As Celtic hope Martin O’Neill can salvage an abject campaign by securing the Premiership title this May, a much larger issue looms.
The moment the final ball is kicked, the powers that be in the Celtic boardroom face a monumental decision: appointing a new manager to lead one of the biggest rebuilds in the club’s recent history.
Two men, who are inside the four walls of Premiership football, John McGlynn and Jens Berthel Askou, have been linked to the manager’s job at Parkhead.
But Hugh Keevins hit the nail on the head on Clyde 1 as to why the overachieving Falkirk boss, and the popular Motherwell man, can’t get the golden gig at the champions of Scotland.
“I don’t think John McGlynn would be regarded as box office for the Celtic supporters,” said Keevins.
“Jens Berthel Askou has had a fantastic season with Motherwell. Is he, though, enough of a talent to get the job after one season at Motherwell?”
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Jens Berthel Askou to Celtic: do you see it happening?
Are John McGlynn and Jens Berthel Askou good enough for Celtic?
It has been a long time since Celtic appointed a coach from within the Premiership, so doing that would be a rarity.
But come the summer, Celtic need to knock on the door of somebody with some European or top-flight pedigree, such as Portugal coach, Roberto Martinez.
Whether Celtic can lure Martinez to Parkhead is another story, but going down the Askou road when he has hardly been in Scotland for a year is a big no-no.
Yes, Motherwell are playing some serious football, but Askou didn’t win his first three matches at Fir Park; do that at Celtic, and the pressure is going to hit you like a knockout punch from Mike Tyson.
While McGlynn has done a tremendous job at Falkirk, including two promotions and now an expected top-six finish, you sense a younger coach is needed at the helm and somebody with a broader CV.
“John McGlynn has done a fantastic job,” said Keevins. “But in the modern-day world. People will look at John McGlynn, man of 64. But Martin O’Neill had a body of work behind him that John doesn’t have, with respect.
“I don’t think John McGlynn would be regarded as box office for the Celtic supporters.
“Jens Berthel Askou has had a fantastic season with Motherwell. He has made journeymen players play the best football of their lives, and therefore, he is a talent.
“Is he, though, enough of a talent to get the job after one season at Motherwell? Everything now has to be seen in the wake of appointing Wilfried Nancy, an utterly stupid mistake on Celtic’s part. Arguably, the worst decision the club has ever taken.
“So, they have to think very carefully before Jens Berthel Askou’s one good season at Motherwell is enough for the Celtic job.”
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