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Celtic's new manager - The Candidates

Discussion in 'TalkCeltic News' started by Callum McGregor, Apr 20, 2016.

By Callum McGregor on Apr 20, 2016 at 6:34 PM
  1. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

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    Celtic's new manager, the candidates​


    Ronny Deila is leaving Celtic, who will the board appoint as his successor?

    The news has broken, thus the speculation ends, Ronny Deila will be leaving Celtic at the end of the season. With that, fresh speculation begins as the supporters speculate who will take charge of the club next.

    Via the official Celtic FC website, Ronny Deila had this to say,

    Unfortunately, it didn't work out quite the way we hoped it would for Deila, but should he secure his second league title in a row, he can at least hold his head high as history will be kinder to him than the fans are now. 3 trophies in 2 years at Celtic will add to his CV and I'm sure the Celtic support wishes him the best for the future.

    The first potential candidate for the job is Neil Lennon.

    Neil Lennon

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    A man who needs no introduction to the supporters, former player and manager Neil Lennon is a cult hero. Winning 8 league titles, 7 Scottish Cups and 2 League Cups as a player and manager, along with the famous run to Seville, he knows exactly what is required of the Celtic manager's job.

    Along with being a player and manager, Lennon also spent some time as a coach at the club, so few men can claim to have as much insider knowledge about the club as Neil.

    He first arrived at Celtic in December 2000, signing from Leicester City for a reported £5.75m before going on to make 304 appearances for the Hoops. He was an influential and pivotal figure in midfield as a player, ever reliable in a defensive midfield role. Who knew he would also go on to become a successful Celtic manager?

    He took over as interim boss once Tony Mowbray had departed, then earned himself the right to take the job full time. He vowed to the fans that he wanted to bring back the thunder and duly did. There were many highlights from Lennon's time in charge of Celtic and the support would be unlikely to hold his difficult tenure at Bolton Wanderers against him.

    A former player, captain, coach, manager and always a supporter, Lennon would be a welcome choice back to the Parkhead hotseat.


    David Moyes

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    Currently the bookies' favourite to take the reigns, David Moyes would be the high profile signing that many Celtic supporters are looking for. Another ex-Celtic player, pulling on the Hoops from 1980-1983, he went on to carve out a career in England before returning to Scotland in 1990, this time as a Dunfermline Athletic player.

    He is more well known for his managerial exploits in the present day, famously being the man who accepted the impossible task of replacing Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson. Unfortunately for Moyes, his time in Manchester was cut short, being sacked after only 9 months in charge. His replacement Louis Van Gaal has fared little better as Man U boss, so Moyes could perhaps feel aggrieved he wasn't allowed more time to build his Manchester United team.

    He started his managerial career at Lancashire club, Preston North End. Languishing at the relegation end of the old Second Division, Moyes managed to save them from relegation in his first season, took them to the play-offs in his second and then won the title and a promotion to the old First Division (now Championship) in his third season. Remarkably, Moyes missed out on taking Preston to the Premier League in his final season with the club, losing 3-0 to Bolton Wanderers in the play-off final.

    He then went on to manage Premier League side Everton, from 2002-2013. Notable achievements from his time at Everton include saving them from the very real threat of relegation when he was first appointed, being the man who introduced Wayne Rooney to the football world, a 4th place finish in 2005 and reaching the FA Cup final in 2009, narrowly losing 2-1 to Chelsea.

    Most recently, he had a short spell as manager of Real Sociedad, most notably recording a 1-0 victory over Barcelona. He was sacked at the beginning of November 2015, following a poor start to the season.

    Moyes has previously stated interest in the Celtic job, so there is some hope although many fans feel his appointment is unrealistic due to the perceived tight fisted nature of the Celtic board. He will certainly want to be properly backed in the transfer market and it's unclear if Celtic can provide that for him.

    Brendan Rodgers

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    Perhaps seen as an unrealistic candidate, Rodgers would be warmly welcomed by the Celtic support. He has been out of a management job since leaving Liverpool earlier this season.

    Rodgers' playing career was cut short by a knee condition at the age of 20, so he made the move into coaching whilst still playing for non-league clubs, before being invited by Jose Mourinho to coach the Chelsea youth team in 2004. After this, he became Watford's manager in 2008, leaving for his former club Reading in 2009.

    In 2010, he became Swansea manager, eventually guiding them to the Premier League in England, the first ever Welsh club to do so. Victory in the play-off final came at the expense of his former club Reading, with a 4-2 victory securing top flight status for the Swans.

    Despite signing a contract for Swansea until July 2015, he accepted a job as Liverpool manager in June 2012. The highlight of his time at Liverpool is undoubtedly almost leading them to Liverpool's first Premier League title since 1990. With 101 goals scored in the league that season, Liverpool can feel unfortunate not to have lifted the trophy.

    Rodgers is another who has previously stated an interest in being Celtic manager, whilst he was at Swansea, but would also likely want a large transfer budget to take the Hoops forward.

    Roy Keane

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    Manchester United midfield hero and briefly of Celtic, Roy Keane is sitting at 6/1 with some bookmakers to be the next Celtic manager.

    Winning 19 trophies as a player, Keane had an illustrious career, with 17 of those trophies being won at the Red Devils, the other two being at Celtic. He was renowned as a battling, dominating midfielder and his fierce personality ensures that his reputation often precedes him.

    As a manager, he began his career at Sunderland, winning the English Championship in 2007. However, this joy was short lived as struggles in the Premier League, along with strained relations with the club hierarchy, saw Keane leave the club in 2009.

    He then went on to manage Ipswich Town, but had little success there, finishing in 15th place in his first season, then being sacked in January 2011.

    After Ipswich, he joined former Celtic manager Martin O'Neill in the Ireland national team set up as assistant manager, with a short spell as Paul Lambert's assistant at Aston Villa, combining two roles.

    Keane has previously been offered the Celtic job when Neil Lennon left as manager, but felt the club didn't want him enough and rejected it, leaving Celtic to recruit Ronny Deila.

    Other potential candidates

    Henrik Larsson

    The King of Kings is a long shot at 20/1, but his history with the Hoops ensures that as long as he is a manager, he will always be linked with the job. He has previously stated that the timing would have to be right for him to take charge, hopefully that day will one day come.

    Michael O'Neill

    Sitting at 8/1 with the bookies, Michael O'Neill has impressed by leading Northern Ireland to Euro 2016 qualification. He has experience as both a player and manager in Scotland, with playing spells at Dundee Utd, Hibs, Ayr, Aberdeen and St.Johnstone. He also started his management career at Brechin City.

    Owen Coyle

    Owen Coyle, currently the head coach of MLS team Houston Dynamo, is a name that always seems to crop up when Celtic are searching for a manager. His managerial highlights include winning the old Scottish First Division with Falkirk in 2003 and guiding Burnley to promotion to the English Premier League, via the play-offs, in 2009.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2016