By David Lee Wheatley
Neil Lennon’s decision to step down as
manager of Scottish Premiership giants Glasgow Celtic after four years at the
helm has set the rumour mill in motion regarding who his replacement could
possibly be.
Here, I focus on the main men in the
frame for the much sought-after position at Parkhead.
Owen Coyle (Unattached)
Former
Republic of Ireland international striker Coyle has a strong affinity with
Celtic stretching back to his childhood, when growing up a Bhoys fan prior to
making his way in the game as a footballer. The Celtic Park job was offered to
him in the past, but he turned it down in order to pursue the dream of managing
in the English top-flight instead. Massively popular during his time as manager
of Burnley, Paisley-born Coyle led the Lancastrian side to promotion from the
Championship at the first time of asking, before controversially leaving his
post mid-season to join established Premier League side Bolton Wanderers. That
move soured his relationship with Burnley supporters and his subsequent spell
at the club he represented as a player didn’t work out, as he presided over a
relegation campaign prior to termination of his contract two months into the
following term. An ill-fated six-month spell with Wigan Athletic last year saw
Coyle and chairman Dave Whelan at loggerheads over a number of issues,
prompting the owner’s ruthless decision to replace him with Uwe Rosler. Coyle
would be expected to work within a budget should he attain the Celtic role and
has previous experience of having to do just that throughout his managerial
career to date. A successful stint at St. Johnstone preceded his departure for
Burnley, however, later problems at both Bolton and Wigan provokes doubt over
the Scot’s suitability for the Hoops’ hot-seat.
David Moyes (Unattached)
Moyes is a
former Celtic defender, who did a highly commendable job at Everton before falling
foul of the Fergie factor at Manchester United. It was always going to be a
huge task to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford and it inevitably proved
far too much for the ex-Preston boss when faced with mounting problems amid a late-season
fan revolt. However, those eleven years of relative success at Goodison Park
should not be discounted from his record and the solid, if unspectacular, style
of play he prefers would make Celtic a tough nut to crack both domestically and
in Europe. Meanwhile, Moyes’ recent fleeting glimpse of Champions’ League
football at United may prove invaluable to Celtic’s long-term ambitions abroad,
with a distinct lack of competition on Scottish shores. The budgetary
constraints in place at Celtic Park would almost certainly be an obstacle to
any hopes the club’s hierarchy have of recruiting the 51-year-old, but he’d undoubtedly
be a hugely popular choice among supporters due to his previous allegiances.
Malky Mackay (Unattached)
Another
ex-Celtic central defender Malky Mackay is among the favourites for the role
and would again appeal to Celtic’s fervent fans if appointed. Mackay is a more
realistic option than Moyes and his reputation as a manager is still burgeoning
thanks to impressive spells in charge at Watford and Cardiff City. He took the
Bluebirds to automatic promotion prior to receiving the Championship Manger of
the Year award in 2013 for his efforts. However, despite the Welsh side sitting
above the Premier League relegation zone at Christmas, Mackay was fired by
owner Vincent Tan for allegedly wasting transfer funds on under-par players.
The former Norwich City and West Ham United stalwart left his post with the
support of the fans still firmly behind him to be replaced by Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer, who took them down. Now, Mackay is ready for a new challenge and
would relish the opportunity of taking a shot at the Celtic job.
Jackie McNamara (Dundee United)
Keeping the
theme going, McNamara represented Celtic as a player in excess of 250 times and
would be welcomed back with open arms by many supporters. A sound start to his
managerial career at Partick Thistle alerted bigger clubs to his potential and
Dundee United took him on midway through the 2012/13 campaign. His stock has continued
rising ever since, as the former right full-back inspired a run to the Scottish
Cup final and a 4th-place league finish in his first full campaign
with the Terrors. Unfortunately, they lost out to St. Johnstone at the home of
Celtic in the final tie, but that hasn’t stopped persistent links with the now
vacant Parkhead position. Furthermore, it’d be incredibly difficult for
McNamara to turn down any offer that may come his way from chief executive
Peter Lawwell, the man tasked with finding Neil Lennon’s successor.
Henrik Larsson (Falkenbergs)
Celtic hero
Larsson has been head coach of Swedish outfit Falkenbergs for a short few
months having taken over at the Allsvenskan side in December last year. The
42-year-old stood out as the SPL’s all-time leading goalscorer until surpassed
by Kris Boyd in 2009 and retains cult status in the East End of Glasgow. His
inexperience as a manager would count against him during any selection process,
but that would be outweighed somewhat by the excitement generated by his
return. However, entrusting the former striker with the keys to the Celtic
kingdom may have to wait a few years yet.
Steve Clarke (Unattached)
Having
coached both youth and senior sides at several top clubs in England, Steve
Clarke’s array of experience would stand him in good stead should he harbour
any interest in becoming Celtic supremo at this juncture of his career. Clarke
acted as assistant manager to Ruud Gullit when with Newcastle United, Jose
Mourinho and Avram Grant at Chelsea, former team-mate Gianfranco Zola at West
Ham United and legendary Scot Kenny Dalglish when employed at Liverpool, while
picking up a vast amount of knowledge throughout that 14-year period. Indeed,
he was credited with having had a significant impact at many of those clubs,
with his influence helping Chelsea to a stunning series of domestic successes
in particular. The Ayrshire native decided to strike out on his own as a
manager with West Bromwich Albion in June 2012, eventually ending a brilliant
eighth in the table. Things went awry in his second season, resulting in a slightly
harsh mid-December sacking. Despite that setback, former Scotland international
Clarke still retains many admirers within the game and may be handed the chance
to take the reins at Celtic in a bid to usher in a new era of youth development
at the club.
Paul Lambert (Aston Villa)
An outside
bet, the European Cup winner during his playing days with Borussia Dortmund
would appear a perfect fit for Parkhead. Lambert bossed the Celtic midfield for
nearly eight years following a move back from Germany and is still revered on
the Celts. Starting out with a stint in charge of Livingston, Lambert found a
reasonable level of success with Wycombe Wanderers and Colchester United in the
lower reaches of the English game prior to a switch to Norwich City. The
Canaries were languishing in League One when the Scot received the call to take
over at Carrow Road, but Lambert was able to spark a magnificent revival
encompassing two successive promotion campaigns all the way to the promised
land of the Premier League. He went on to keep the club up in the top-flight by
a whisker, before leaving to join Aston Villa after Alex McLeish was released.
It’s been a tough two terms at Villa Park, with successive relegation flirtations
followed up by the recent announcement that owner Randy Lerner wants to sell
up. That places Lambert in a precarious position and he may want, or be forced
into, a fresh start elsewhere.
Twitter: @davewh1980
No comments:
Post a Comment