I would have got to this article last week, but kind of a lot of happened and was happening. Nevertheless, there was never any doubt that I would visit this subject, that of Eddie Howe and his latest clarification on why he turned down the Celtic job.
Let me say that I don’t mind Howe. He’s never spoken about Celtic with other than respect; anyway, it gets easier to forgive someone for stringing you along when a better option comes along and presents itself instead.
That’s what happened here. Howe doesn’t need to keep on explaining himself to us, most Celtic fans don’t care that much anymore. Still, I do thank him for offering an insight into the decision, and for confirmed what some of us have long suspected.
We’re dealing here with two entirely different personalities, and I know which one I’d value highest.
Howe didn’t want to come here without the support of his mates. He sees it as a high-pressure environment and to do the job he needed to be surrounded by his team.
Fair enough and it’s not an illegitimate point of view. Far from it.
But Ange didn’t need a support network, outside of his family. It was not immediately obvious when he arrived in Scotland, but when you hear him talk it is clear that this is a man of remarkable self-confidence. He believed absolutely in himself and did not need to be surrounded by yes-men or by his pals. He wasn’t in the least bit afraid of the pressure.
We knew this already, of course, but there has been a lot of speculation about what Howe’s reasons actually were. In the end it is fair to say that he lacked confidence in his ability to do the job without his entourage. Ange had no such concerns.
Howe is doing just fine at Newcastle, and there is little doubt that he would have done a good job at Celtic. But perhaps not a great job. Ange is clearly a much better fit than the Englishman would have been, and his style of football is vastly more pleasing on the eye.
I wish Howe well. It’s clear that he didn’t see Celtic as any kind of step down, and it’s clear that he would have welcomed the chance to take on the role.
But this need he had to assemble his full backroom team betrays a weakness which Ange doesn’t possess.
I thought Howe’s decision not to take on the job was a disaster for us, but the irony is that it brought the right guy to us.
All has worked out for the best.
Howe is an extremely decent guy.. and fair play to him for saying exactly why he didn’t take it. I wouldn’t say it was to do with him not having confidence in his ability, he just likes to work with his trusted lieutenants. Howe is doing very well at Newcastle, and I also feel as though he would have done well here as well. I get the impression that we could revisit Eddie Howe at a later date, ticks all the boxes for a Celtic manager for the future. But we have the big man the now, and I’m extremely thankful for that. Celtic playing brilliant at the moment, and to be a tad disappointed not to beat Real Madrid, only goes to show how fantastic the big man has been. Treble for the hoops this season. HH
Great comments, I agree with every single one.
I love big Ange, I also like the fact Eddie has clarified stuff and we have all moved on, I don’t feel any animosity towards Eddie Howe
I dread to think where we would be if the timid Howe had taken the job. We would probably still be in a rebuilding process having just managed to get 2nd in the league and we would still be playing catch-up with the huns. It was a lucky escape for Celtic when Eddie’s bottle crashed, thank God
He bottled it James pure and simple and as you said we got a better option in instead of him. Ange came with nothing put a suitcase and self belief, it’s fair to say we wanted Kennedy and Strachan out but he’s kept both of them on and he’s performed a minor miracle last year. I like you was sceptical of his appointment and we both thought he could be our version of Pedro Caixinha and how spectacularly wrong we were. When I saw him speak in the first fan press conference I liked what he said but was still a but dubious but when we won the League Cup I thought this guy’s the real deal and I held my hands up and admitted how wrong I was. He’s a superb leader and ambassador of our club and we’re so lucky to have him. However long that’ll be I don’t know, but I think a few years yet, so let’s enjoy him while we can. He’s a special manager and a special human being too.
The thought of Howe managing us didn’t exactly thrill me. I know a lot of our fans thought highly of him but i just didn’t see it.
Tbf few here had heard of Ange, but he’s since won the fans over, and then some!
You’re right in what you say S.Thomas in that we are genuinely disappointed not to have taken something from the R.M. clash, which speaks volumes of the team Ange is building, and with a few little tweaks to his system(which I’m sure he’ll be working on) this team should get there quickly and become a threat to any club we face.
fair play to eddie howe for saying out loud what an awful lot of us thought at the time…i think he would have been a great fit for celtic…
i regarded the celtic board at fault, and not howe when he eventually said no….they were the one’s who allowed him to string us along…totally inept….and they have managed-thru sheer luck, to have unearthed an absolute diamond in Ange….despite themselves…!
but just goes to show how tenuous our hold can be on our managers…i don’t believe ange will go to brighton….but am sure he is being eyed by bigger fish…i know we all try and read into ange’s comments…”he get’s us….” etc….so did rogers……..and remember…ange left mid season…
long may he reign at parkhead…!!
Not having some of those conclusions James, Howe and Ange have different ways of working. Howe wanting people who knows how he works and what his goals are isn’t necessarily a lack of confidence. He wanted to do things a certain way, Celtic said no… Move on. I don’t necessarily hold anything against either party for this. It’s like a first date where by the end you realise you have different ideas on the future. That’s fine… Nobody’s fault, it just wasn’t the right fit.
I do struggle with his decision to take on the Newcastle job though and feel that speaks to his character in a negative way.
The do or die environment of Scottish football at Celtic, or the safety net of an average English football club where to do just okay gets you by; he bottled it, to ours and probably his benefit
Just have to look at Brighton now.
Potter leaves and takes all his backroom staff plus recruitment just like BR who also wanted to take John Kennedy.
Not saying this was the case with Ange but clubs need to be wary and see the risk of hiring an entourage instead of a manager/ head coach!HH
Having Howe = no Jota, no Kyogo, no Daizen & no O’Riley amongst a host of others.
Yes he would have brought in his own good players but who would give up this crop of gold for some ‘might have beens’?
Never wanted Howe, his lack of commitment would have seen him off to Brighton like a shot, thankfully he bottled it.
Ange came without a coaching team and look what’s he done and credit to our board for that world search instead of settling for a guy that would possibly have busted our bank to get success.
Why people think this guy would have done a great job on a minimal budget I don’t get? Why wish him well as he clearly had no respect for our club and I don’t have any for him