O'Neill Blasts McAvennie for Disgusting Funeral Comment

Martin O’Neill has hit out at Frank McAvennie over his comments about Celtic defender Auston Trusty.

The criticism came during McAvennie’s podcast, the Let Me Be Frank show.

Trusty has missed Celtic’s last few matches following the death of his father.

The defender will also miss tonight’s Europa League match against Besiktas.

McAvennie had been critical of Celtic’s performance against Falkirk when the conversation with co-host Simon Houston took an unexpected turn.

Houston tried to justify Trusty’s absence.

McAvennie responded by referencing the ‘woke generation.’

The episode was recorded and uploaded to YouTube.

Reaction to the comments on Trusty was immediate.

McAvennie was forced to issue a statement explaining his remarks.

He later issued a second statement acknowledging his initial apology was not good enough.

The day before the Europa League match, the issue was put to O’Neill in his press conference.

The Sun reported the Celtic boss’s response.

“That’s really poor taste,” O’Neill said.

“That’s really poor.

“I know I’ve said some things and ended up backtracking but that’s a family bereavement.

“And that’s making someone’s mind up about how long they should be grieving and stuff like this here.

“That’s not on.

“Trusty asked me for some time.

“Even if it’s a celebration, it doesn’t matter.

“The father had been in poor health for quite some considerable time.

“And I know there was a stage where he thought that he wasn’t going to see it through but I’m with Trusty the whole way there.

“Because I wouldn’t want anybody to tell me that I had to grieve over a brother or sister dying.

“And I’ve had that.

“He’s 28 years of age and he’s taken it badly.

“I’ve afforded him all the time he wants.

“At some stage, obviously, he’ll be going to come back.

“But at the end of the day, I’ve given that time because I know that we might be talking about different eras or whatever the case may be.

“That’s nothing to do with it.

“This is a family thing.

“And that’s not right.

“So, Trusty has got the time and he’s got the backing of myself and he’s got the backing of the club.”

McAvennie spent 18 months playing for Celtic in the late 1980s.

He played a key role in the side that won the double in the 1987/88 season.

His departure back to West Ham did not go down well with the support.

That led to a strained relationship that lasts to this day.

While most players from that era have stepped back from the limelight, McAvennie is pushing a fresh career as a podcaster.

The need for attention, clicks and subscribers comes with the risk of overstepping the mark.

In this case, that line was crossed.

Trusty returned to training after his father’s death.

O’Neill then gave him another weekend off to attend the celebration of his father’s life back home in the United States.

McAvennie questioned how much time off Trusty should get.

When Houston reminded McAvennie that everyone grieves differently, the former Hoops star called that a ‘woke’ idea.

O’Neill’s response shows a different approach to man management.

It is an approach that has been a key reason for his success during his career.

The Celtic boss made clear that Trusty has his full support.

He also made clear the club stands behind the player.

There is no timeline for Trusty’s return.