Kasper: Martin scores45 zero for me.. on bulls**t meter
HOOPS NO.1 IMPRESSED WITH O’NEILL’S CANDOUR
NO nonsense and definitely no bull either. Kasper Schmeichel reckons old school Martin O’Neill has been exactly what was required in Celtic’s hour of need.
The great Dane admitted it’s been a turbulent campaign for the Hoops with the setback of the Champions League exit and the bitter bust up between Brendan Rodgers and the club’s board.
At one point it seemed the season was heading down the tubes with no gaffer and Hearts heading over the horizon in the Premiership.
There were eyebrows raised when O’Neill stepped in. His status as a club legend wasn’t in doubt.
But there were questions whether a 73-year-old who hadn’t been in the dugout for more than six years would be the answer to
Celtic’s dressing room problems.
The response has been emphatic. O’Neill is preparing to sign off after
Dundee tomorrow night to make way for Wilfried Nancy and the Derry man could hardly have done more.
Six wins out of seven – including a perfect five out of five domestically – has fired Celts back towards the top of the table, into the Premier Sports Cup final and back in the mix to get to the Europa League knockout stages. Schmeichel has pretty much seen it all after more than 20 years in the game but he admitted O’Neill’s approach has been a breath of fresh air.
He said: “I do love the old school approach to football. I think when you can get a good blend, a good balance, you’ve got something good. And I feel like he’s brought that balance. It very much suits the kind of personality I have as well when it comes to football. It’s been an enjoyable time. “I think he and all the staff have come and done a terrific job. “It’s definitely been very difficult circumstances. “I think the thing about Martin is, how can you not learn from someone with that much experience? And he’s been in this situation so many times before that he’s a calm and composed kind of guy. And there’s no bull **** .
“He says things as they are. And that’s refreshing in modern football. I feel personally I’m learning all the time.”
The matches are coming thick and fast now too. After Dundee, there’s the showdown with Hearts at Parkhead on Sunday and then the crack at Roma in the Europa League.
No one at Celtic will be looking beyond the Dens men but last week’s stunning victory against Feyenoord in Rotterdam seemed like a game-changer.
It sent confidence soaring – and it’s also got Europe back on the table for the incoming new manager.
Schmeichel said: “In European performances, sometimes you need something extra special, but you need to be controlled, you need to be composed and I thought we were that all the way through. We want to do well in the competition, that’s no secret.
“So it was an important win, a really important win. We needed that, so we’re very happy.”