Pat Bonner told ‘you can’t be serious’ as his Martin O’Neill Celtic claim leaves BBC pundits stunned

Martin O’Neill headed for the exit door with a win for Celtic on Wednesday night, just like he deserved.

After weeks of speculation and noise around when Wilfried Nancy would be appointed, Celtic’s 1-0 win over Dundee in the Premiership was O’Neill’s final bow as interim boss.

It could have been a lot different, because some wanted O’Neill to remain in charge for a little longer, including Celtic’s League Cup final clash against St Mirren at Hampden on December 14.

But Pat Bonner’s take on the whole matter, as O’Neill said his goodbyes, left his fellow BBC pundits surprised.

Pat Bonner on Martin O’Neill not taking charge of Celtic’s League Cup final

When Nancy’s arrival was officially announced just before the Dundee match, Bonner told BBC Radio Scotland that O’Neill would have been ‘absolutely happy’ to get out at that point.

Celtic’s Treble-winning boss took charge of eight matches and won seven in all competitions, including against Rangers at Hampden and away in Europe against Feyenoord.

Of course, there could have been a League Cup trophy to go with it, which would have been O’Neill’s eighth trophy as the manager of Celtic.

But Bonner stated the cup final and being able to lift that trophy ‘probably doesn’t matter a lot to him’, which left the likes of Tom English and Richard Gordon surprised.

Pat Bonner: “If I am Martin O’Neill, at this stage, he is a hero now. What he’s done to come in after such a time away and get the reaction from the players. Turn the ship in the right direction. Wins games. The media love him. He is saying all the right things to the media.

“I think he would be absolutely happy to get out at this point in time and not have to go into the Roma game. The Cup final probably doesn’t matter a lot to him. It’s more about the players.”

Tom English: “Oh, Pat, come on.”

Richard Gordon: “He would want another trophy, wouldn’t he?”

English: “You can’t be serious. You can’t be serious about that.”

Bonner: “I think he has achieved all of that. He is 71, isn’t he? 72? 73.”

English: “So, you are saying he doesn’t want to win another trophy? Of course he does.”

Bonner: “It’s not going to break him if he doesn’t get the opportunity. At this stage, he is out as an absolute hero to the fans and to everybody concerned around the world.

“He is Martin O’Neill. He will go down in history for what he has done. Not even in the past. What he has done in a short period. He will go down in history, so he doesn’t have to get a cup final to stamp that credibility anymore.”

English: “He doesn’t have to. But if you are saying he is ambivalent about whether he is there or not.”

Bonner: “What happened if Martin lost against Roma? If he lost the cup final? Wouldn’t that almost take away what he has achieved?”

English: “No. Nothing. It would zero away from what he has achieved.”

Gordon: “It would take something away from what he has achieved in the current.”

English: “In terms of the Martin O’Neill story at Celtic. If he lost the cup final, would it diminish his whole story? Not one ayote.”