It doesn’t matter what you believe of the various rumours about who is next in line to be Celtic boss.
It doesn’t matter whether you support one candidate or another or if every single one of them leave you cold and uninspired.
One thing is undeniable.
There is more interest in the Celtic job, and from bigger individuals, than many in the media would have had us believe when the hunt began. To read some of the stuff which the mainstream press wrote during the last few weeks of Lennon’s tenure, and in the immediate aftermath of it, you would have thought the Celtic job was a toxic disaster.
But of course, this was, and is, a ridiculous suggestion.
The Celtic job is one of the best in the game, and it is still a sought after role.
In the last 36 hours, Lucien Favre and Thierry Henry have both said they want it, adding to the list of individuals from all across Europe who have thrown their hats into the ring. It was the same when Rodgers left.
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Celtic can offer a manager a lot. It can offer the adulation of a fantastic and huge support. The opportunity to win trophies. The opportunity to manage in Europe. The opportunity to be part of football folklore somewhere.
Managers and players who have spent time here never forget the experience and spread the word far and wide.
To be frank, this doesn’t even need selling to managers.
The job is sufficiently attractive that many of them are volunteering the information without the club seeking them out and making a big pitch about it. That’s telling. That’s important.
When we appointed Lennon most of us were disgusted not only by the appointment but by the glib and shameful manner in which Lawwell went about confirming it.
His contention that they had plenty of other interest rings true, and always has … this is why the appointment was so shocking. Worse was his contention that we actually didn’t even consider the other candidates.
A lot of people have said that this isn’t true, that it’s just an example of Lawwell overselling.
I could believe both, and neither is good in any way. It’s such a profoundly unprofessional statement to make, and could have had dire consequences when this search came around.
Even that does not seem to have dissuaded top people from expressing their interest.
This job still holds a fascination and an attraction outside of our borders.
If we were an EPL club there is no limit on who would be interested in this gig … as it stands we have a number of top candidates who are more than good enough to take us back to where we need to be.
The cynics who said we’d struggle to attract a candidate of calibre have fallen silent.
The only limits now are those of the ambitions of the board.