Martin O’Neill has opened up on the data impact on Celtic’s recruitment process.
And, quite surprisingly it seems that the Celtic boss is a fan of that approach.
O’Neill has generally been profiled as an old school manager.
Inspired by Brian Clough who went with instinct and gut feelings. Relying on the eye test backed up by some background checks into prospective signings.
That approached has now largely been side-lined.
Moneyball and Jamestown analytics hadn’t been thought of when O’Neill first managed Celtic.
His own instinct told him that Chris Sutton, Alan Thompson, Neil Lennon and John Hartson were known quantities. They all delivered in spades for Celtic.
More than 20 years have passed since those days.
First time around O’Neill relied heavily on his EPL know-how to recruit players.
Stan Varga, Craig Bellamy, Juninho, Henrik Camara and others came in but were either on loan or past their best.
O’NEILL CHANGES HIS TUNE
Football in 2026 is a very different business.
Last September The Glasgow Times reported O’Neill saying:
Expected goals’ have only come about in the last few years. It’s a clueless development. Some people just use these words to try to sound clever.
It seems that being back inside the football bubble has changed some of O’Neill’s views.
Reflecting on the signing of Camilo Duran, the Glasgow Times reports the Irishman saying:
We’ve got the scouting process. We’ve looked at him for a couple of months. We thought about him as far back as April time.
Again, he’s one of those where, if you’re not going to be the manager, then you’re sure that the next manager fancies some of the players.
So he was one of those. We’ve got it over the line now.
The scouting reports are more vast now than ever before. People’s opinions, people’s judgments of players, that type of stuff.
Some of that has to align, I must admit, before you do things. But there’s so much data now anyway that you could pick up on some things, you could pick up on weaknesses – it is what it is. I think he’ll do fine.
Celtic fans now await further signings with the SPFL opener against Dundee just over three weeks away.
I wonder what data is involved in last minute loan signings that nobody else wants?
And you didnt think back in april to tie up kelechi for free or get the ox and sarrachi back in early doors. Tie all that down instead of ” thinking” .
Comes selling time no much thinking goes into that except mibbie a vauge thought about bridges and finding ways to get across them at some unspecified time down a forgotten track.
F**kin joke
It’s all bullshit and MON and BR, aside from having tremendous managerial attributes, have a way of talking and actually saying fuck all. No real committment, just vague assertions.
“He don’t say much, and when he talks, he don’t say much”.
Hat tip for whoever came up with that little gem
DATA WARNING – Incoming flak detected
Dermot’s Defence Force have taken up permanent positions against the local Militia and O’Neil is helping fill the sand bags with a decoy signal sent out.
Ordered by loo-tenant Disengaged, scout’s honour!
Ha!
Or, looked at from another angle:
we can’t sign players ‘because the computer keeps saying “No!” ?
Whatever.
Most other clubs seem to sign players just fine – with or without analytics.
It’s obvious that there must be fundamental process issues at Celtic.
Is it simply because all major decisions are delayed at the same endpoint: DD?
Hence, the inability to be more agile / fast-moving in the transfer market?
Change is bad at the plc… 🙁