Yesterday I pointed out that two names are growing increasingly prominent in the mystery over who the new manager is going to be; the first was Frank Lampard. The second is Roy Keane.
It’s the rumour that just won’t die, no matter how many times we wish it would.
Recently, there’s been talk of three men being appointed in unison; all three have been named.
Keane, Nicky Butt and Fergal Harkin.
A Director of Football, a new manager and a new coach, quite possibly acting as Keane’s assistant.
Rumours? Speculation? Tittle tattle?
I thought so myself, mostly because even Desmond surely couldn’t think that Keane was a good idea, with ten years out of management and no club willing to take a risk on him.
But tonight Nicky Butt has left Manchester United, where he’s been in charge of the youth team, to undertake a “fresh challenge” and suddenly the unthinkable doesn’t seem so crazy.
A few months ago, Paul John Dykes flatly rejected even the possibility that Keane would be in the running. I told him privately and publicly that this was not so, that Desmond still hankered after the idea.
People assured me that this was just talk; actually there were very good reasons for suspecting that it was true and when Keane announced recently that he wanted it that’s when alarm bells really started ringing for a lot of the Celtic support.
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Now it might just be a coincidence that Butt has decided to leave when numerous people have been linking him with a Roy Keane “dream team” at Celtic Park but I think we’re hoping for a bit much there.
I have a strong suspicion that there’s something more going on and that for once in this saga the “in the know” brigade might be onto something.
Does Desmond think he can sell this to fans enough to buy season tickets?
Roy Keane is a throwback to a previous era in management.
Desmond keeps on telling us how progressive and forward thinking our club is, but if he makes an appointment so absolutely contrary to that ideal what should fans think of it? I actually believe a lot of folk in our fan-base would support it … but the rest of us will simply be waiting for the roof to fall in. Or to blow off.
There is a reason Keane is a decade removed from a manager’s post.
There is a reason that even with his name and reputation that nobody in England at any major level wants to take a risk by giving him the gig. There is nothing in Keane’s coaching career, not one thing, which qualifies him for the job at Celtic Park … but the same could have been said for Lennon and he got it twice.
It’s time to start taking seriously the idea that this could happen.