The search is on and as everyone knows that always excites me because I love it when we hire a new manager. You don’t know what you’re going to get, and so there’s fear as well as anticipation. A lot of people think the hire will be uninspiring. I suggest they look at O’Neill, Strachan, Rodgers, the attempt to get Howe and the appointment of Postecoglou himself.
I also suggest that they take a look at Ronny Deila. That one, the media never saw coming at all and it was imaginative and intelligent. That’s why the idea of Knutsen is not being readily dismissed although his record was forged in Norway; we’ve learned something from bringing in the Aussie. Our snobbery about this stuff is not as acute as it used to be.
The board is under pressure. That much is clear. The reason for the pressure is obvious enough; Neil Lennon, the appointment that will haunt these people for the rest of their times at our club, a mistake of incomprehensible folly and know-all arrogance. If people wonder if these guys are capable of getting this right, that’s part of it.
The suspicion that something changed at Celtic to “force Ange out the door” is also doing the rounds. It is sheer nonsense, but that so many believe it should serve as a warning to our directors that the departure of the man has torn away their human shield. As long as Postecoglou was at the club and being backed few people cared about those in the upper echelon.
They have to get this right, and they have to do it quickly. There are good candidates out there, far better candidates than some of the tired options being discussed in the press; Celtic fans are not going to accept a Clarke type appointment, or a complete novice like Scott Brown. One of the names allegedly on the shortlist is Maresca; he has done nothing whatsoever to suggest that he should be entrusted with the keys to Lennoxtown and our future.
I don’t care how many times Mark Lawwell has said hi to him in the corridors around the City Group; this guy has one half season’s experience as a coach and it was a disaster. He is also not, as some people are claiming, Guardiola’s right hand man. He’s a mere coach at City, and the last time I looked we were not part of that organisation and I damned well don’t want us to be.
Besides; working for Guardiola does not make you Guardiola. Close proximity to the prince does not mean that you can climb the steps to the throne and rule the kingdom. It would an appalling risk, and wholly un-necessary. I repeat; there are good candidates out there if our club takes care to look and do a proper analysis of their respective merits.
This appointment cannot come from the narrow knowledge of a handful of people. Our club’s incestuous hiring policies are dangerous for precisely this reason. They limit thinking. If someone doesn’t appear in the contacts books of a Lawwell or a Desmond there is a risk of them being completely overlooked. The longer you rely on that the more chance of mistakes.
I believe that our board wants to see this club be its best. I believe that this board is dedicated to the task at hand. I do not believe, and I never have, the moon-howling theory that there are people at Parkhead, namely the chairman, who has some vested interest in seeing that Ibrox is not too far behind us. It is ludicrous, it makes no sense, and it flies in the face of what I know from personal experience; Lawwell hates that club as much as any of us does.
He understands the implications of our overtaking the Lie, and he wants that as much as we do. No matter what lunacy other people are trying to punt, Ange Postecoglou was not forced out of Celtic. He talked a good game but ultimately was loyal only to himself. People can deify him as much as they want and look for evidence of the dark arts as they like … disappearing down that rabbit hole will do us no good whatsoever and its a dead end anyway.
Our former manager is 57 and this is his shot at the big time.
I don’t like how he’s gone about it at all but recognise why he did it. His reasons are wholly reasonable and uncomplicated. Once you accept that he didn’t feel any deep seated loyalty to the club you don’t need to go trawling for theories and finding people to blame. Blame the manager himself. Or don’t. But this is not the fault of anyone at Parkhead.
The problem is not that our board will deliberately sabotage our progress by hiring some raging mediocrity. It’s that they will limit their search to a narrow range of candidates and that will result in us missing out on some outstanding possibilities who would build on what’s already here. There are good reasons to fear that … but there are good reasons to have faith too.
One way or another though, this is the decision this board will be judged on. This one, right here. There will be no do-overs or chances, no resetting the dial some other time. Lawwell’s appointment as chairman, the club’s decision to appoint his son in a key role, the hiring of Michael Nicholson … all of it was tolerable, and tolerated, because of the manager.
That’s over with. These people are now under the white hot light for real, and for some of them it’s the first time and for others it will almost certainly be the last, however this decision ends up. This is the most important decision of their lives at Celtic Park … failure is possible, of course it is. But it is not an option and every single one of them is well aware of it.
A lot of our fans wishing him well and good luck what a load of shite he and his agent were working his ticket for some time , thumping the badge, you embraced me and my family into the Celtic family , quoting Tommy Burns a true celt. He has left us high and dry to pick up the pieces before next season and couldn’t give a f### his meaningless comments yesterday about us pure pish his only consolation is one snake joining another snake levy.
