MARTIN O’NEILL revealed he was floored when he was asked to return to Celtic after the dramatic departure of Brendan Rodgers.
The former manager, previously in charge for five years after arriving in the summer of 2000, was stunned to receive the call from Dermot Desmond to offer him the post in an interim capacity.
The shock waves caused by the sudden exit of Rodgers, who had previously vowed not to stage an action replay of his infamous February 2019 walk-out, rocked the club and the fanbase.
Principal shareholder Desmond wasted no time in turning to former fans’ favourite O’Neill and ex-player Shaun Maloney to take over while the club looked for a permanent replacement.
MAKE MINE A TREBLE…Martin O’Neill proudly displays the domestic silverware clean sweep after his memorable debut season in 2020/21.
With the champions due to play Falkirk at Parkhead tomorrow night in a crucial league encounter after the team’s back-to-back losses against Dundee and Hearts, the former boss was quick to accept the challenge.
Seventy-three-year-old O’Neill said: “I got a call yesterday, late afternoon or early evening, from Dermot Desmond, asking would I step in because Brendan had resigned from the football club.
“It was shock news as much as anything else. It shocked me, too.
“He asked me to step into the breach on a short-term deal for them until a manager is appointed.
“Like everything else, I took a gasp of breath, and thought: ‘Is this real? Or surreal?’ It’s difficult to turn down the man who gave me the job in the first place 25 years ago.
“By the time I’d pulled myself off the floor, I thought then maybe I should do it.”
Asked if his heart was ruling his head, O’Neill, speaking to talkSPORT, answered: “Who knows? It’s short-term. Celtic maybe are stunned by the news that Brendan left. As a consequence, they are seeking a permanent manager, so this is a short-term fit.
CELTIC VIEWS…Martin O’Neill chats to legendary skipper Scott Brown.
“Interim means interim. From my perspective, Celtic are looking for a young coach coming in now who has proven ability. That’s how I view it and if I’m a Celtic fan just now, that’s absolutely how I would view it.
“I’m just keeping the seat warm.
“Managers have to win football matches and, at Celtic, that’s always the case. If we can win some matches, that would give us some buying time until the new man is appointed.”
After Falkirk tomorrow night, Celtic defend their trophy at Hampden on Sunday in the Premier Sports League Cup semi-final against an Ibrox club with new man Danny Rohl in charge for only his fourth game.
O’Neill added: “If I’d seen the fixture list, I possibly wouldn’t have taken it. That’s supposed to be a joke, but I don’t hear you laughing!
“It’s come as a bit of a shock which I’m sure you can hear from my voice. But I’m working with Shaun, we go back years.
“He’s experienced in management now and I’m sure he’ll be a big help.”
ALEX’S ANGLE: BRENDAN BACKFIRE
