Robbie Keane is now the bookmakers’ favourite to become Celtic’s next manager.
He has leapt ahead of Martin O’Neill with the bookies, after the interim Hoops boss led the betting following the league and Scottish Cup double being secured.
Read into this as much as you want, but every recent managerial appointment at Celtic Park emerged in the bookies before they did in the media. Ange Postecoglou, Brendan Rodgers, Wilfried Nancy… the same pattern emerged every time.
This is not a declaration that Keane will be our next manager — but we should definitely start taking the possibility seriously.
If it comes down to these two… who are you picking as Celtic manager?
Robbie Keane’s CV
Of course, this is a guy with far more pedigree as a player than as a coach.
He is the all-time record appearance-maker and goalscorer for the Republic of Ireland, has scored over 100 Premier League goals and was excellent in his six months on loan with a bruised Celtic team in 2010.
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As a manager, he has a lot more to prove. He made his start in the dugout as assistant to Jonathan Woodgate, Mick McCarthy and Sam Allardyce at Middlesbrough, Ireland and Leeds respectively.
None of these spells were successful.
He launched his managerial career with Maccabi Tel Aviv, subjecting himself to plenty of international scrutiny in doing so.
Many in the Parkhead support are troubled by his spell in Israel; his appointment would undoubtedly be met with hostility from some of the most vocal and influential fans inside Celtic Park.
Is this likely to dissuade the hierarchy from appointing him? We all know the answer: no.
He left after delivering a league and cup double in his sole season with Maccabi. Six months later, he joined Ferencvaros mid-season, with the club already at the top of the league.
Their form immediately faltered after his appointment; he won none of his first four league games. Despite securing the title by three points, he lost the Hungarian Cup final.
Give us your gut feeling after the cup final… will Martin O’Neill be Celtic manager next season?
After losing to Qarabag in the Champions League qualifiers this season, Ferencvaros beat Genk, Salzburg, Ludogorets and Rangers to secure progression from the League Phase of the Europa League.
They went one better than Celtic by beating Ludogorets in their knockout round play-off, but were beaten 4-2 by Braga in the following round, despite taking a 2-0 lead into the second leg.
Domestically, things were the other way round: they won the Hungarian cup on penalties, but lost the league to surprise winners FC Gyor, ending a run of seven straight titles. Keane left the club soon after.
Robbie Keane’s candidacy for Celtic
Needless to say; this is far from an impressive managerial CV, which does little to distract from the fact that Keane’s pre-existing relationship with Dermot Desmond has played a part.
In terms of style of football, this season, Keane’s side have played between 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 formations, often pressing aggressively and demanding a lot of their midfield.
In possession, they focus on crosses into the box. In Europe, they are particularly direct; they beat Braga 2-0 with just 30% possession in March.
Whether or not Keane is wedded to his approach in the way that Nancy was would remain up in the air, but it certainly wouldn’t be a seamless transition for the existing Celtic squad..
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