Heart manager McInnes revealed the reason why he refused to take Martin O’Neill hand shark after Celtic match
Derek McInnes aimed a pointed remark at Celtic’s coaching staff after the draw at Tynecastle, and it was telling who he chose to exclude.
He was clear that his issue was not with Martin O’Neill or Shaun Maloney, but with what he described as an inexperienced coach on the Celtic bench. That framing matters, because it narrows the focus and invites questions about who he was really talking about.
The moment itself came after Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring and the bench reacted. In a tight game, emotions were already running high, with late drama, VAR intervention, and another red card shaping the closing stages. Tynecastle was tense from start to finish, and small flashpoints were always going to be noticed.
McInnes chose to raise the issue publicly rather than let it pass. That decision gives the comment weight, especially when it follows a match where Hearts needed to protect a lead in the table and Celtic were chasing ground. Words like that do not land in isolation, particularly when spoken by a manager who knows the environment well.
By ruling out O’Neill and Maloney by name, McInnes effectively pointed elsewhere. That leaves Mark Fotheringham or Stephen McManus as the likely targets, given their presence and roles on the Celtic bench. If that is the case, then the criticism feels misplaced when set against what both coaches bring and where Celtic are right now.
Stephen McManus has spent years inside the club, first as a captain and then as a coach working closely with young players stepping into senior football. His role is about standards, habits, and helping players cope with moments exactly like the one at Tynecastle. He is not there for show, and he is not learning on the job in the way the phrase “inexperienced” suggests.
Mark Fotheringham’s path has been different, but no less demanding. He has coached abroad, managed in the Championship, and worked in high-pressure roles where results come fast and criticism comes faster. To frame him as some wide-eyed rookie ignores the reality of his background and the reason Celtic brought him in.
Celtic’s bench reaction also needs to be viewed through the context of the game. This was not a comfortable afternoon where goals were routine. Any release of emotion after scoring makes sense in that setting.
Managers often talk about touchline behaviour when it suits them. It can be used to deflect from moments on the pitch or to draw lines after a heated contest. McInnes knows that as well as anyone, having spent years navigating similar situations in Scotland.
The focus should remain on the football. Hearts conceded late again from a set piece situation that Celtic exploited well, and Celtic’s bench reacted because the goal changed the shape of the match. That reaction did not decide the result. The defending, the officiating, and the moments in both boxes did.
McInnes said: (Sky Sports), “Just one of their inexperienced coaches, I didn’t like his reaction to scoring the goal, but nothing to do with Shaun (Maloney) or Martin (O’Neill), just a poor reaction.”
For Celtic, the comment is unlikely to linger inside the dressing room. O’Neill has been clear about backing his staff, and the players are responding to the group as a whole rather than to noise from outside. Results and performances will matter far more than touchline exchanges.
If McInnes was aiming to unsettle or distract, it is hard to see how that lands. Celtic’s coaches will be judged on how the team plays, how players develop, and how they handle pressure moments like Tynecastle.
On that front, both Fotheringham and McManus have already shown they belong exactly where they are.If McInnes was aiming to unsettle or distract, it is hard to see how that lands. Celtic’s coaches will be judged on how the team plays, how players develop, and how they handle pressure moments like Tynecastle.
On that front, both Fotheringham and McManus have already shown they belong exactly where they are.
