“Transfers! Wondering when that was coming out. All right. Cheerio, lads, OK?” Martin O’Neill

Martin O’Neill spoke to the Mainstream Media yesterday afternoon after Celtic’s 2-1 win over Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership than keeps Celtic three points clear of the chasing pack with nine points with Hearts, Dundee and St Mirren all on six points…

Celtic manager Martin O’Neil lis seen during the Scottish Premiership 2026/27 match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 29, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Meanwhile today tenth placed the Rangers travel north to play ninth placed Aberdeen at Pittodrie. The Dons currently have three points while Derek McInnes has managed just one point so far and is currently eight points behind the Scottish Champions and league leaders Celtic.

Here’s everything Martin O’Neill had to say post-match and a reminder that eight months on the Celtic fan media remains banned pending the club’s claim that a review would be taking place. Aye right Iain!

Camilo Duran of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Scottish Premiership 2026/27 match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 29, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Are you pleased with the response to Tuesday night?

Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, it’s been a tough old four days for us. And yeah, it was a big concern today, just physically, the 120 minutes, the disappointment of losing and the psychological aspect of all of that there. But it was a response, it was a good response today. And we missed a lot of great chances to wrap the game up.

“I always felt that Falkirk were never out of it at 2-0, as it so proved. So just to win the game today, it was great. I would be disappointed if we had dropped points from the number of chances that we created. We were in the back foot the last 10 or 15 minutes of the game, naturally, because of the goal that we conceded.”

Haissem Hassan of Celtic vies with Leon McCann of Falkirk during the Scottish Premiership 2026/27 match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 29, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Are you quite pleased with the response from the supporters as well? We didn’t really know what would happen after last year in Europe and all that kind of stuff?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, do you know, as we got off the bus, the crowd actually cheered us, you know, which was unexpected and something that we probably didn’t deserve. So, yeah, I was really pleased.”

Q: When Luke McCowan came on, there was a good ovation for him?

Martin O’Neill: “Was there? I don’t know where I was at that stage. My head had gone. Well, that was nice if that’s the case, you know, really nice. But as I said, getting off the bus, the team, we got clapped, which was one I wasn’t expecting, I genuinely didn’t think we deserved it.”

Camilo Duran of Celtic celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 29, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: You moved Camilo inside, what did you think of his performance?

Martin O’Neill: “He was brilliant. He’s brilliant. He was brilliant because he is brilliant. You know, he’s a really good player. I’m going to try and learn some proper Spanish so I can have a conversation with him, really. But he’s great, honestly, really great. I should have done that years ago, anyway, you know. I always wanted to manage Celta Vigo, but you know…”

Q: How’s Callum McGregor?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, he must be really ill because he would not miss a training session. I spoke to him very, very briefly on Friday and he was still recovering. Felt a bit better than he did before. I think it was all of the things he’s had. And yeah, so he’s never been ill. He’s had the little injuries here in my time, but he’s never been ill. I knew last night that he wouldn’t make it for the game. I’m hoping a couple of days and he’ll be back for us.”

Kasper Hogh of Celtic is seen prior to the Scottish Premiership 2026/27 match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 29, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: And what about Kasper Hogh?

Martin O’Neill: “Kasper’s got, I don’t know the medical terms, I don’t know, abductor thing here at this minute. And I thought that for we’re going to go, that was the first of seven games in 20, 21, 22 days. So it’s a matter of just keeping, keeping an eye on him. I’m hoping he’ll be fit for for Wednesday. I’m really not sure. But I’m hoping he will be, you know?

13h May 2026; Fir Park, Scottish Premiership, Motherwell versus Celtic; Reo Hatate of Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: Reo Hatate wasn’t in the squad today, is that because of a potential exit?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, it’s a good point, but Reo wasn’t fit to play. He wasn’t fit. He strained himself in training and ruled himself out of contention.”

Q: Have you got any concerns about the fitness of the squad? Players are pulling up maybe towards the end of the game, struggling towards the latter part?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, when we went to pre-season, you know, a lot of the senior players weren’t there for one reason or another. We had Callum, we had Carter-Vickers. We had maybe four. So essentially it was, it was the youth lads, you know, like young Kennedy and people like that. And while they got a great benefit out of the pre-season, and I loved the pre-season that we did, it was really lovely, it wasn’t beneficial for those boys who were, coming back from World Cup duty.

Haissem Hassan of Celtic vies with Leon McCann of Falkirk during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 29, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“And Hassan, you know, after the World Cup gets an eight or ten day break, comes here, he was training on his own before. We have got to hang in there. We really have got to hang in until these boys get really true fitness, you know, proper fitness. I thought that we had enough problems last season with it, you know, players going down, like Kieran not finishing games. I think it was a problem with him today.

“But yeah, we’ve got to monitor that and we’ve got to get through these games. I thought that the Wednesday night game against LASK would bring that sort of fitness on because it’s a different level again. And then we do the 120 minutes and the disappointment. So pleased to have won. I take your point.”

8th March 2026 Ibrox , Scottish Cup Quarter Final. Rangers versus Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: It came out yesterday that the club had only 300 tickets for the cup game away at Rangers. What was your reaction to that?

Martin O’Neill: “Well, we might as well not get any, if that’s the case, you know, so. My view, taking off, you know, my Celtic manager’s hat, I’m just looking at it from a viewpoint. It’s one of the great fixtures. Even if the teams are not of the standard of, you know, let’s say Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, it is still a fantastic fixture.

“You realise how big it is in European games and in the world. People talk about it as a great game. And the best atmosphere is when the away fans have their allocation. That’s been my point the whole way. I thought from a distance, watching games when it was away, that it lost something.

8th March 2026 Ibrox , Scottish Cup Quarter Final. Rangers versus Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

“I remember, I think it came to one of these, one of the games here for Celtic and Rangers, and Rangers scored a goal in complete silence. So that’s not what you’re looking for. It’s still a crowd participation game. And that’s a shame. If these are the things that are happening because of it, if we’re both having to play behind closed doors for the next game if we’re at home, well, I don’t know. I’m not contesting that.

“But overall, it’s, you know, from a distance, it is a shame because it’s a phenomenal fixture. And when we played, we played the league game, and obviously, memory plays tricks on you at the end of the day, the league game where we were 2-0 down. I have not known noise like it at Ibrox for a long time, even in my day. Or so I think.

“It’s probably wrong, but it was phenomenal, you know. And just to be participating in that game gives you goosebumps. So that’s a shame. That’s a shame. But very obviously, if we’re going to, if they’re going to give us 300 tickets, I would rather say no. And we’ll give them one!”

Q: Is there a chance that Celtic don’t take the tickets?

Martin O’Neill: “I genuinely don’t know that there. I’ll ask my learned friend, Iain, but I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s just that was my viewpoint on the thing.”

Two Celtic fans are seen during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Falkirk at Celtic Park on August 29, 2026. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: What about transfers?

Martin O’Neill: “Transfers!  Wondering when that was coming out. All right. Cheerio, lads, OK?…We’re hopeful.

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