Martin O’Neill returns to Celtic as interim manager alongside Shaun Maloney

My hero

 

I'd give it to him and Shaun til the end of the season, unless an outstanding candidate is available.

 

bar 35 mins in the second half the players looked like they were battling for eachother. We haven't seen that for a very long time. Superb.
I would like to see how the next 2 months play out with MON and Maloney. I'm actually enjoying watching us again. Credit to them both

 

Im torn on this. He will get at least until the international break but it's a really difficult one. Him with a side with Johnston, CCV and Jota in it would be pretty interesting.

 

He on talksport shortly


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I'm actually loving the dynamic between MON and Maloney..

And it's given us some essential breathing space in our manager search.

However, thoughts of having them in permanently are premature and it would likely delay the modernisation required at the Club.

MON as DoF may work, I would rather have a DoF who has worked at say a Brighton, Brentford or Brugge, Atalanta, Lillie etc.. however we're never getting that type of appointment at this current time. So MON as a DoF may work, if he wants it, as its realistic for the Board and does indicate the need to modernise.

If results continue to come though for the duo then it may become a debate.. bit of a Catch 22 for me this one tbh. I want them to be a success but getting the job on a permanent basis may not be a good longterm fix.

Although every managerial appointment is a gamble.

 

@Notorious or any Mod.. a Poll might be interesting on whether we want them as a Permanent Management Duo.. with the option to change your vote, as it's early days.

 

I’m no sure how to add a poll mate


One for the mods this one

 

Great summary.

 

I've been impressed with Maloney so far and I'm quite surprised to find myself saying that. Does anyone who has followed his career know why he failed in his previous roles?

 

Voted yes but only till the end of the season.

All signals from MON point to him not wanting to do this long-term and I'm opting to believe that he's not bluffing and that he has his reasons. Keeping him beyond that will likely cause issues even if Desmond managed to convince him to stay.

 

I actually think Maloney would make a great Director of Football. Obviously has good instincts, is a great coach, young and modern and experience of working with top footballers. He's someone I'd trust to overlook our football operations.

 

I know mate, but it would be a start I guess

 

Personally, I’m just wary about things potentially turning sour over the long term. At the moment it’s making for a nice story, but I’d rather O’Neill go out on a high, after a short spell, than carry on long term and risk a downer of an ending. If things are going exceptionally well, then that obviously changes the thinking, but I wouldn’t be rushing to make any sort of long term commitment. Not to downplay their success so far, as they’ve clearly produced results, but we shouldn’t let emotion play too much of a role in the decision making process.

If there isn’t a standout candidate, we can’t seal the deal, or our preferred candidate wants a break before jumping in (i.e. until the summer) then I’d be content enough to carry on with the current arrangement for a little while longer. Again, though, if they did stay on and go on to win the league, it would make for a slightly more complicated decision.

Beyond that, I could see Maloney being promoted to a DoF role, which I think he might actually be suited for, or being lined up as the assistant for whoever comes next - with the hope of that he finally puts the pieces together and can take over the reins somewhere down the line.

 

End of season, and a complete rebuild in the summer.

 

I'm sort of coming around to this idea as long as there's backing in Jan and one of them maybe steps into a DoF role, to ensure continuity.

Maloney has always been intelligent and has gained good elite level experience with Martinez and Belgium. Could stay on in a bigger capacity than Pathway Manager?

With the points difference in the League it may be more of gamble to actually get a new manager in.

 

I wouldn't say he failed.. he kept Wigan in League 1 after a points deduction and they were out of the relegation zone when he was sacked..

Wigan by all accounts is a basket case of a club, but who knows maybe being a Manager isn’t quite for him.

As mentioned the experience he's picked up with Martinez is elite level, so that bodes well.