LESS than two weeks after Martin O’Neill’s side marched into Hampden Park and clinched an unprecedented double – given the circumstances that surrounded the Parkhead club post defeat at Tannadice two months' earlier– the goodwill and happiness that surrounded the fanbase has begun to dwindle as the search for the new manager rolls on.
In the space of less than 24 hours Celtic had delayed talks with O’Neill, then were reportedly in talks to reappoint said Derry man for another year, then were in talks to appoint Robbie Keane, and then talks with Keane to understudy O’Neill with a two-three year plan in place. So yeah, it really is a head spinner and as expected, no one knows which of these is iron clad.
I’ll be honest, I am beyond tired of writing about Dermot Desmond and the board, but again we are finding ourselves shouting into the same echo chambers which surround Parkhead.
The reality of the managerial situation is that due to a World Cup, which is imminent, the number of managers available that Celtic would be able to get are minimal, but the super forward-thinking Celtic Board have masterfully narrowed it down to three candidates.
The three men who were reportedly up for contention are former Ireland and Celtic forward Robbie Keane; former Celtic forward and current Wales boss Craig Belamy; and the current interim manager and former Celtic manager, Martin O’Neill. I sense a theme.
Out of all the available candidates, Desmond just so happened to find three with Celtic connections. What are the odds, eh?
This uncertainty comes as Celtic have a final crack at the big league this summer with the Scottish champions being seeded in the play-off round of the Champions League.
And you would like to imagine after last season’s embarrassing exit to Kairat Almaty that there would be some harsh lessons learned by the powers that be when it comes to a transfer policy.
This summer is even more important as it will genuinely be a chance for the bank balance to receive a healthy top-up outside of player sales, but the reality is that confidence in the men to rectify what they struggled to achieve last year leaves hope hanging by a thread.
Not only is there no man calling the shots behind the supposed new Director of Football, Shaun Maloney, but there is an expectation that three or four of the squad's foundations will be uprooted over the summer in the form of Daizen Maeda, Arne Engels, Kasper Schmeichel. Not to mention anyone who manages to catch the eye in North America this summer.
For me the management situation reads like this:
Bellamy is an interesting choice, he certainly has done well with Wales, but international football is very different to managing at one of Britain’s biggest clubs, and in all honesty, I feel as if it was a token gesture that he has been mentioned to make the search for a new manager seem a lot more professional than it is.
With the squad badly in need of repair, and Martin O'Neill virtually performing open heart surgery with a teaspoon and a spit of good luck in his step last season, is he really the man we want behind the wheel for two years? Can he not finally rest and gallop into the sunset, statue in hand?
If he is to be the man then surely the purse-strings need ripped apart, never mind opened, although the thought of the soon-to-be 75-year-old calling defensive shapes and squealing at the fourth official for more than two seasons is beyond far-fetched.
And then Robbie Keane, Ireland's record goal-scorer who had Celtic fans in his grasp for his short spell in hoops during the Mowbray campaign, but a man now showered in controversy after he managed Maccabi Tel Aviv in the midst of Israel’s genocidal campaign against Palestine – who better to come in and completely antagonize the fans from the off?
On the field Keane ended Ferencvaros’ eight-year reign as champions in May, following a big summer expenditure which ultimately saw the Irish record-scorer fall on his sword and depart the Hungarian giants.
Tied in with this close his links to Desmond, surely he’d find it hard to have any real sway when it comes to budgetary decisions.
Far from the perfect man to lead Celtic into the new era.
I can personally see it playing out with Martin O’Neill being used as a human shield for Robbie Keane to help the former striker ‘earn his stripes’ under his tutelage. Meanwhile Maloney will also have the safety blanket of Saint Martin ahead of his inaugural season in charge of the football operations.
Whoever the choice, my opinion and your opinion matters not. At the end of the day last Friday’s season ticket deadline no doubt was another record-breaking year, leeching off the feel-good factor which remains following the domestic double, but that wears off eventually and hopefully we are not left feeling regret. Again.
