Celtic manager Martin O'Neill took an active role in answering questions directed at the club's board during a two-hour Q&A session with supporters in Greenock on Monday night, according to the president of the Greenock Celtic Supporters' Club.
O'Neill, interim chairman Brian Wilson, chief executive officer Michael Nicholson and chief financial officer Chris McKay met a crowd of 120 fans from the Greenock, Port Glasgow, Gourock, Johnny Doyle, Port Glasgow Hibs and Largs supporters' clubs. Celtic described the session as 'hard but fair'.
O'Neill's Role in the Meeting
Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard on Wednesday night, Greenock Celtic Supporters' Club president Joe Clark revealed how the manager handled the evening. Clark said: "I got told Martin was coming while I was in the hall, when the first load had already come down. Martin has been down at the club recently anyway; it was before he went back to Celtic. He was down doing a Q&A. So it was nice to see him. But as you know better than me, when Martin is in the room he usually takes over the room."
Clark added: "Yeah, it [having him there] definitely did [change the mood]. There were times Martin took over the question. The question would maybe be for the board, but he would jump in and take it."
January Transfer Budget Confirmed
Clark also revealed that fans learned Celtic will have money to spend in the upcoming January transfer window. He said: "While Martin was there, the question was asked to the board, 'What are we doing to replace him?' They just said Martin is on a one-year contract with an option at the moment. In January there is going to be a budget to spend. The feeling that came out kind of was that everyone was wanting January to come early."
He continued: "Michael Nicholson said he wanted January to come quickly. They know they need strengthening. We bought two centre forwards in the summer, and I asked how we came to the conclusion about those two. It's about getting the right people available."
Player Recruitment Process
On the football side, Clark said the board was asked about how they identify players and make decisions. He said: "They've got a four-man panel, and people who meet the criteria get fed into that, then Martin makes the final decision on top of that."
Clark also noted that when a member asked O'Neill about the objectives for the next five years, the manager questioned the response, which included winning the league five times, qualifying for the Champions League, winning a game in the Champions League, and qualifying out of the League Phase. Clark said: "Martin came back to that a few times as maybe a bit unrealistic. I'm not saying HE said it was unrealistic, but he kept going back and questioning it. So he took over a bit."
