Martin O’Neill found himself in a tense exchange with a TNT Sports reporter after Celtic made history by beating Stuttgart on German soil, becoming the first Celtic side ever to win a competitive match in Germany.
Rather than opening with congratulations on the result, TNT Sports reporter Connie McLaughlin took a different angle entirely, one that O’Neill clearly did not appreciate.
McLaughlin opened by offering commiserations on the European exit before asking whether the performance represented the real Celtic. O’Neill appeared genuinely puzzled by the framing. He pushed back by pointing out that Celtic have shown up and performed on numerous occasions in recent weeks. He referenced the Hibernian match, arguing his side played well for the majority of the game and that the red card for Auston Trusty had been the decisive factor. He agreed that the Stuttgart performance was outstanding and described it as a backs-to-the-wall display at various points, while also noting that Celtic had their own chances and could have made it a nervy finish had a late opportunity gone in, given the quality of the Stuttgart side and their capacity to go on and win the competition.
McLaughlin then pressed further, asking about consistency and whether the inability to produce that level of performance regularly was O’Neill’s biggest frustration. O’Neill responded by asking her to define what she meant by consistency. When she said she meant winning games, he pointed out that winning games is precisely what Celtic have been doing, with only two recent defeats to speak of, against Stuttgart in the first leg and against Hibs. He closed the exchange by saying, politely but firmly, that he was going to have to disagree.
It was a strange line of questioning that left O’Neill visibly bemused. Across his two interim spells in charge, Celtic have lost just three of 21 matches. O’Neill can now set that interview aside and turn his full attention to Sunday’s match against Rangers, knowing he has just added another chapter to Celtic’s European history.