It’s fair to say that when it comes to appointing Celtic managers, there are always several who underwhelm.
The likes of Roy Keane isn’t exciting anyone. Dan Petrescu and David Wagner have been mentioned. No thanks. Same goes for Scotland boss Steve Clarke. These are names that simply don’t do the trick for Celtic supporters.
Other names we get told are above us. Rafa Benitez, Eddie Howe, Jesse Marsch. We’re all told about how their prospects are above anything Celtic can offer them. That we simply aren’t the pull we once were and that better job opportunities are ripe for the plucking if they sit tight.
Whilst that can be true in some cases, Celtic will forever remain a pull for in-demand and talented football managers. Not just those that fail to excite the support.
At times, people seem to forget just how big a club Celtic are and what they can offer managers. We’re talking about a club steeped in 133 years of unbroken history. A club with UEFA Champions League pedigree and the ability to offer managers resources plenty other clubs can’t.
Every manager at Celtic gets the backing to make us regular competitors in the Champions League. That gives any potential manager the opportunity to dine at the top of European football if they can use their resources correctly.
Celtic can help rocket managers to the next level
There’s also the opportunity to become an icon in the eyes of one of the world’s most widely-supported clubs. A support that has a strong presence wherever you go in the world. A support who will have successful managers feeling like gods if they succeed.
Not to mention for the likes of Marsch and Howe, an opportunity to take part in a footballing rivalry that eclipses anything they’ve been a part of.
It’s an even more exciting prospect for our next incoming manager than it normally would be. With the club going through plenty of operational changes, any new boss has the chance to start with a clean slate. A chance to totally rebuild the club along with the Director of Football.
A chance to mould one of the world’s greatest football club’s in their own image. That’s not something the likes of Marsch, Howe and co can boast having either on the table elsewhere or at their current clubs.
Celtic are, undoubtedly, bogged down by being based in Scotland. But the size of the club and the opportunity that lies ahead for any potential manager remains huge. A chance to become idolised at a massive football club whilst competing in Europe every season at Champions League level. That’s the base any new manager can build for himself.
And it’s why, as much as we at times doubt ourselves, Celtic will always be a big pull for talented young managers.
In other news, former Celtic hero Artur Boruc has made a classy gesture
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
