Martin O'Neill 'really sad' after AGM chaos as caretaker boss calls for 'unity' at Celtic

Martin O’Neill has called for “unity” at Celtic after a “really sad” morning at the club’s Annual General Meeting on Friday.

The AGM was brought to an early end after shareholders jeered and booed the board as well as producing red cards to hold up.

The caretaker boss was in attendance, and he admits he was left hurting by the chaos and wondering what European Cup-winning Celtic manager Jock Stein would have thought of it all.

Speaking to the media as he prepares his side to take on St Mirren on Saturday, he said: “I thought it was a really sad morning. I just wonder what the great Jock Stein would have thought of it all, who preached unity at the football club, said that a club not united would never be successful.

“It’s as sad a morning as I’ve seen. I mean I’ve been to a few of these AGMs before and I suppose because we’ve been doing well at the time that it was nice. Not even sure I was ever asked a question in them at the time. But that was rather raucous.

“There were people who would have wanted to ask questions and the board have said that they’ve made mistakes.

“There’s only so many times that you can apologise and then you have to get on with things again. So we’ll start again and hopefully that will start when the new manager comes in.

“A united Celtic will be far better equipped to compete and try and win again.”

After the meeting was initially adjourned, chairman Peter Lawwell warned that if the disruption continued, he would have to end the meeting.

And the caretaker boss admitted that it looked as if he had no choice to take that decision.

O’Neill continued: “Well, it looked that way really, because no one was being heard. And I’m not an apologist for the board. I’m here on an interim basis.

“I am privileged to be here for a second time, as I was for the first time as well.”