Martin O’Neill says he’d be open to meeting with the banned Green Brigade ultras group as he hopes to help bring supporters and board back together
Martin O’Neill is prepared to step into Celtic’s boardroom battle and attempt to broker a truce with the Green Brigade.
The returning hero wants the ultras group back inside Parkhead and is hoping the broader fanbase can come together ahead of a pivotal title fight. The Green Brigade have been shut out since early November and hit with an indefinite suspension over a series of off-field incidents.
They are amongst hundreds of supporters’ groups backing the Celtic Fans Collective, who have spearheaded protests and boycotts against the embattled hierarchy following a catastrophic summer transfer window. With passionate fans and senior officials embroiled in a bitter standoff, O’Neill has put himself forward as a mediator, reports the Daily Record.
He said: “Right, do you know what I think? In the longer, shorter term, I wouldn’t mind having a meeting with a group of people just for people airing their grievances and things like this here.
“But, listen, I’m a football manager. It’s ridiculous of me and rather obnoxiously ridiculous of me to think that I can resolve a problem. What you can do is, I think that you can have a bit of a truce, if that’s the case.
“I’d love it if the stadium was absolutely just ready to go and ready to support the players through thick and thin because it will be a difficult time.
“And I did say, too, that I thought initially when I came here, first of all, and I kind of half-joked about how Daizen Maeda or Reo Hatate wouldn’t know if that’s the case (ill-feeling). But it does wear you down a bit, you know.
“So, it would be nice to have people together, but that’s unfair of me to think that I would be able to do anything about it.
“We’d have to try and win the football matches and that quells things for a little while. That’s all it does.
“But eventually at some stage, whatever comes and goes, the board and supporters will have to come back into unison.”
The Celtic Fans Collective have urged acting chairman Brian Wilson to meet with them, cautioning that frustration has hit “breaking point.” They reveal 142 supporter buses have approached them regarding a possible boycott for an upcoming home fixture.
O’Neill remains hopeful it won’t reach that stage and believes a full Celtic Park will provide his title-hunting team with the optimal opportunity to secure silverware this campaign.
He commented: “Of course, I think that’s what we’d all like. We might discuss this later… but right now, I just have to focus on trying to win a game or two. I think that does help. It doesn’t solve the problem, but it might calm things down a bit.”
Meanwhile, O’Neill admitted he felt devastated for Wilfried Nancy following the Frenchman’s dismissal merely 33 days into his role. O’Neill revealed that the former Columbus Crew manager commanded respect at Lennoxtown, despite suffering six defeats in eight matches and struggling to successfully introduce a dramatic tactical overhaul.
He explained: “If you turned round and said you did feel sorry for an outgoing manager, people would say it’s nonsense. But I did because as a person, he was really respected.
“There’s not been one bad word said about him or his backroom staff. Seriously, not one bad word. He was really well-liked in that aspect.
“It’s just that whatever it is, you have to win football games regardless of what system you have or don’t have or want to implement.
“I didn’t know this until last night that I was longer here as interim than he was as manager. That’s actually quite sad. But that’s the nature of the game.”
O’Neill has now been charged with hauling Celtic back into the title fight as they sit six points behind league leaders Hearts and three behind Rangers, who have played a game more.
Following his success in guiding the Hoops to seven victories in eight during his previous interim stint, O’Neill is optimistic that he and his well-regarded coaching team of Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham can rebuild confidence and return the fallen champions to winning form.
He added: “I think they are quite pleased to see Shaun and Fotheringham. Maybe less pleased to see me.
“I think they are fine. They need to get back to winning. Some of the players will be glad to see me; some of those who I left out of the team won’t be!”
