Does Martin O'Neill need Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham? - Record Celtic

[00:00:00]Listen, we all know Martin O'Neill's is a, I mean, a fantastic manager. I mean, in the terms of the word manager rather than rather than a coach. But, what does it say about Celtic in terms of their planning for the future? I mean, they're they're probably handing out We need to sign 12, 13 players. They're going to make them three- or four-year contracts.

[00:00:16]We saw it happen under Ange Postecoglou, and those guys pretty much carried Celtic for the next four years.

[00:00:22]So, this next bunch of a batch of signings are going to be the ones that are yeah, potentially going to be the ones that are sold on for big money or or create the next group for Celtic to compete for trophies and in Europe. So, you're putting that in charge of Martin O'Neill, who's admitted himself he's been out of the game He's been out of the game for 6 years. Um He left his club in the middle of the four laps and other 6, 7 years in Ireland manager. So, he's he's merely 15 years away from being a club manager.

[00:00:47]Pretty period of time in terms of building, so he's going to need help.

[00:00:51]And at the moment, where is this help? I mean, you touched on it there. Um you're going to have to have the coaching staff.

[00:00:57]Obviously, the the the talk is there's there's >> a kind of um >> stumbling block about um Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham coming back in. I can understand in Well, that the reason why that's taking a bit of time because it's it's not that straightforward. I think Celtic fans think they were part of the success, a big part of the success last season. Get out of the fire, give them the job, give them what they want, give them the job. But, it's not quite as as clear-cut as that. I mean, Maloney's got a job at Celtic.

[00:01:25]He's got to renegotiate his terms and if he did take that job as a as a coach.

[00:01:30]And then, step away from a kind of safe job into a kind of maybe a bit more volatile position.

[00:01:36]As he was talking of being in a head of operations, which would be a different kind of job, which I think he was was heavily touted for.

[00:01:43]So, that's complicated. Mark Fotheringham as well, from what what I can gather, I know the big headlines are obviously pay cuts and that's and and and they offered less wages. I think yeah.

[00:01:52]Um maybe fairly fairly true, I think.

[00:01:56]But, then again, I think he's brought in as emergency backup last season. He would have got a higher premium. If you think you can imagine a contractor coming in to help somebody out, rescue a job, you don't may not get the same money as a staff member as you would as a contractor. That's just the the way the business is. If you're going to be number three coach, you may not get that same money that Martin and Shaun wanted in that door to help you out. So, that's complicated. I understand why Folly would want to get a um to be staying in the same kind of money, but it may not be possible.

[00:02:23]But, what I would ask is, what does Martin need Maloney and Folly in him?

[00:02:28]Or is that another issue that I think needs to be addressed because we know there was conflict in that managerial coaching department about how Celtic played.

[00:02:38]I mean, they mentioned it. They'll admit it that that Shaun Maloney and Folly's vision wasn't the same as Martin O'Neill's.

[00:02:44]Who won that battle in the end? I think perhaps the Maloney-Folly dynamic changed the way they played back to the way they played before.

[00:02:52]But, this is a team that's going to have to change its ways of playing to pursue Martin. Now, Martin is now the manager.

[00:02:56]He'll be calling the shots. So, does he need what Maloney and Folly are doing or are they are they going a different direction? Or what do you see it Shaun?

[00:03:04]>> It's an interesting dynamic the way you've put that.

[00:03:07]Michael, you know, when you were saying that that um you know, who eventually seemed to to to win it and the fact that Celtic emerged from the season with the two trophies that they had to go for when when the the management team came back in would tell you that it worked and it would tell you that Martin would probably want that again. So, I don't know. I take your point about you [clears throat] know, Martin maybe wanting to do it his way, but you know, Martin's clearly open to the fact that it may not it that may not always be the way forward or that may not be the way that that is suitable to the squad and that comes back to your point. It's a massive question about what happens with the recruitment then. Does Does Can he put a manager in and not play the way he wants to play?

[00:03:48]>> He will. Celtic can.

[00:03:50]But, how can he Listen, you made the point you made the point, Michael, quite lately run about springtime when there was discussions about who might get the manager's job. We both spoke about it when Yiannis Boutsalis' name was kicking about. And you made the point that you can't put a coach in there at the moment because the structure in behind is not there. The structure in behind still isn't there. That's why I think Martin's the manager because he it's it's almost like the the sticking plaster of the safe house. Martin needs to hold the fort again for another year while they desperately try and sort out the mess that's in behind. All the appointments that should have been made that haven't been made yet. And and now he's going to have to oversee it while all that's going on in the background. So, I can see a status quo where Martin's the Martin's there as the figurehead.