You summed it up really well James. Every time a manager leaves or sacked, ‘there’s fear as well as anticipation.’
I hope the board gets this absolutely right. When a manager leaves it causes disruption no matter how well organised or well structured the club is.
Any weakness in our camp will give Sevco an advantage. The board should not undersell the club. We need a winner with an approach to continue or better what Ange did.
We must maintain our dominance of the Scottish football and don’t give Sevco any hope they can bridge the gap.
Would love the club too be bold and take Graham Potter , the shite across the city are building a challenge and that’s all it is a challenge. The only team that can beat Celtic is Celtic itself
Proper due diligence on candidates is needed, and if Postecoglou does indeed take Kennedy and Strachan then, there needs to be a rethink on any new manager bringing his entire team with him. Quality candidates are out there, let’s not take the lazy list option.
We have made very few mistakes in manager recruitment since the 21st century began. Mowbray and Lennon are the only 2 I can think of, perhaps I’d throw John Collins being forced onto Deila into the mix (I still think unshackled by JC he would have developed something akin to an Ange ball but with more youth development).
We may be renowned for not backing them after a certain point or making poor player recruitment decisions but we’re pretty good at this part. I don’t think we need fear Broony, Larsson or Maresca (and I’ll avoid making my comments on Pep’s merits here, lest I sound Beale like) as we won’t get a rookie. We may get someone nobody has even heard of here, or we may be brave and risk upsetting the whole of Scotland by getting a guy who played 22 games for the dead club…
But I’m with you, it’s exciting. But it must not drag on, season 2023/24 is mere wereks away and we must be ready.
So Desmond and the Lawwells have good intentions, but as the saying goes: “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”.
Whether they fuck things up deliberately, through incompetence or a blind belief that they know better than everyone else, the result remains the same, and Celtic supporters are powerless to do anything about it.
I also don’t give a shit what Lawwell thinks about the huns, he is judged by his actions and he lied through his teeth about the 5 Way Agreement. His actions give succour and encouragement to the huns no matter the motivation.
About as trustworthy as a Tory politician.
I fear things will not end well
James
I think a bit of calm is required re the board and a new manager. I think they have learned the lessons of the shower room appointment. They will be aware of the expectations especially as Beale poses an increasing threat. Lets judge their actions rather than imagining their intentions. I think we will get a good manager – I think the bigger challenge might be holding onto some of our stars.
If Lawwell hates Sevco as much as you say why was he on board with the five way agreement. Lawwell is complicit in the continuation lie and I will never trust him.
I do not trust that the Board are looking for the best candidate. I suspect they are looking for someone they can dominate. They will have a shortlist and will think about who will do rather than who will be excellent. They have not earned my trust.
good article james…yea, i don’t believe it was anyone’s fault at parkhead that postocoglu left…he done same thing in australia, japan and now scotland…
we, the fans, have to get it into our heads that the next manager/coach..whatever the title, will only be here for 2 or 3 years at most…we should not deify him…unless he is rubbish and sacked, he will always be on the lookout for a position down south..and go…
any player or coach who kisses a badge imaginary, or otherwise, should be fined a weeks wages by the board !!
for what it’s worth…i hope he falls on his face, though i appreciate, given his build, that is almost impossible….
the summer will be exciting now…see who goes and just as importantly…who comes in..
we are celtic fc….bigger than any one man…or eleven…
HAIL HAIL
Can the Board stop Gavin Strachan and John Kennedy from leaving and can they
do the job in question? Looks like your answer is NO. Has Henrik Larsson failed as a Manager?
The board will always have to make the biggest decisions within the club, due to the money factor.
They have had a fairly care free couple of years with taking the risk of getting Ange in the first place.
So Ange turned out to be perfect for the board and even moreso by delivering success and increasing profits, both at the same time, which is only a dream that many club’s struggle to ever see.
Not so sure I would agree with your assessment of PL as view him business man first, supporter second, which is the total opposite of how we view the club.
Our next appointment will not be to everyone liking, as they never are, but that won’t lessen our support towards them, barring a few names still.
A big job still awaits for the new manager with some huge decision making right from the off, so time would be my biggest concern and not letting this process drag out for to long either.
Many players could well be considering there celtic futures at present, which the board should also be well aware of also.
Many changes expected, still enough time to get them in place before the start of the season, yet much work has to be done in order to keep stability in place.
