Martin O'Neill has described the sight of Celtic fans wearing balaclavas to protest against the board as "the saddest thing" and urged supporters to be brave enough to show their faces when raising disputes. Around 25 balaclava-clad protesters gathered outside a supporters club meeting in Greenock on Monday night, where chief executive Michael Nicholson and other officials faced questions from fans.
O'Neill attended the meeting alongside the board, saying it took guts for them to face the music, and he was pleased he went despite being taken aback by the protest. He stressed that while the meeting itself was robust with strong questioning, the sight of masked protesters was deeply disappointing.
O'Neill's Reaction to the Protest
Speaking ahead of Celtic's Europa League match against Besiktas, O'Neill said: "Some managers would probably want to run a mile from that idea of how angry his fans are. Well, I think when things are going really well at the football club, you can take all the plaudits and all that you want. At the end of the day, there are bad times and I think that you should face up to that."
He added: "Was everything answered by the board and myself to their satisfaction? You'd have to ask the people there at the time what was there. There was no shouting. It wasn't like the (abandoned) AGM last year. The shouting had taken place before the meeting, you know? I mean, you are aware that people with balaclavas come up to the thing."
O'Neill continued: "To me, I think that was the saddest thing. Would I have ever, in any day, ever thought that Celtic fans would be clothed in balaclavas before a meeting? Even if they were disapproving of what was happening. I think that's really disappointing. I do (find it hard to get my head round that kind of stuff). I do, honestly. I do."
He concluded: "I think if you've got a dispute or something, I think you should be brave enough to show your face to doing it. I don't know whether they expected me to be there or not, but it doesn't really matter. It was just regardless of who was there. But the meeting itself was robust, strong, strong questioning, hopefully some answers that would maybe quell if not satisfy, or whatever the case may be. And I don't know what the overall picture would be. But, yeah, I was pleased to have gone."
Busy Week and Form Concerns
O'Neill had a busy week, attending the Greenock meeting on Monday and then travelling to Dingwall on Tuesday to watch the B team, including Joel van den Berg, Shim Mheuka and Landon Emenalo, lose to Ross County. He insisted it was all part of the job, but acknowledged the priority is sorting out Celtic on the pitch, with the team in a poor run of form, having won just three of their last 10 games.
Reflecting on the challenges, O'Neill said: "I honestly think it's everything. During my managerial time, I have naturally spent more time concerned over defeats rather than wins. When you win, you think everything is great. But sometimes you are papering over come cracks."
He added: "Then when you lose a game you think about all sorts of things. I thought more about how we were leading against Dundee United and dropped points at home, rather than Falkirk when I thought we created a lot of changes and the goalkeeper was really good. But naturally, when you lose a game or two, you start to consider all sorts of things. Some things you may not have considered before."
O'Neill also discussed tactical expectations, referencing Brian Clough's philosophy: "You need your centre forwards to get hold of the ball. That's something that Brian Clough preached. He didn't care whether the centre forwards scored the goals, as long as they held the ball up and played people into the game."
Europa League Battle
Celtic have endured a torturous European campaign so far, with a Champions League collapse to LASK and three defeats to start the Europa League group stage. They can still qualify for the knockout stages but are already in a precarious position, and another loss could leave them bottom of the table with half the fixtures still to play.
O'Neill admitted his side are up against it ahead of the Besiktas match, saying: "These games are really hard for us. I think, honestly, I think they're difficult. I think there are teams in the Europa League who are capable of playing in the Champions League and getting results in the Champions League at this minute. However, we're in the Europa League."
He added: "We haven't got a point on the board. We're going to try and do something about it if we can on Thursday and then ask the question. I think that no-one has ever lost the first three and qualified for the competition. So, we'll be up against it. We're definitely up against it. But are we capable? Yeah, I have to believe that."
On Besiktas, O'Neill said: "I've watched Besiktas. I didn't get an opportunity until after Sunday's game. But we've had people watching them, both live and on television. They are a real handful - no question. I didn't realise this until I started watching that the centre-forward (Oh) that used to be here. I don't know whether he has a point to prove or we have a point to prove."
