O’Neill terse on Celtic’s treble can you pick the most expensive canada goose parka day
Contract negotiations, canada goose coat – kensington like transfer discussions, need not be carried out in a half-light of nods, winks and reading between the lines – but in football they often are. And so it was, when Celtic beat Hibernian here on Saturday to complete their first clean sweep of all three domestic Scottish honours since 1969, the after-match entertainment lay in deciding which of the two managers was the less equivocal about his future.
It was Celtic’s Martin O’Neill, linked to the Manchester United job, who took advantage of the occasion to declare the stronger allegiance to his current employers. But given a similar opportunity, Hibernian’s Alex McLeish declined to kill off rumours of a move to West Ham to replace the departed Harry Redknapp.
McLeish added, in the wake of what proved a thrilling cup final, particularly in the first half, that his players would have to prove to him next term that they are not one-season wonders. But overall his was a mixed message that served only to fuel suspicions that he is soon to be an ex of the Easter Road parish.
Both managers are canny enough to know that a little idle interest from another club does no harm to their stock. O’Neill, however, has become increasingly irritated by the constant inquiries. Given barely a second to drink in the significance of adding the Tennent’s Scottish Cup to the Scottish Premier League and the CIS Insurance Cup – and in his first season at Celtic Park, too – here he was being asked again.
The chairman of Celtic plc, Brian Quinn, had already entered the fray by saying before kick-off that “Martin O’Neill will be at Celtic until the end of his contract at least. There has been no contact with Manchester United as far as I am aware. Martin is quite angry about the speculation. He is going nowhere.”
Yet the very first question to greet O’Neill as he sat down with print journalists after authenitc canada goose outlet store in gta with discount price the game was about Manchester United. Nothing about the treble he had just landed; indeed, nothing about O’Neill winning the treble in his first season when Jock Stein, whose legendary feats are the measure by which all Celtic managers are judged, did not.
“It’s just pure speculation and I can answer that question in about 30 seconds,” said O’Neill, clearly wearying of it. “I will start off next season at this club. If I lose a couple of matches at the start of next season, I will be under pressure and my next job could be at Maidenhead United. I’m very pleased to manage Celtic.”
At that, even the press had had enough. McLeish was even more curt. “I’m here to talk about the cup final,” he began. “I am best canada goose jacket for men certainly not going to get involved in any speculation. This is about Celtic and Hibs and I want to talk about my own team and staff.”
What can be said of O’Neill with certainty is that he has been talking in hyperbole for most of this season and he will not want for challenges to keep him interested for most of the next. As well as the defence of their three domestic trophies click cg, Celtic have the Champions League to look forward to, but they are unseeded and could find themselves first having to brush aside the likes of Liverpool or Valencia to make the competition proper.
“When you look at some of the teams in the pre-qualifying authenitc canada goose outlet store in gta with discount price stage, it could be tough going,” buy canada goose coat online said O’Neill. “But that’s part of the excitement of the job. We need a few extra top-quality players and I have had the opportunity these last two to three weeks to see possible signings. I know what we need, it’s just canada goose coat 1000 calorie a day diet a question of getting them.”
O’Neill reckons his squad needs to be expanded by four additional players and a board meeting scheduled for late this week or early next week should go a long way to determining how likely he is to achieve that ambition.
Another uncertainty concerns his striker Henrik Larsson, whose goal tally for the season finished on 53 following his two on Saturday, one from the penalty spot. Though the Swede has two years of his contract to run, talks have already been opened with a view to agreeing an extension.
“I had hoped something might have been worked out already but it buy canada goose jacket online canada has not,” said O’Neill. “But I’m not over-worried about it. Whatever Henrik is asking for, I’m sure I’ll be quite happy to give him.”
Celtic (3-5-2): Douglas; Mjallby, Vega, Valgaeren; Agathe, Lambert (Boyd, 78min), Lennon, Moravcik (McNamara, 17), Thompson (Johnson, 87); Sutton, Larsson.
Hibernian (3-5-2): benefits of canada goose jacket Colgan; Smith, Sauzee, Fenwick; Murray, Jack, Brebner (Arpinon, 60; Lovell, 80), O’Neil, Laursen; best canada goose jacket reddit Libbra, Paatelainen (Zitelli, 69).
Referee: K Clark.
Man of the match: Paul Lambert (Celtic).
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