Martin O’Neill has admitted he takes great satisfaction in proving he can still succeed in management as he prepares to reach a major milestone in his career.
Celtic’s visit to Stuttgart will mark O’Neill’s 1,000th game as a professional manager, a statistic he was completely unaware of until he was informed this week. O’Neill, 73, is in his second spell in charge of Celtic this season and a third overall, having managed the club from 2000 to 2005.
“When I got here in the first term, my biggest concern was not to ruin anything from 20-plus years ago,” O’Neill said. “If you couldn’t win a game, you’d be considered too old. Turns out that shouldn’t have been as big of a worry in my head as it was. Of course you like to show that you can still win, otherwise you’d be telling lies.
“I’ve had a few calls from senior managers, it would be unfair to say who. It would be too strong to say I’m raising the flag, but it was like they said, ‘We can still do it.'”
O’Neill joins the likes of Alex Ferguson, Brian Clough, Jürgen Klopp and José Mourinho on the League Managers Association’s 1,000-game honors list. O’Neill was in his typically entertaining form as he recalled the start of his managerial career, which came at Wycombe from 1990 onwards.
“I once did an interview at Bradford City,” he said. “It was January 1987, Trevor Cherry had just been sacked. I think 10 were interviewed for the job, they all had better credentials than me because they had been managers, but I was the only one who was asked to come back. “Only an Irishman can come in last and fail it.
“I didn’t get the job in Wycombe the first time, I lost an interview. I remember it clearly. I went for an interview on Sunday morning and they took me out pretty quickly. No, I don’t have the credentials.”
The most pressing issue has to do with facing a Stuttgart team that occupies fourth place in the Bundesliga and is therefore the big favorite to advance to the round of 16 of the Europa League after its round-trip playoff. O’Neill dismissed the feeling that Europe would be a problem as Celtic engage in a tense battle for the Scottish Premiership.
“If you can compete here with them it will surely give you confidence as they are a good team,” the Celtic boss said ahead of Thursday’s first leg. “As long as we are here, let’s go for it. If they show their form in the Bundesliga, these will be difficult nights for us, but I want us to worry about ourselves and not what the opponent can do.”
Sebastian Hoeness, Stuttgart coach, distrusts the Scottish champion. “Celtic have individual class and have strengthened again in the winter,” he said. “We need to be cool and efficient. I still remember the atmosphere we saw here a few years ago. We are sure it will be fantastic.”