Soccer Football - Scottish Premiership - Celtic v Rangers - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - May 1, 2022 General view outside the stadium before the match. Picture taken with a drone. Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine
Before this week closes out, Celtic will almost certainly have appointed a new manager. It’s been seven days now since Postecoglou confirmed that he was taking over at Spurs, bringing to an end whatever subterfuge and nonsense had been going on there. The final act did not shock anyone at Celtic Park; most of our higher ups had been walking about in a daze for at least a fortnight.
That, of course, gave us some sort of lead time to work with. Without a doubt, those running Celtic have been very busy and conducting their business in a number of countries. We know Lawwell himself was in Istanbul. We know that Nicholson was in Mallorca. We know that others have interviewed for the job, whether using modern technology or in person.
So we’re getting down to it now, and I would be lying if I said I could predict how this is going to go. The club is moving towards this decision but we’ve not arrived at it yet. There are reports that the guy some of the board want is yet to be convinced. Perhaps we need to discuss him at some point. I keep putting that off, but I know that I might have to.
If he gets the job, then I certainly have to talk about him. If it looks as if he’s on the brink of it I will probably need to do an article on it before it becomes Fact. But we didn’t send the two top people on the business side of Celtic out there on a private jet as a courtesy, no matter what some susceptible people might believe, or might want the rest of us to believe.
That issue is live. It is real. It’s as real as the Maresca interest is, and nobody should be kidding on about it. As mad as it would have seemed just a week ago, it is now a prospect to be taken very seriously indeed. I won’t write about it until it is more than that, but if people want to know what I think about it in the here and now I don’t mind saying; I would support it a thousand times before I would welcome some experimental candidate with no history of success.
The psyche of this support has taken a real beating over the last few weeks. It would be better for us, by far, if we kept our feelings about the next guy on a purely transactional basis. A little distrust will fortify us against any future shocks. It’s easier if you don’t trust the guy to begin with.
It’s an exciting time. We have a number of promising candidates and a few who I’d rather had fallen by the wayside before ever getting this far. We are certainly doing a lot more than just focussing on one or two names; there are some who are fan favourites I wish the drumbeat was louder about. Top of that list is Knutsen, who I think all of us agree is amongst the outstanding candidates for the job, and I would love to think that we have made a serious pitch to him.
But the imperative of the ticking clock virtually guarantees that this week will provide us with an answer one way or the other. We cannot have this enter another week; one is fine, two is a club making sure that the due diligence is complete. Three weeks, with everything that needs to be done before the new campaign starts … that’s an overabundance of caution which starts to become a threat to the stability of the pre-season. That we can do without.
We’re in the end-zone with this process. All that’s left now is to wait for the proverbial white smoke. The directors must have a fair idea who it’s going to be. More on that later.
news reporting its Brenda’s Rodgers
I’d be happy with Brendan Rodgers.. although not sure because of that banner a couple years back. If not Rodgers take a punt with the fella Knutsen, but it’s a gamble I think. Celtic hopefully will have appointment sorted this week, or not long after so we can start looking at transfer targets as well. I think Rodgers is a safe pair of hands though, as long as we are winning trophies I’d be happy enough with that appointment.
A prompt appointment is what we need most.
Any competent manager coming in, ‘should’ be successful with the squad we have – domestically.
Bringing in a manager who could make an improvement in the CL is the conundrum…?
I guess you might be speaking Brandan Rodgers coming back? Mixed emotions here if this was the case, but my head says it would be a great appointment.
BR gets my vote, I am willing to forget the negative but remember the positives!
James
As you (and me) have said all week,
No rookie manager (Maresca) who was sacked at Parma.
It looks as though it is between Brendan and him….. no contest on this.
Would our fans be happier with Maresca because Brendan did a moonlight flit?
Somehow I don’t think so.
HH
A bit to much noise surrounding the return of Rodgers at present for my liking.
Now I wouldn’t be among the hate mongers within the club surrounding Rodgers, as I still feel he was outed from the club moreso than anything else. The board under PL watch were hardly in a position to sack him, so the only alternative was to force him out by not backing him within the transfer market imo.
Hardly expect anyone to stay within a job when not wanted by the looks of things, yet still delivered the best run of success delivered within the club in my lifetime.
Something still doesn’t sit right with myself, as Rodgers seems to becoming to creating a history of not getting support from a boardroom and don’t believe we need any such drama within the club now or in the future either, so with that in mind it’s a big No from me, moreso than for footballing reasons.
Hope thís is Just a smokescreen with the preferred managerial option keeping more low key at this stage.
If it is Brendan Rodgers the Artful Dodger , can you be in any way confident that he won’t do another disappearing act in the dead of night again ? I can’t ! Plus it’s not going to look good at his re – unveiling if a large section of the crowd are booing him , is it ? My own opinion is not to go back because it never works out …With very few exceptions ! Onwards and upwards .
Indeed James, very interesting happenings to be sure. My preferred is Bodo Glimp guy Knutsen, is the rumoured first signing a clue – most likely not – but why are we reportedly signing players prior to Manager. If “he” returns then fair enough if it is instead of Maresca as you say James. According to a caller on SSB BR has flown to London. Just rumour but he cited News Now as his source. Anyway, what will be and all that.
I’m just another Celtic supporter who has an opinion on all this but I’m convinced if Enzo Maresca is allowed to manage Celtic Football Club, this will be nothing short of a disaster. Knutsen looked a exciting prospect and probably done well but there no noise coming out about him which I’m disappointed about. However if all else fails get Brenden Rogers back, he’s tried and tested and he’ll definitely get results so we must stop putting pressure on the board, OK he left us and so did Postecoglou
Hello James. Last time round no tried and tested manager was available and we took our chances with Ange after the Eddy Howe debacle.
This time Rodgers is available despite our feelings towards him for what he did last time round, as Celtic fans we have to swallow the bitter pill and accept him with open arms.
We can’t afford to take any risk. For the reasons:
1) We must win the league next season and get directly into the champions league yet again and build on our financial advantage.
2) we must not give Sevco any hope that they can catch us. Sevco have advantage over other teams in the league. When it comes to one off games against us all it takes is 2 wins and 1 draw to shift the balance in their favour.
Having Rodgers as manager will burst their bubble of optimism for next season.
If Rodgers is appointed manager, Celtic should do the decent thing and offer refunds for season tickets bought last month.
Gotta be Rattus Rattus, the midnight-body-swerve-limbo-dancer-extraordinaire who left us mid season for Leicester!!! ( FFS-Leicester? ) I know…
He’d keep momentum and will be successful, almost guaranteed. He’s no my preferred either, but if he accepts the offer, he KNOWS he will be lambasted from certain quarters…
That IS GUARANTEED.
You can’t please all the people, all of the time, so they say. Not even he can do that, but try telling him that, coz if pushed I’m sure he’d say that ‘yes indeed,’ he ‘can walk on water’
Don’t believe me? Ask him. lol.
You will have to discuss He Who Shall Not Be Named at some point, James. For me it’s like inviting someone who just pissed on your head to come and finish the job by shitting in your mouth.
Rodgers is the outstanding candidate by a country mile. His CV of success is almost unsurpassed at this club. Why appoint an unknown quantity? Lets not cut off our nose to spite our face. All that matters is winning cups and leagues, not petty grievances from years gone by. And Rodgers is the best guarantee of seemless success.
Don’t want untired coaches/managers Ange had plenty of experience coaching teams.rodgers was a very good for us but liewell did a lot of damage when Rodgers was with us that was some of the problems at that time Rodgers still did not cover himself in glory leaving the way he did he will always look after number one .