O'Neill 90 minutes from his greatest achievement?

[BBC] The word "extraordinary" is much loved by Martin O'Neill. I remember him using it repeatedly in an emotional post-match interview in Turin after he felt a dubiously-awarded penalty had robbed his side of a priceless point in the Champions League away to Juventus. The fact that rant is now a quarter of a century old is, well, extraordinary in itself. As is the fact O'Neill once again stands on the verge of leading Celtic back to the promised land. It would surely be the veteran manager's greatest achievement with the club. The three-goal cushion he's resting on will provide a great degree of comfort as he prepares to head to Linz to finish the job. The tie - as he rightly points out - is far from a foregone conclusion given the myriad chances the talented Austrians carved out at Parkhead. Recent precedent tells you, however, precious few come from three down to win. That Celtic sit so prominently in the box seat is further validation of the decision to bring the old master back. It's when you start to consider the scale of his achievement in the available timeframe the mind begins to boggle. This time last year, O'Neill had been retired from football for more than six years. In the space of a few short months across two spells last season, he wrought calm from chaos; success from failure; hope from despondency. The football wasn't pretty but needs must. A league and cup double were plucked seemingly out of thin air. No wonder they call him the messiah. I presumed part of his desire to accept yet another Celtic contract, even at the grand old age of 74, was to have one last crack at the Champions League. To do so, he'd have to get the board to part with some serious cash. The more cynical among the support will tell you that's actually his greatest achievement. But spend the money they have, with Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran, Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan all expensively recruited. Paid for by the departures of Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels. Business is business. In February, Celtic lost 4-1 at home to Stuttgart in the Europa League. They'd already been given lessons from Roma and Midtjylland. Wilfried Nancy was sacked in early January with the entire club in disarray. From that starting point, how should we describe the prospect of O'Neill restoring domestic and European respectability to such an extent Celtic may well soon be a Champions League club again? It's extraordinary, right?