O'Neill: total confidence in players

Martin O'Neill has given his full and unqualified backing to Joos Valgaeren, Bobby Petta and Johan Mjallby who have faced allegations of theft after a Christmas night out in Newcastle.

The Irishman has revealed that he has spoken to all the players and has 'total confidence' that they will be proven innocent of the accusations made against them.

The three were held for 18 hours in a Gateshead prison after an incident on Tuesday night involving a Daily Record photographer and O'Neill has insisted that he believes those held will be vindicated.

"I've listened to what has been said," he explained. "I've listened to the players and I have total belief in them. That is from me who actually knows the people concerned. Time will tell who is right and who is wrong and if I'm wrong that's another issue and the club will come down very, very heavily of any player found guilty if that's the case. I am fully confident that those players will be vindicated.

"I have the absolute and utter confidence that all three are innocent of the allegations made against them. I am not saying that as a football club manager backing up the players, I am saying it as a person. I have asked them individually and I believe them.

"I have to impart that to the football club at this minute. I am the manager of the club and I believe them, and I am going with that.

"There have been serious allegations made by the editor of the Daily Record and we will have to wait and see who will be proved correct. All I know is that I have great belief in the players who have told me that they are entirely innocent. Whether I am proved wrong that's another issue, but I don't expect to be.

"The most important issue is that those players who were photographed under the headline 'Thugs and Thieves' - not the nicest headline to wake up to - are protesting their innocence, I believe them and the law will eventually take its course.

"The players are very down about it, but it's a case of these boys being accused of something that they strenuously deny. Their reputations are at stake here. The club has suffered because of the publicity and it's obviously very one sided at the moment.

"The club are treating it very seriously and the Board are taking it very seriously. I am the football manager and I am responsible for their behaviour, certainly on the field of play and in this day and age I have to take a fair degree of responsibility for their behaviour off of it because eventually it is reflected on me."

Having had a few days to reflect on the events, O'Neill has every faith in his players and has insisted that Celtic will be doing their utmost to get to the truth of what happened on Tuesday night.

"The football club are in total co-operation with the police, and that's what we want to do," he said. "You would like to get to the truth of the matter and we are treating it very seriously.

"The newspapers, The Daily Record and The Sun are the judge and the jury at this minute. There's very little right of reply, they've gone for it and that's where the anger is coming from.

"The mood is very sombre as you could imagine. We have gone from an absolute high after knocking out Celta Vigo only to then find out a plane had been stopped in Cardiff and then to discover that an evening, remarkably and ironically, in Newcastle where the players went to get out of Glasgow and out of the glare of the spotlight ended with them well and truly in it.

"Very serious allegations have been made and this is no run-of-the-mill high jinks affair and the club is taking it very gravely and very seriously.

"I've had easier times but it's part of the game. You have to accept it when you are manager of a football club and you get on with it. Things like this happen and you would prefer they didn't happen but to be perfectly honest, but it's not too often matters as serious as this come into consideration.

"We are talking about a police investigation. The players are strenuously denying it and are going to take legal advice on what to do to clear their names over the allegations over an alleged robbery and the beating up of a cameraman.

"These are not to be taken lightly. I've had poor weeks in football but this is as serious as it has got.

"They are people who happen to be footballers and as such have to be treated in that way. They haven't been charged. The police are investigating this, they have been called back in March and that gives the police the chance to have a look at the whole incident and find out as much as they possible can."

O'Neill has reiterated that players must be on their guard and on their best behaviour at all times because they are constantly in the public eye, but he has revealed the tomorrow's game against Dundee has taken a back seat in the midst of a horrendous week.