Martin O’Neill said Hearts winning the Scottish Premiership would be “amazing” for Scottish football and that the time is right for a shock title challenge on the same say as returning to Celtic as interim manager in the wake of Brendan Rodgers’ resignation.
O’Neill has made a stunning return to Parkhead, taking his first managerial position in six years and two decades on from previously leaving Celtic in 2005.
His appointment on an interim basis was announced late on Monday night, along with the news that Rodgers had left the club following Sunday’s defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle.
Hearts are in pole position to shock the Old Firm this season, having opened up an eight-point lead at the top and with both Celtic and Rangers in disarray.
And O’Neill gave his verdict on Monday morning while appearing on TalkSport, saying that the time is right for a team outside of the Old Firm to win the title for the first time in 40 years and admitting that Celtic are in a bit of “trouble”.
“It was always going to be a difficult game for Celtic,” O’Neill said on TalkSport. “Hearts are on the rise at the moment. I know last year Aberdeen had won a host of games early on and you knew that wasn’t sustainable, but Hearts are different. They are strong, they’ve got a bit of backing, they are physically strong. That’s been a concern of mine for some time about Celtic.
“Brendan is right in the sense that there are 29 games to go and Celtic have been there before. They need to settle down and they have lost their way a little bit, Hearts are riding high. There’s a long way to go.”
When asked if now was the season for a “disruptor” in Scottish football to win the first league title outside of the Old Firm, O’Neill said: “Without a doubt, this is it. Celtic can actually lose games whereas before they looked invincible in matches. Rangers are no threat whatsoever although the new manager coming in, I think he could do something in time. But they are so far adrift it’s untrue.
“But this is the moment, this is the time for Hearts. They have gone eight points clear. That is a decent enough lead, really. Their confidence has grown, and it will grow from that victory as well. Those things are happening now for Hearts and it’s great, whereas Celtic are in a wee bit of trouble. But I agree this is the best time for any side outside the Old Firm to go and win.”
Rangers have turned to former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl following Russell Martin’s disastrous short reign in charge, while Ange Postecoglou has been installed as the favourite to make his own return to Celtic and take over on a permanent basis following his dismissal at Nottingham Forest.
And with so much upheaval around Celtic and Rangers, O’Neill said Hearts have “momentum” behind them under Derek McInnes. The Jambos have won eight and drawn one of their opening nine games of the season.
“Hearts are, historically, a very, very fine football club. In fact, outside of Ibrox, I felt that they were the most intimidating crowd to go to, because the crowd are right on top of you,” O’Neill added.
“They have got a bit of money behind them. [Shareholder] Tony Bloom was up there watching it. They have momentum going, which is a big thing, at this minute.
“With Celtic struggling a little bit, and Rangers nowhere to be seen, this is an opportunity. But it is, as we talked about with Arsenal [in the Premier League], a long, long way to go, and there is a long way to go, but momentum is gathering at Tynecastle.
“The excitement at Tynecaslte, going into the unknown, there was a feeling among the Hearts fans that they could get something against Celtic, which wasn’t the case for a long, long time. To sustain that is going to be difficult but you might as well dream.
“I think Ally [McCoist] summed it up well. For Scottish football, on one level, for Hearts to win it would be amazing. Paradoxically, for Celtic and Rangers to not win it, you’re thinking where is Scottish football going. It’s interesting. For the game itself, it would reinvigorate the Premiership.”
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