The multi-league winning manager made a public transfer claim to take the Celtic role
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill feels the team are determined to end their poor record in Dundee when they leave Dens Park on Sunday.
O’Neill issues a Celtic appeal
The champions have lost three times at City of Discovery this season, under three different managers, the most recent being a 2-0 defeat at Tannadice two weeks ago.
They were on the receiving end of the same result on the road in October, Dundee’s first home win over Celtic since Tommy Coyne scored the winner in 1988.
A fourth defeat on the same road will leave Celtic facing a huge uphill battle to retain the William Hill Premiership title and O’Neill’s men are eager to add to their Tayside record.
“The players who are not playing in other countries get a few days off and we practice for a whole week,” he said.
“The training, the way they trained, I think it gives you good confidence in that sense.
“Yes, I’ve seen teams that practiced with great enthusiasm, things ended up not happening at the weekend.
“Honestly, I think it’s the players themselves, we’re all looking at it. I’m sure the players have thought about playing individually and they want to try to fix it if they can.”
Dundee have eased their concerns about a dip in form since late December but manager Steven Pressley is adamant that things are likely to get worse in the coming weeks.
“As long as we focus on doing what is needed and doing and improving we hope we can get over the line, but if it takes the last game of the season, that’s what it takes, and we have to be aware of that,” he said.
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The Hoops are on the lookout for their next manager forever.
“My time in football tells me that whatever meaningful thing you have achieved, you will never get there without struggle, without uncertainty, without difficulties.
“It has never been easy and we must be ready for the challenges that the coming weeks will present.”
Dundee have the chance to go back to winning ways against Celtic in the league for the first time since 1972.
“I like to throw statistics at the players,” said Pressley. “It’s like letters to me and I think the players are like that, they like the challenges we put in front of them. The reason we’ve improved so much as a club is the way the players are playing, they were very bad at the time.
|
Celtic’s most expensive sale ever |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Level |
The player |
Money |
It has been sold |
A year |
|
=1 |
Matt O’Riley |
£25m |
Brighton |
2024 |
|
=1 |
Jota |
£25m |
Al-Ittihad |
2023 |
|
=1 |
Kieran Tierney |
£25m |
Arsenal |
2019 |
|
4 |
Moussa Dembele |
£19.7m |
Lyon |
2018 |
|
5 |
Nicholas Kuhn |
£16.5m |
Como |
2025 |
“The Hearts result (1-0 defeat before half-time) was our first defeat in six games.
“I think it’s the longest time the club has been in the Premiership for a number of years without losing, so it says a lot about the players.”
O’Neill rules out the need for a transfer to take a new role at Celtic
The manager of Celtic, who has won three times in the Premiership when he started running in this club, revealed that he will be open to a new position as a consultant next season, but only under certain conditions.
O’Neill wants a manager who has the final say on all transfer matters working under the committee, per the Glasgow Times.
“I don’t know that at all. It’s not that I don’t want to (stay next season).
“Even though we had a little time last week, when we could have had time to do something, I didn’t have a conversation with Michael (Nicholson) about that outcome.
“If it was a new manager coming in, I probably wouldn’t care who’s on the board and who’s not – as long as there’s a signing committee and as long as the manager has the final say.”
Celtic are expected to consider Craig Bellamy and Jens Berthel Askou at the end of the season, but it is unclear whether they would be happy under this – and much-maligned – structure.
