Exclusive:What Hibs boss thinks of Martin O’Neill still winning at 73 – and Shaun Maloney ‘strong influence’ on Celtic
Exclusive: What Hibs boss thinks of Martin O’Neill still winning at 73 – and Shaun Maloney ‘strong influence’ on Celtic.
On Sunday, the Easter Road side will be pursuing their first Celtic Park win in over SIXTEEN years. What is the biggest threat to Hibs at Celtic Park on Sunday? Easy.
The modestly built, bespectacled, quick-thinking 73-year-old patrols the technical sector with the zeal of a much younger guy.
Easter Road manager David Grey freely admits that any squad headed by Martin O’Neill, who is currently in his third tour of duty as Hoops manager after being asked back to clean up the wreckage left by Wilfried Nancy’s terrible 33-day reign of uncertainty, will cause problems for opponents.
There’s a reason why so many Celtic fans, still enraged by Nancy’s rash departure from footballing common sense, want the seasoned Irishman to continue beyond the end of the season.
Maloney is right-hand man to O’Neill
Grey, who will confront not just O’Neill but also the former Hibernian boss Shaun Maloney, the young coach assisting the wily old manager in Sunday’s Scottish Premiership match, believes his team has what it takes to make history this weekend.
The former club captain appreciates the significance of the challenge, as they seek their first away win against Celtic in almost 16 years. And it begins with his opposing number.
“Martin O’Neill has certainly stood the test of time,” said Grey, who is only in his second season in management.
“He’s been at it for a very very long time, and he’s been very tremendously successful everywhere he’s gone. “That does not happen by accident.
There is a level of expertise and understanding there that you must recognise and comprehend. The fact that he’s still in the game and performing at such a high level says something.
“I’m putting myself to the test by playing against his team. Even if you believe that the last time we played at Easter Road, it was to test myself against a very successful manager.”So I believe we are aware of that.
I am well aware of this, and I am looking forward to the task. While Grey has only observed O’Neill from afar, the current Hibs manager worked under the guy who is currently in charge.
Two at Celtic. Shaun Maloney lasted only four months at Easter Road, the highly respected coach suffering the price for failing to put his ideas into performances, but he is still regarded as an important member of the Hoops backroom staff. Grey believes the former Scotland forward’s impact can be seen in Celtic’s performance, stating:
“Shaun’s a very good coach, we know that, very good on the pitch, very knowledgeable in the way he wants to see the game.” I believe he has – and will have – a significant influence there.
“That is to be expected given his level of experience and qualities. So that’s definitely there. “You can see a mirror of that in the way Celtic plays. This adds to the problem. “It doesn’t help that I’ve already worked with him.
Because things have changed while he was here. “All we can do each week is focus on what we believe will offer us the best chance of winning a football game. It’s always challenging. We do not expect this one to be any different.
“History tells you that this is a difficult venue for us. Hibs has not won the league since 2010, which is a long time ago.
“I think we had some really nice performances there, but we didn’t win. Obviously, our goal is to change that.
Schedule favours visitors seeking first Celtic Park win since January 2010
Celtic were pushed to their limits by Kilmarnock on Sunday, with the visitors holding on until deep into injury time to secure a 3-2 victory that offers them the opportunity to draw level with league leaders Hearts if they win their game in hand.
Tomorrow night, they face VfB Stuttgart in the opening leg of their Europa League play-off in Glasgow, followed by their third game in a week against Hibs on Sunday.
Gray’s side, on the other hand, will have had an eight-day gap between games when they visit Celtic Park. While Grant Hanley and Chris Cadden are both recovering from injuries, January addition Munashe Garananga may be available after missing the weekend’s win over St Mirren due to an ankle injury received on derby duty at Tynecastle.Hibernian will still be without Josh Mulligan.
But club captain Joe Newell, who hasn’t played since starting in the 0-0 home tie with Rangers earlier this month, should have recovered from a minor hip ailment.
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