O'Neill dismisses talk of switch to Hibernian

LEAGUE OF IRELAND NEWS:SHAMROCK ROVERS manager Michael O'Neill yesterday dampened down speculation linking him to the vacant managerial post at Scottish Premier League side Hibernian by insisting he hopes to remain at Tallaght Stadium beyond his current three-year contract.

The former Northern Ireland international midfielder, who made close to 100 appearances for Hibernian in the mid-1990s, is contracted to Shamrock Rovers until the end of next season.

Bookmakers installed O’Neill as an early favourite to succeed John Hughes at Easter Road when he left by mutual consent early last week. Yesterday, however, former Chelsea and West Ham United assistant manager Steve Clarke, an ex-Scotland international, was being hotly tipped for the post.

O’Neill has close links with Scotland having also played with Dundee United, Aberdeen, St Johnstone, Clydebank and Ayr United.

Prior to joining Shamrock Rovers in December 2008, O’Neill, capped 33 times by Northern Ireland, managed Brechin City for two-and-a-half years.

“Yes, of course it is, what can I say to that?,” was O’Neill’s riposte to the question of his intention to remain at Shamrock Rovers next season.

“At the end of the day, when a job comes up in Scotland, the media try to phone me up, try to get hold of me and try to get a comment which they never get. I can’t help what people link me to. That’s not my job, that’s the job of others. It doesn’t concern me at all.

“I came here on a three-year contract and I envisage I’ll be here for three years and beyond, to be honest.

“I think we’ve made a lot of progress in the time we’ve been here and there’s still a long way to go in terms of the progress I believe we can make as a club. I intend to be here to oversee that.”

These are trying times for Rovers as a run of four defeats in their last five league games has seen them lose a seven-point lead at the top of the table as they search for a first title in 16 years.

Last Saturday’s home defeat to Sporting Fingal resulted in champions, and arch-rivals, Bohemians moving one point clear at the top with just two games remaining.

While six points from those two games may not now win them the league, winning their next two FAI Cup ties, beginning with a semi-final with St Patrick’s Athletic at Tallaght Stadium on Sunday, will guarantee the club a trophy at the Aviva Stadium next month.

But O’Neill refused to be drawn on the fact the cup – which the club hasn’t won since 1987 – now offers the best chance of a trophy this season.

“You could put all sorts of spins and permutations on it, but our only focus is the game on Sunday,” said O’Neill.

“We’ll address the league when it comes around. Everyone is saying about the league, but the league is played over 36 games, not 34 games.

“We’ll look at the league after 36 games. We’re in the semi-final of the cup, so we’ll look at that as an individual thing. We’re not trading them off against each other.”