O'Neill apologizes for tetchy interview after Celtic loss

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has apologized for his "tetchy" response to a reporter's question about a team selection change, following a 3-1 home defeat to Ferencvaros in the Europa League. The apology came after the Northern Irishman's defensive interview with TNT Sports reporter Connie McLaughlin before the match, where he refused to explain his decision to replace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone with Viljami Sinisalo. The loss to the Hungarian side at Celtic Park on Thursday night compounded the pressure on O'Neill, coming just days after a 3-0 cup defeat to Rangers. The result leaves Celtic with zero points from their opening Europa League fixture, with seven more matches to play in the league phase. During the pre-match interview, O'Neill told McLaughlin, "No, I'll not talk to you about the thinking behind that. Sinisalo was always going to play this game, too. So, believe it or not, Connie, my job is not actually to explain every single situation to you, as much as you're going to ask, and I'm delighted you are." When pressed that fans might want to hear his reasoning, he replied, "I'll tell the fans then, through Celtic TV.