Certainly will be very interesting to see how it all unfolds with plenty of mixed emotions along the way during the summer, looking forward to it all myself with excitement
Someone from the darkside said to me. That’s another manager you,s have lost , I said if we never won so many trophies we would not have this problem! Long may we have this problem lol
Ange was a very good manager, but he wasn’t a great one, European results showed that. We can do better and I am looking forward to that, Celtic, onwards and upwards, roll on next season.
I’m kind of feeling the worst here . I’m feeling that things shall go back to the pre Ange years where everything was done in ultra ssllowwwww time ! No rush ! Under Ange everything was completed last week , well ahead of schedule leaving our rivals choking in the flying dust . Surely lessons have been learned ?
For me, Knutsen is top of the list by a country mile. He is the only one who definitely would not be a step down from Ange.
Joint second would be Potter and Marsch. Both bruised, but with a solid track record of achievement.
After that, off the top of my head, I can’t think of anybody who wouldn’t be a major gamble.
I agree about Maresca. That would be a Lawwell lapdog appointment and a return to the bad old days.
It needs somebody big enough to do what Ange did – tell them no interference with player recruitment whatsoever.
As great as Ange was, the single biggest positive change he made was that. He had the stones to tell them –
I let you know the targets and when I need them, and you go out and get them, end of.
Lots of contradictions in what you say James and not for the first time but that’s understandable as that’s what life seems full of. I know there’s loads of board haters out there who blame them for everything, even what’s way out of their control but I don’t think the board will be restricted by who is in their contacts book. I hope they’ve learned that after the Lennon and Howe lessons and evidence of that was that they took an international approach by hiring AP in the first place. He had a history of playing with a certain style and a history of success.
You have often said AP’s appointment was lucky, foolishly copied by your insane “You’re right James” sheepish followers. Not all of course because I admire that you print the comments that give you stick as well and there are some dillions. AP came from a continent far far away, not the local Scottish or British phone book. The search by the board was wide and I’m banking on that approach again. Some credit has to be given for that and I notice a more supportive board tone in this article, contradicted by the only contacts comment. We have no option but to put our trust in their selection.
No doubt AP was able to sell himself in interview with talk of what he could do and what kind of player he could attract for reasonable cost and guess what he did.
AP was given the total backing and support of the board and I’m not convinced that they would have done this on a whim of hope of luck, overtly putting their necks and wealthy income on the line at such a time of rage and rebellion our fans were exhibiting at the time. “Lucky”, that’s an easy throwaway disrespectful Keevins or Beale like line, they’re just “Lucky”. Guess what they were right AP walked the talk, and revolutionised the club. I don’t believe this was simply luck more your/our lack of insight into the man at the time. That lack of insight and then trust grew over the last two years then led to gullible belief when his history also showed a man with a walk away for his own financial advancement. You portrayed your love for AP many times with insight into the man apparently and he shafted you and us good and proper as his prior history showed.
I do agree though with your faith that the board will select another experience manager that has the Celtic way and style in his, not David Moyes, or her, you never know but not Leanne Crichton, DNA. Semper avanti James and HH to new beginnings and good times ahead.
Lawwell Balance Sheet
Hates Rangers / Sevco yet Protects Ibrox’s £Blue
Knowledge of or complicity with 5way Agreement = Managed decline ( Lennon ) during 10IAR Season.
(Don’t get too far ahead of the Ibrox Club. 10IAR is a League too far.).
Acting as self appointed DOF Costing Celtic X£MILLION buying duds on lengthy contracts and unable to sell them on,
or missed opportunities in signing prospective players with lowball offers costing our Club £MILLIONS more in failure to qualify / compete at European level.
Self serving, overpaid for a Club of Celtic’s size in UK Terms and grossly unrealistic bonuses in the context of Scottish Football.
Role of Club Chairman is a largely symbolic / ceremonial.
Nicholson promoted to role of CEO has not made one Public utterance or Media appearance since appointment.
Lawwell never left the building and still acts as DD’s Glove Puppet.
However James still Trusts him.
BTW I despise AP, not for moving on, but the way in which he did it. HH
Bit nasty, he gave us two great years, he’s got a shot at biggest league on the planet with a big club, good luck to him.
Until proved otherwise,
I’ll stick with the simplest / most believable theory:
the Board (Lawwell?) p!seed off Ange, so he decided to walk.
And what exactly is Lawwell’s role?
He’s supposed to be “non-exec” Chairman?
And you think that’s the simplest, most believable theory do you?
Agree about Maresca and the other tired names. I like the statistics of Franck Haise at Lens.