Most Celtic fans were expecting Celtic’s next statement to be an announcement of their new manager.
Instead, on Monday, the club released a statement which confirmed that Martin O’Neill and his coaching staff would remain in interim charge of the club until a permanent manager was appointed.
The reasons for the club’s decision to communicate this have been questioned by some, but on the face of it, this was Celtic simply confirming that nothing has changed during the break.
Reports on Monday have continued to indicate that Wilfried Nancy is on the road to getting the job. The Frenchman held talks with the club over the weekend.
And as Simon Jordan sees it, the statement is simply just a response to the club not being allowed to go about their business quietly.
Simon Jordan on Celtic’s managerial statement
O’Neill has taken charge of four matches since replacing Brendan Rodgers on an interim basis.
Domestically, he’s passed with flying colours, especially with a 3-1 win over Rangers at Hampden. His only slip-up has been against Midtjylland in the Europa League.
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The statement came out of nowhere on Monday and has triggered a strong reaction among some fans, despite not really saying anything.
Clearly, scars from this summer’s desperately poor transfer window haven’t yet healed.
For Jordan, however, the statement was simply a hit back at the Scottish media’s intense pursuit of information on the managerial hunt.
He said: “Yeah, I mean that’s always been the case. I’m sure Celtic wouldn’t have put that statement out if they weren’t continually being asked.
“They’re quite happy to probably sit there in abeyance, let Martin O’Neill go through the process of keeping the court in order, then put the statement out, saying ‘Look, here’s our manager.’”
“But they’re not allowed to do that. They’re probably constantly asked at every press conference, ‘what’s happening?’
“So they’ve put a statement out, saying, ‘Nothing, until we tell you! It stays the same, until we tell you.’”
As it stands, O’Neill will take charge of Celtic’s next fixture against St Mirren on Saturday, but things could yet change.
Celtic’s upcoming fixtures
If Nancy were to come in for Saturday’s game, he would face three away fixtures before getting to manage in front of a home crowd at Celtic Park.
It’s off to Rotterdam for the Hoops next week to play Feyenoord, in front of a restricted home crowd.
Celtic then face Hibernian at Easter Road, before Hearts come to Parkhead for a top-of-the-table clash a week later.
There’s also the small matter of a Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren next month – Nancy would need to get his feet under the table very quickly if he were to come in.
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