I hope you had a great Easter Weekend. For many, it continues into today’s bank holiday.
With sunshine kissing us again and some quality family time to enjoy, it’s understandable you might not quite be sure what the latest situation is with Eddie Howe and what’s going on at Celtic.
Ahead of what could be a huge week for the club, I thought it’d be worth revisiting the absolute latest reports and answering a few questions, having observed it all closely over the last few days.
Is Eddie Howe going to be the new Celtic boss?
By all recent reporting, this is still the assumption. Outlets such as the BBC and Premier Sports have been operating on a “the deal is pretty much done” basis all weekend with their presenters and pundits.
John Kennedy was asked about the situation on Saturday but didn’t give much away.
Neil Lennon was also quizzed about Howe and Celtic on BBC Radio 5 Live over the weekend and reckons it’d be a great move for the club.
Former manager Gordon Strachan also thinks it’d be a strong move but has warned the club not to put all their eggs in one basket.
The latest actual update on the situation came from The Scottish Sun late on Friday night for their Saturday print edition. They reckon Howe has agreed ‘in principle’ to become the new manager, with an announcement expected this week.
Could this still fall through?
Absolutely. Football is a fickle, uncertain business. There are all sorts of reasons why this still may not happen. Until there’s an announcement it’s very much a waiting game on our part.
We know from some infamous incidents in the past that despite reporting, what’s actually going on behind-the-scenes can change quickly and dramatically.
All signs point to Howe landing at Celtic, but it’s not a done deal.
What’s Eddie been up to this weekend?
If you’re on Eddie-watch and expecting the former Bournemouth boss to have been locked up and embargoed inside Celtic Park over the weekend for an announcement today, then you’ll be disappointed.
Howe was actually on punditry duties for English Premier League syndication services yesterday, the feed that is broadcast globally. He wasn’t asked about Celtic and stuck firmly to the football.
So no, he wasn’t in Glasgow, yesterday at least. In fact, reporting suggests discussions with Celtic have taken place in London.
What about the director of football?
Reports on this have varied in recent days.
There are outlets, such as The Scottish Daily Mail, who believe Richard Hughes is being lined up for that kind of role as an ally of Howe.
Others, such as The Glasgow Times, still believe Manchester City employee Fergal Harkin is a leading candidate for that role.
It’s uncertain whether this person will be appointed before, at the same time or after a managerial appointment. My best guess at this stage would be a joint announcement of the new era at Celtic.
What are fans saying about it all?
Many supporters are excited. Howe represents a fresh start and a new vision for Celtic at a time we badly need it.
Some people already have their own song lined up for the Bournemouth legend, set to the anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao.
Others are digging through old articles and YouTube videos for an insight into Howe. This interview with Gary Lineker from 2018 has gone down particularly well with us.
Podcasts and other fan media are going all-in on Howe too. Excellent podcast and friends of 67 Hail Hail, Glasgow Is Green, had Bournemouth fans on over the weekend to give us the lowdown on Howe. It’s well worth a listen.
Should we be worried about the silence?
Not really no. It’s been Easter after all. Not only will Celtic staff be less active, but reporting outlets will be too. I see this as the calm before the storm this week.
I think we’ll know quite quickly – tomorrow or Wednesday – the direction of travel on this Howe business. Either it’ll be even more obvious he’s ours, or it’ll be made clear somehow that we’re moving on to someone else.
Don’t worry, enjoy the sunshine and keep an eye on 67 Hail Hail for all the latest!
In other news, Celtic supporters are up for the battle as our Scottish Cup derby destiny is confirmed.
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