Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ewan Paton

Martin O'Neill lifts lid on Rangers jeers after cheeky Celtic bus remark

Martin O'Neill has lifted the lid on the time his Celtic team rocked up to Ibrox already as Scottish champions.

The Irishman has recalled the 'dog's abuse' he and his team received from Rangers fans after a remark he made while walking off the Hoops team bus outside of the stadium.

In his first season in charge, Celtic coasted to the title. By the time the last derby match was played post-split, they already reigned victorious - just as Ange Postecoglou's men will tomorrow.

A Lubo Moravcik double and Henrik Larsson strike earned the easy win for O'Neill's side in April 2001.

And the now pundit has described the tense setting outside of Ibrox as he and his players walked into the ground.

He told Jim White on talkSPORT: “The bus parks pretty well close to the entrance of Ibrox.

"You want it as close as possible at times - in fact you want that bus to go straight into the dressing so you don’t have to face the crowd's wrath.

“It’s a lovely feeling to step off the bus. And I remember that time when we won it.

"There was a break in the league after 33 games and we’d already won the league so we went to Ibrox. You climb off the bus and still expect all the boos and jeers. And we got them alright.

“And I remember just turning round and saying - and I thought it was under my breath, but it was loud enough for them to hear - ‘Champions’.

"Well, you know sometimes you regret something you’ve said. We got dog’s abuse and that 10-yard walk seemed like 150 miles.

“But we got into the stadium and the sanctuary of the dressing room and performed brilliantly, winning by three goals.

"Lubo Moravcik scored twice in the game and we were terrific but the pressure was off because we’d won the league.

“Moravcik is the best two-footed player I’ve ever worked with, now question. He had unbelievable ability and we should be talking about him as one of Europe’s best. Unfortunately, I got him when he was about 35.

"I inherited him, Doctor Venglos brought him in. A 26 or 27-year-old Moravcik must have been some player - you should hear what Zinedine Zidane says about him, incredibly complimentary.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.