Exclusive:Celtic urged to target manager with record among 'best in Europe' as Rangers mentality put under microscope
Former Scotland boss shares thoughts on managerial situation at Celtic Park.
Celtic have been told that their next manager is right under their noses and will be impossible for the club’s board to ignore when the time comes to appoint a new boss this summer.
The Parkhead outfit are looking for a permanent boss after a season of tumult in the dugout, with Brendan Rodgers resigning in October and then sacking Wilfried Nancy in January after an ill-fated month in charge. In between, 74-year-old Martin O’Neill has taken the reins on an interim basis and is set to remain in post until the end of the season.
Sitting eight points off top spot in third place in the Premiership, Celtic are embroiled in a huge fight with leaders Hearts and Old Firm rivals Rangers to retain their crown - although they can reduce the gap by winning their game in hand against Aberdeen on Wednesday. But just further two points back, Motherwell cannot be discounted either, and former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan believes his ex-club should be seriously considering their current head coach Jens Berthel Askou.
The Dane has won numerous plaudits for the work he has done at Fir Park in his maiden campaign. Should Motherwell defeat Dundee on Saturday, they would be just seven points off the summit with nine matches to play.
“I’d say that Hearts have to be favourites to win the title now,” Strachan told The Scotsman via Covers.com soccer betting. “But you have to remember that the top five clubs all have to play each other again at the end of the season. It’s not like in England where you can face the bottom three teams in your run-in – that’s not going to happen.
“While the result on Sunday was good for Hearts, if any club is within three or four points of the leaders heading into the final five games, anybody can win it. I think the game [vs Rangers] could have been finished by half-time easily. Even in the first few minutes of the second half Rangers looked okay, but once Celtic scored their first, it just seemed like both the players and fans thought they could blow the game – which is hard to deal with.
“There’s a lot of new players in that Rangers side and they have to understand the expectation that comes with playing in these games. It seemed like a new experience for them when Celtic got that first goal back – there was suddenly more nerves and pressure from the crowd. There was an element of ‘stick or twist’ – and I think Danny Rohl ‘stuck’ based on his substitutions, which could become a problem if that mentality continues. It’s been such an exciting season and decades since anything like this happened, so we’re all enjoying it for sure.
“I must also say that, in my opinion, this is the best Motherwell side I’ve ever seen. They’ve only been beaten three times all season – it’s truly phenomenal. All these clubs think, ‘it’s only Motherwell’ and that they’ll just drop off, but it isn’t happening. Jens Berthel Askou has been absolutely excellent and so has his signings.
“Askou’s clean sheet record this year with Motherwell is up there with the best in Europe, and it’s all down to their possession play being so fantastic – the other teams just can’t get close to them. Recruitment and development go hand in hand and the club have got it right this season. He’s right on Celtic’s doorstep doing wonderful things with Motherwell, so it’s absolutely impossible to ignore him.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.