. It doesn’t seem as if you believe me, but we’re actually working on it.”