Martin O’Neill has admitted he takes satisfaction from proving he can still succeed in management, as he prepares to hit a significant career landmark.
Celtic’s visit of Stuttgart will mark O’Neill’s 1,000th game in professional management, a statistic he was completely unaware of until informed this week. O’Neill, 73, is in his second stint in charge of Celtic this season and a third overall having managed the club from 2000 until 2005.
“When I came here in the first spell my biggest worry was not ruining anything from 20-odd years ago,” O’Neill said. “If you couldn’t win a game you’d be considered too old. It turns out it shouldn’t have been as big a concern in my head as it was. Of course you like showing you can still win, you’d be telling lies otherwise.
“I did get some calls from the older managers, it would be unfair to say who. It would be too strong to say I’m flying the flag but it was like them saying: ‘We can still do it.’”
O’Neill joins the likes of Alex Ferguson, Brian Clough, Jürgen Klopp and José Mourinho on the League Managers Association’s 1,000-game roll of honour. O’Neill was in typically entertaining form when recalling the kickstart to his managerial career, which came at Wycombe from 1990.
“I did an interview at Bradford City once,” he said. “It was January 1987, they had just sacked Trevor Cherry. I think 10 were interviewed for the job, all had better credentials than me because they had been managers but I was the only one asked back. Only an Irishman can get down to the last one and fail it.
“I didn’t get the Wycombe job first time round, I lost out in an interview. I remember it clearly. I went down for an interview on the Sunday morning and they ushered me out pretty quickly. No, haven’t got the credentials.”
The more pressing matter relates to facing a Stuttgart side who sit fourth in the Bundesliga and are therefore the heavy favourites to progress to the last 16 of the Europa League from their two-leg playoff. O’Neill dismissed the sense of Europe providing an inconvenience as Celtic engage in a tense Scottish Premiership fight.
“If you can compete here with them, then it surely must give you confidence as they are a fine team,” the Celtic manager said before Thursday’s first leg. “While we are here, let’s go for it. If they show their Bundesliga form these will be difficult nights for us, but I want us to be concerned with ourselves rather than what the opposition might do.”
Sebastian Hoeness, Stuttgart’s head coach, said he is wary of the Scottish champions. “Celtic have individual class and they’ve strengthened again in the winter,” he said . “We need to be ice-cold and efficient. I can still remember the atmosphere here from visiting a few years ago. We’re certain it is going to be fantastic.”
