MARTIN O’NEILL HAS hit back at Rangers for ‘making excuses’ over their Hampden defeat.
But the Celtic boss did concede stopper Auston Trusty WAS lucky to avoid a first half red card for kicking grounded Gers No1 Jack Butland in the head while he already had the ball in his grasp.
Interim boss O’Neill is preparing for his first Euro tie as Celts boss since his first spell in chance, a 0-0 draw against Milan in the Champions League at Parkhead on December 7, 2004.
And he was quick to address the Ibrox fury with match whistler Nick Walsh and later SFA refs chief Willie Collum over Trusty staying on the field after the Gers had earlier lost Thelo Aasgaard to a straight red for a high boot challenge on Tony Ralston.
Holders Celtic eventually progressed to the Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren on December 14 with a 3-1 victory after extra time.
Talking on the eve of the Europa League tie against FC Midtjylland, O’Neill said: “I’m delighted to be here and if you said to me I’ve got one more win over Rangers, well that’s the best news in the world…for God’s sake, take it on.
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“Whatever sort of excuses they make, two things…
“I don’t think it was a penalty and I think Trusty was lucky to stay on the field, having seen those things back.
“So, that’s my points.
“But it’s still one of the great fixtures in European football, if not the world.
“We won.
“Watching it back, sometimes there’s things you miss. We had some really great chances.
“Rangers did great with 10 men in the second half of the game.
“But, we did create some chances.”
It was emotional for O’Neill to hear his name being chanted at the national stadium by adoring and gleeful Celtic fans.
But while the derby triumph has fuelled talk of him eventually landing the post permanently, the 73-year-old still believes the board will go for a younger candidate.
Asked if he’d had any more thoughts on the position, O’Neill said: “No I haven’t.
“I’m totally aware that the results dictate everything…everything.
“Just let’s turn the clock back and we’d lost to Rangers, then I think the hunt for the manager, which is on at this minute, becomes intensified.
“But if you get a result, it’s a bit of respite.
“And if you think about it now, the international break coming up in a fortnight…it’s a fair length of time for the board to be at least on the search for someone.
“We’re in the results business and we have to get results.
“I genuinely mean this, it just does give a bit more time.
“It means they can take a little bit of time.
“If we get beaten against Kilmanock then it just reverses again.”
On the fan appreciation and profile of a potential permanent replacement for Brendan Rodgers, O’Neill said: “I genuinely appreciated that.
“Last Monday, just walking out of Talksport, if I’d honestly thought I’d be on the touchline on Sunday against Rangers at Hampden, you would’ve got long odds about it…like 10 million to one it happening.
“I know I play things down, but it was really pleasing for me.
“If we’d lost the game to Rangers all of that there would’ve disappeared, I would’ve been thinking ‘What am I doing?’
“But it was lovely. It was like bringing the clock back.
“I’m big headed enough to think I’ve always had it, had a big impact on things…when I’ve never really had it at all!
“All sorts of things go through your head.
“But I’m delighted no one stuck a heart monitor on me on the touchline otherwise the doctor would not have allowed me to participate in another game.”
Asked if he felt he still had it in him to take the hugely demanding role long term, the managerial doyen said: “That’s a very good question.
“And the answer is, genuinely, I don’t know.
“If you’re talking about, for instance, the fixture list coming up, there’s no respite between now and right through to virtually late February.
“The consideration will come from the board in that sense. If you don’t win the football matches, then it’s an easier decision for the board to make.
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“And I think even if you did win some football matches the board would still be thinking ‘younger man’ stepping into the job.
“That would be my view.”
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