Martin O'Neill

“I genuinely think that you always have to have the mindset, that you have a point to prove. Until the last day of your existence, you have a point to prove.”

“A number of very good managers have done well to lead Ireland to tournaments - Jack Charlton, Mick McCarthy, Giovanni Trapattoni - and we will do our utmost to qualify. That's what we'll be judged on.”

“You need to stay disciplined as much as you possibly can. You can't let emotions run too high, but obviously that is easier said than done.”

“Listen, I can't stop anybody from having an opinion, whether they be a player, an ex-player or journalist or whatever.”

“Seamus Coleman is quiet by nature. He comes in here, he'd be very well mannered. Take him onto the field now and he is a man possessed.”

“The rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is one of the major rivalries in world football let alone European football.”

“Roy Keane is an iconic figure in world football, never mind the Republic of Ireland, so if you're talking about egos, it doesn't bother me.”

“Your self-belief does occasionally take a knock and you have to be pretty strong to keep convincing yourself you're doing the right thing.”

“I saw somebody the other day referred to Jose Mourinho as yesterday's man. And he's actually won two trophies at Manchester United and finished second in the Premier League.”

“Could I manage at the top level? I don't think those things leave you. The spirit, the determination, the passion and drive... My last breath on this earth is when those things will leave me.”

“Nobody likes criticism but I think in my career, for the most part, I've taken it reasonably well.”

“A manager's tenure at club level is very short and gets shorter as the time goes on.”

“I remember when there was a possibility of me managing Bradford City, way back in 1987.”

“I would love to tell you I had the worst childhood you could ever imagine but believe it or not it was idyllic. I had two older brothers that I idolised, two younger brothers that I played with, sisters I adored and a mother and father I had great respect for.”

“I don't think I have ever in my managerial time really given my valuation its proper consideration.”

“I've missed out on a European Cup final because I was injured three weeks beforehand.”

“The great managers get the really good players to be able to do that, get your top-quality players to do that heavy work, to do the blue-collar working when it's needed to be done. Good players, working hard, with creativity, that's the key to success. Always has been.”

“I'm delighted that I was born in Ulster rather than anywhere else in Ireland and I've certainly not lost my identity.”

“Roy Keane can talk eloquently about the game. I was hoping he would take the Sunderland job when he was last in the frame for it because I think he could still make a super manager.”

“I couldn't wait to grow up to play for Derry.”