O'Neill takes a position on Europe

It is just as well they know how to celebrate at Celtic. This dramatic, renaissance season has been one long celebration.

So it was appropriate that on Saturday afternoon, within a half-empty Hampden Park, the other half was still bouncing long after the final whistle had sealed Celtic's first Scottish Cup for six years and a first Treble season since 1969. It was so long after the whistle, in fact, that the Celtic players and staff were on their second half-lap of honour.

But it was then that the delirious thousands got their biggest treat. Martin O'Neill had been hanging back from the Celtic huddle, but now he advanced. O'Neill took the Scottish Cup on his own and marched triumphantly toward the fans, his fans. They went, as they say in Glasgow, pure mental.

Football operates on many levels and has many strands weaving simultaneously, but at that moment as O'Neill wallowed in the sheer volume washing over him it was possible to think that all the stories concerning his future were utterly bogus. It was something to behold. This was emotional cement.

Some journalists, however, watched this scene and looked clean through it. The search for truth never ends but, when about an hour later O'Neill sat down in the press room under Hampden, the first question fired somewhat aggressively at him was whether O'Neill had entered any discussions about a new contract. The implication was that that would at last put an end to tales of him joining Manchester United.

O'Neill has received this question so many times now that he starts the answer with: "As I've said 35 times" or whatever the latest running total is. "Sheer speculation," came from the Irishman's lips once again. It was followed by a typical lyrical ramble from O'Neill that included the line: "I'm pleased to be the manager, I'm privileged to be the manager."

That issue settled for another few minutes, O'Neill then focused on Celtic's future. Saturday may have been about the completion of an historic Treble and a remarkable first year in charge for O'Neill, but it was amazing how quickly in that room at Hampden the events of the afternoon had been shoved down the agenda. Then again, it is hardly a revelation that European football overshadows domesticity to the point of a total eclipse.

Rather than reflecting on what has just passed, therefore, Celtic are now staring at the first week in August in the knowledge that they are back in the European Cup. People should be reminded that it is the European Cup, not the Champions League, they are in. On either August 7th or 8th. Celtic will begin a two-legged tie in a knockout competition. Win, and they get into the lucrative league. Lose, and they go into the UEFA Cup.

Supposing the latter occurred, Celtic could lose that UEFA Cup tie too. By September their European season could be finished.

Pessimistic? Perhaps, but there needs to be an injection of realism over the scale of the task that now faces O'Neill. He knows it: on Saturday night he made the sound point that if this season had been average rather than historic, the general consensus would have been that Celtic now had to kick on. Maybe win a Treble.

But that is done now and, as always, expectation is galloping on as if trained by Aidan O'Brien. Consider this, though: Celtic have not been in Europe beyond Christmas since 1980. Then they lost in the quarter-final of the European Cup to Real Madrid, 3-2.

That was the kind of opposition O'Neill referred to when he said: "We will be playing against sides who have spent £100 million on players in the last year. But we have to progress. It's time to make in-roads into European football."

When pushed as to what represented European success, O'Neill talked of the second phase of the Champions League as if it was the promised land. Financially and in terms of the playing standard that is correct, though one could not help but think that O'Neill was being too honest for his own good by mentioning such a target. He will be reminded of it every day until Celtic get there. As the early experiences of Manchester United show, it could take Celtic years to reach that plateau.

But, as he said, O'Neill doesn't have that kind of time. He has two more years so what he needs is backing now. August's tie will be worth about £12 million to Celtic if they win it. To do so, however, they might need to spend double that on recruitment before then - he mentioned four as the number of new faces he wants.

Such investment in players would undoubtedly improve the team. It would also help to further cement O'Neill's position.