Martin O'Neill has left the door open on his Celtic future heading into the international break, with the club's board publicly backing the 74-year-old despite a run of three consecutive defeats.
The Scottish Premiership paused after Celtic crashed out of the Premier Sports Cup to Rangers, lost a league match to their rivals, and suffered a Europa League defeat to Ferencvaros. Their lead at the top of the table has been cut to two points, with fixtures against Motherwell, Benfica and Hearts to come.
O'Neill's own words on his future
Following the league defeat to Rangers, O'Neill admitted he was considering his position. He said: “They [fans] have every reason to ask, can you turn this round? Can you change the whole thing? It's not the first time I've been questioned about my managerial time. So, I'll have a look at it. I will reflect and see.”
He added: “Asking what I, myself, [can do], is the main thing. Asking what I can do to help the team. That would be the most important thing for me to see. I genuinely will reflect and see. It's a matter of whether I can help the team. If that's the case.”
O'Neill also acknowledged the age factor: “The manager’s supposed to be able to do that. And, yeah, I will have a look at that there this week. That every single time that something crops up, things don't go so well, age plays a part. And you know what? They may well be right, you know?”
He said he would speak to the board: “I will reflect on the games. I'll obviously speak to the board. And, you never know, they may want to speak to me. But I'll see. I've got some time to do that there. I will try and get a couple of days away and see how it goes.”
Board support and the £1m payoff speculation
Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson has thrown his full support behind O'Neill following the release of the club's accounts. He told supporters: "We all want the best for Celtic."
Nicholson said: "The losses in the last week have been painful for us all. We will now come together and support Martin and the players, as we focus our efforts on achieving success domestically and in the Europa League."
Former Celtic star Charlie Mulgrew has speculated that a payoff could be holding up a managerial change. He said: "If he just walks away and says 'thanks', I don't think he is getting a penny - or he is getting very little - compared to what he is due now. If they got rid of him now it would be close to £1million he is owed, I would imagine."
Mulgrew added: "I think the standoff now is Martin O'Neill still thinks he can do the job, and I don't think Martin O'Neill is leaving with no money. I don't think Celtic want to pay him."
Succession talk and who could take over
Roy Keane was spotted in the stands during the 1-0 league defeat at Celtic Park, sparking fan speculation over a potential succession plan. Keane, who ended his playing career with a six-month stint at Celtic in 2006, has admitted he fancies another crack at management but said he would not go and watch a struggling team with a view to taking over.
Keane told The Overlap: "I wouldn’t go and watch a manager under pressure. I know plenty who do that."
Robbie Keane was in the running before O'Neill was named permanent boss in the summer, but has insisted he is enjoying his break from the game after leaving Ferencvaros. Former Celtic winger Aiden McGeady has revealed whispers about Kieran McKenna, who was previously on the Hoops' radar during his time at Ipswich Town.
McGeady told Open Goal: “I have heard Kieran McKenna is also lined up for next year. I heard that. People were saying that to me; I was like, ‘Kieran McKenna was on £6m a year at Ipswich.'”
Where O'Neill stands now
It looks increasingly likely that O'Neill will be in the Celtic dugout when the league campaign restarts on October 11 against Motherwell. Ex-Celt Scott Allan expects O'Neill to fight on: "He's been away for a few days and cleared his head, and probably looked at some of the reaction to the performance."
Allan added: "I think any guy who's been in football, especially O'Neill for that length of time, the natural reaction is to hang on in there and fight to prove people wrong and for me I don't expect him to leave before the next league game."
Former Rangers goalkeeper Cammy Bell also expects O'Neill to stay on, telling BBC's Scottish football podcast: "When you listen to Martin O'Neill's comments after that defeat at Celtic Park against Rangers, you almost assumed that within a couple of days he was probably going to move on."
Bell said: "It was such a damaging week for him, he had felt the pressure and might have felt he had taken Celtic as far as he could, but nothing's happened. So you fully expect O'Neill to now be in the dugout. He has maybe gone away, had a think about it, reset himself and still firmly believes he can take Celtic on to go and win trophies this season."
