Over these past few months, Martin O’Neill has appeared regularly on talkSPORT. Speaking to Jim White and Simon Jordan, a show on which he was once a pundit, O’Neill has often been colourful and entertaining.
But he let himself down badly on Monday during a heated exchange when asked about the shameful scenes at the end of Celtic’s title-clinching win over Hearts.
O’Neill refused to condemn the hordes of supporters who ran on to the pitch. When it was put to him that the whole thing had embarrassed Scottish football, O’Neill batted it away as ‘nonsense’.
On the issue of Hearts players being accosted by Celtic supporters on the pitch, O’Neill took aim at what he felt was ‘hyperbole’.
Martin O’Neill applauds the Celtic fans after their dramatic last day title win against Hearts
He also completely contradicted himself – and his club – in what became nothing short of an absolute car crash of an interview.
‘The fact is that when we scored the third goal, the game was essentially over, there were about eight seconds left, or whatever the case may be,’ said O’Neill in reference to the Callum Osmand goal which made it 3-1.
That was completely at odds with what he said post-match on Saturday. The game never actually finished. O’Neill himself confirmed this to be true.
Speaking after the match, O’Neill revealed that the fourth official had told him there was still around a minute to play after Osmand had scored.
It was only when Derek McInnes sought him out in the tunnel for a handshake that he realised the whole thing had been brought to a finish.
As a club, Celtic released a statement on Sunday night in which they issued an apology to Hearts for the post-match chaos.
Then, not even 24 hours later, O’Neill pops up on national radio sounding more than a little rattled whilst branding much of the fallout as ‘nonsense’.
Derek McInnes and Martin O’Neill shake hands before Saturday’s title decider
Perhaps he was not aware of what awaited him when agreed to do the interview. Perhaps he thought it would be cosy chat with his old chums. Plenty of bonhomie and back-slapping.
He certainly didn’t sound like someone who had a proper handle on their brief. White and Jordan had him squirming and tied him in knots.
In a way, this is unfortunate. He is a 74-year-old man who really doesn’t need the hassle of all this any more. What ought to have been a fairytale finale to his Celtic career is being overshadowed.
It’s a shame that he has been caught up in all of this. But sentiment does not excuse his comments. The lack of condemnation on his part was, frankly, a disgrace.
It was contradictory, one-eyed piffle from a man whose standing among the Celtic supporters elevates him to a platform where his words could hold weight and make a difference if he wanted to.
O’Neill played to the galleries. He should be better than that. His comment about the Scottish Cup game at Ibrox was also disingenuous.
Becoming increasingly agitated as White grilled him, O’Neill said: ‘Was it not seen at Ibrox when both sets of fans came on to the pitch?’
For the avoidance of doubt, it was Celtic fans who spilled on to the pitch first on that occasion, with Rangers fans then retaliating.
This is an important distinction as it is Celtic who seem unable or unwilling to get a grip on their supporters with regards to pitch invasions.
As written extensively in these pages over recent days, what happened at Parkhead and around Glasgow city centre last weekend was shameful.
How we move forward from this – and prevent it from ever happening again – should now be the focus of everyone’s attention.
But when someone like O’Neill – the figurehead of a club and a man who holds iconic status in the eyes of fans – refuses to call it out, he becomes part of the problem.
This is a time for leadership and accountability, not deflection, denial and whataboutery. These attitudes remain deeply corrosive to Scottish football.
The failure to condemn these pitch-invading morons in the strongest possible terms only enables and empowers them.
Celtic supporters pour on to the pitch during their title decider against Hearts
It demonstrates a casual tolerance to an issue which has now become a real problem across Scottish football.
Here’s the thing. Celtic have a Scottish Cup Final coming up against Dunfermline on Saturday afternoon.
Suppose they score another late winner. What happens then? Would fans spill on to the pitch once again?
There’s nothing to say that won’t happen. Given what O’Neill has said on the matter, these yobs will feel they can get away with doing it all over again.
This should be a time of celebration for O’Neill. If the cup final is to be his farewell, winning a double should see him bow out on an incredible high.
But the mask has slipped this week. The persona of being a loveable, infectious and dittery old man doesn’t quite wash any longer.
The ramifications of what happened last weekend will be felt for quite some time, probably long after O’Neill has left the scene.
His denial and deflection leave a sour taste. His lack of condemnation is an affront to Derek McInnes and the Hearts players.
To borrow a line from the man himself, his interview on the radio amounted to little more than a pile of nonsense.