[00:04:34]Martin's there as the figurehead.

[00:04:35]Martin's the guy that can tell fans off from the top of the board and nobody comes back at him and I probably motivated our players. I can see that working again. I can actually see it working. I know your point about you can't appoint a manager and not play his way. I think in this situation that could happen because it is only for a year. I think they might just go down the same path again that they did in the last four or five months of the season.

[00:04:57]>> Look, clearly that's what they are doing but I just think >> That's what they're doing. That's what they're doing because they haven't sorted out what's happening in the background, Michael. They haven't sorted out. They've They've had ages to sort it out since Walter left the club and it's not been sorted. Now, Martin's going to have to hold the fort again while you know, I glide along the top of the water while the feet are thrashing underneath as they try and sort it out but everything still tells you as it You could be sitting here next year having the same conversation.

[00:05:22]>> But Mar- Martin did say many times towards the end of that season that it that Tottenham were talking about styles of player. It was quite He was getting questioned for a for a period of time and this the football was pretty brutal.

[00:05:31]And it was It looked confused what they were doing in the park. It didn't look as though they were chopping and changing styles. But Martin did say several times, "It's different if I had a full preseason to implement my own style, it would be different." Well, now he's going to get a full preseason. I just can't see how he's going to acquiesce to having coaches having more say in terms of of tactics and set up and just being the guy who motivates the troops and talks to the press.

[00:05:57]Cuz a manager that's they are big parts of being a manager, but also setting the the standard and and and nailing down the way a team plays is also a big part of a manager.

[00:06:07]So, he might I think he might want to think put his own stamp on it now.

[00:06:12]>> The summer recruitment Michael, if it ever happens >> Who's Who's running the summer recruitment?

[00:06:17]>> My again, but there we go. We go back to our point again that it's a sticking plaster while everything else in the background is a mess.

[00:06:23]>> And with with Martin O'Neill as well, one thing that's always been he's always relied on his coaches as a that's been a massive part that that's the you know how the old school Brian Clough way show up on a Friday Coaching matters to Martin O'Neill than most managers anyway, and he obviously had something with Mo Johnston and maybe I think the point you made there Mick was fascinating about how um just about his own vision and like obviously Mo Johnston and their own view on things as well but how it would run, but I think O'Neill's it has to it has to be good around O'Neill and it always was with Steve Walford, John Robertson. He had a great coaching team that he trusted and it seemed to have that last season, but it has to be right because obviously you want to do more, but as you say about his his magic touch like he's he's kind of inspirational quotes, great with the media, is very important, but the coaching has to be right like that's you could feel that as well that last season like when it wasn't it was massive problem, so >> So, that's what I'm talking about the short-termism. So, they're going to hand out three and four-year contracts to half a dozen big hitting first team signings that aren't going to fit perhaps a Martin O'Neill team.

[00:07:26]But what if Martin thinks after another year he's 75 and thinks, you know what?

[00:07:29]I'm now I'm pretty knackered. I'm going to step step aside, keep them winning the title. But listen, sorry, you're right. Is there a chance he could go and do it again? But he steps aside and the next manager is going to have a Martin O'Neill team to come into. And if you've got a Yiannis Bafaloukos or whoever, I mean the the kid up and come and train the coach in the Bundesliga.

[00:07:48]You mean the one that kind of team that I mean I was supposed to call the left a team that was was perfectly suited for a Brendan Rodgers.

[00:07:55]That's not what suited Martin O'Neill.

[00:07:57]So, what's going to happen then? I just think it's I I I just again it's back to what you're saying about about answers.

[00:08:04]Celtic are are a complete puzzle right now. What what direction do they want to go in? What do they want to do? I mean they're taking kind of short-term solutions which I understand because they're they're fairly safe. Short-term solutions, but what does it mean for the long term? What is it What is the the vision for the next couple of years?

[00:08:21]It's hard to see it. It looks muddled to me.

[00:08:23]>> Celtic have become absolute masters of kicking a can down the road.

[00:08:26]>> Yeah.

[00:08:27]>> Last season doing it. Even with the recruitment stuff just bringing in loans loans kicked kicked the can down the road again just to get through it.

[00:08:34]When when everybody knew that the January required major surgery with the squad. There was there was nothing really done. And it just ended up succession of loans. Kicked the can down the road again. Kicked it down the road but I feel like it's been kicked down the road again.

[00:08:48]>> Yeah. I do I just think it doesn't the club it doesn't modernize really. I mean again I mean having you >> The fans have been saying that for years.

[00:08:57]>> Yeah. I mean Dermot doesn't pick your managers and that's fine when when you're bringing these big hitters but at some point you need to have some sort of longer term plan in place.