‘MIGHT BE TIME TO WRAP IT UP,’ ADMITS O’NEILL

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MARTIN O’NEILL winced as he witnessed Celtic collapse to defeat for a third time in only eight days.

The champions blew the opportunity to open an eight-point gap on Derek McInnes’ team with another mystifyingly insipid performance in front of a 60,000 sell-out crowd at Parkhead yesterday.

The Hoops also saw their 100 per cent Premiership record obliterated by their city rivals who also knocked them out of the Premier Sports League Cup at Ibrox the previous weekend.

In between the two all-Glasgow encounters, the team were also walloped 3-1 by Ferencavros in the Europa League under the lights in the east end of Glasgow on Thursday night.

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MAKING A POINT…Martin O’Neill speaks to Sky Sports.

There is now a three-week break due to Scotland’s participation in the UEFA Nations League and 74-year-old O’Neill has admitted he will take stock as his future comes under intense scrutiny.

The veteran team coach said: “I genuinely will reflect and see. It’s a matter of whether I can help the team. The manager is supposed to be able to do that. I will look at that this week.

“I think every single time something crops up and things don’t go so well, age plays a part.

“And, do you know what, they might be right. I’ll be 110 in two years’ time, so it might be time to wrap it up.

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“I will reflect on the games and speak to the board. You never know, they may well want to speak to me.

“I’ll try to get a couple of days away and see how it goes.”

Asked what would happen if he decided he could not improve his ailing team who have conceded seven goals and netted only one in three outings, O’Neill, speaking to Sky Sports, answered: “By that time, I will promise you, I’ll let you know.

“I don’t know. I’ll have a look.

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DON’T LOOK NOW…Martin O’Neill holds his head in his hands after watching Kieran Tierney’s shot hit the crossbar.

“I’m not immune from criticism. Far from it. Absolutely and utterly far from it.

“I think there’s every reason to ask: ‘Can you turn this round? Can you change the whole thing?'”

O’Neill added: “We are two points clear, so I have to kind of look at the bigger picture at this minute.

“But I knew that we were in a big, big fight anyway, with both ourselves, Rangers, and Hearts again, who are far from out of anything.

“It’s a long season ahead. It’s not the first time I’ve been questioned about my managerial time.

“So, yeah, I’ll have a look at it. I will reflect and see.”

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