O'Neill steps down as Celtic boss
Martin O’Neill today confirmed he will stand down as Celtic manager after the Tennent’s Scottish Cup final.
O’Neill, who had been expected to make the announcement regardless of Rangers’ final-day championship triumph, has confirmed he will take a year off from football to be with his wife Geraldine, who is ill.
Former Southampton and Coventry manager Gordon Strachan is widely expected to step in.
The Hoops threw away the Bank of Scotland Premier League title when they crashed to a late 2-1 defeat at Motherwell having led 1-0.
Rangers won the title thanks to a 1-0 win at Hibernian, which had seemed insufficient as their Old Firm rivals led at 1-0 until Scott McDonald’s last-gasp brace turned the game on its head.
The defeat was a disappointing end to the former Northern Ireland international’s managerial record at Parkhead, where he has won the league three times, the Scottish Cup twice and the league cup once since taking over in June 2000.
Last summer, O’Neill delayed his arrival for Celtic’s pre-season tour of the United States to care for his wife.
