Celtic’s Martin O’Neill on Kilmarnock’s Big Test in Pre-Match Presser

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Celtic manager Martin O’Neill addressed a supporters’ meeting, and the fans who gathered outside it, ahead of the Scottish Premiership Matchweek 13 game against Kilmarnock. The match kicks off at 4pm on Sunday 8 November.

His comments dealt with how the club faces difficult periods, whether supporters’ questions were answered, and the presence of masked fans before the meeting. Celtic lead the table, but they lost 2-0 at Falkirk in their last match.

Facing up to bad times

“Well, I think when things are going really well at the football club, you can take all the plaudits and all that you want. At the end of the day, there are bad times and I think that you should face up to that.”

What he said

O’Neill said that a club enjoying good times takes the praise, and that the same club has to confront the bad times when they arrive.

What he meant

This reads as an acknowledgement that Celtic are going through a difficult spell, and that he does not intend to avoid it. The results fit that: Celtic have lost three of their last six matches, including the 2-0 defeat at Falkirk on 1 November, and drew 2-2 with Dundee United three days earlier.

The same run includes a 7-1 win over Hearts and a 2-1 win at Hibernian, so the picture is mixed rather than uniformly poor.

Were supporters’ questions answered?

“Was everything answered by the board and myself to their satisfaction? You’d have to ask the people there at the time what was there.”

What he said

Asked whether the board and he had answered supporters’ questions to their satisfaction, O’Neill said that those who attended would be better placed to say.

What he meant

He did not claim that fans left satisfied. That suggests he is not willing to speak for the supporters on whether the meeting settled their concerns.

The atmosphere inside the meeting

“There was no shouting”

What he said

O’Neill described the meeting itself as free of shouting.

What he meant

This is a clear statement that the meeting stayed calm, and he follows it by contrasting it with events outside and with the abandoned AGM last year. He appears to want the meeting remembered as orderly.

Masked fans outside the meeting

“It wasn’t like the (abandoned) AGM last year. The shouting had taken place before the meeting, you know? I mean, you are aware that people with balaclavas come up to the thing.”

What he said

O’Neill compared the meeting with last year’s abandoned AGM and said that the shouting took place before it began. He referred to people wearing balaclavas arriving at the venue.

What he meant

He places the tension outside the room rather than inside it. By pointing to the balaclavas, he separates the protest outside from the meeting itself.

The saddest thing

“To me, I think that was the saddest thing. Would I have ever, in any day, ever thought that Celtic fans would be clothed in balaclavas before a meeting?”

What he said

O’Neill called the sight of fans in balaclavas the saddest part of the occasion. He said he would never have expected Celtic supporters to dress that way before a meeting.

What he meant

This is the most personal point he makes. It points to a manager who is more affected by the mood around the club than by the Kilmarnock game itself.

Disappointment at the masks

“Even if they were disapproving of what was happening. I think that’s really disappointing.”

What he said

O’Neill added that he found it really disappointing even if the fans disapproved of what was happening.

What he meant

He allows that supporters may have grounds to object but draws a line at how they chose to show it. It is a measured criticism and not a dismissal of the fans’ concerns.

Confidence check: Measured

O’Neill’s comments were about the club’s relationship with its supporters, and the provided quotes contain nothing on Kilmarnock or his team selection. His tone is steady, but he accepts there are “bad times” and does not claim the fans’ questions were settled.

The table puts Celtic first on 28 points from 12 games, with 27 goals scored and 10 conceded. Kilmarnock are 11th on 9 points, with 13 scored and 28 conceded, and have won two of their 12 league games.

Against that, Celtic have lost three of their last six, and Kilmarnock have taken one win, two draws and three defeats from theirs. Celtic will be without A. Johnston (leg injury) and Yang Hyun-Jun (hamstring).

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