Robbie Keane has suffered a heart-breaking final day of the season at Ferencvaros.
The reported frontrunner for the Celtic job, Keane is in his first full season in charge of the Hungarian club having taken over in January last year.
He delivered the league title after being hired midway through last season, but this campaign has been a different challenge.
On the same day as Celtic’s unlikely title win under Martin O’Neill, Ferencvaros missed out to FC Gyor in their title race.
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Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros miss out on title
Going into the final day, it was out of Ferencvaros’ hands. They had to beat Zalaegerszegi and hope for Gyor to drop points against Kisvarda.
Keane’s side ran out 3-0 winners, but unlike for Hearts, one goal was enough for Gyor, who won 1-0 to seal the trophy.
READ MORE: Dejected Ewen Cameron reacts to Celtic title win vs Hearts
Ridwan Popoola, exclusively revealed by 67 Hail Hail to be a Celtic target in January, played 90 minutes for Kisvarda.
The result ended a seven-year run of titles for Ferencvaros, their longest-ever run of consecutive triumphs. Sound familiar..?
It’s certainly a blow to the credibility of Keane, who is on the rise as a manager. His candidacy for Celtic remains a subject of debate.
You have to say that the favourite for the Celtic role is now O’Neill himself, though whether or not he fancies committing to a permanent contract is a different question.
Keane was O’Neill’s captain for the Republic of Ireland national team.
To his credit, the Irishman did lead Ferencvaros to their first European knockout win in 50 years this season, eliminating Ludogorets in the first knockout round of the Europa League.
He is certainly remembered fondly for his excellent form when brought to the club on loan from the second half of the 2009-10 season, a disappointing campaign for the club as a whole.
His spell managing in Israel is troubling for parts of the Parkhead support, but it clearly isn’t dissuading the club from considering him as a candidate.
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Robbie Keane on managing a ‘bigger club’
Speaking last month, Keane left the door wide open to a potential switch to Celtic.
He said: “I have ambitions and everyone wants to get to the highest possible level they can.
“I’m very lucky that I’m at a top club in Ferencvaros. Of course, there are other bigger clubs, we all know that.
“Ferencvaros is a top team in Europe and that’s why I went there. I am at a high level in terms of what I am doing and what we achieved in the Europa League.
“I am already at a big club but if I don’t have ambitions to go to the highest level, I might as well stop. If I don’t believe I can get to the top, there’s no point being a manager.
“Don’t always think that, ‘You are happy to stay here’, even though you could stay for 20 years. Always think you can reach even higher, because that drives you on — that makes you a better manager.
“I always have to believe I can go to the very top and win a lot of trophies. If I don’t, I won’t do it.”
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