Celtic’s Keane Move Is a Bizarre Gamble

Article by e-Celtic Correspondent Brian McLaughlin

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CELTIC have turned their attention to Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane in their attempts to replace Neil Lennon, but just why are the Glasgow Giants opting for such a bizarre gamble?

In recent years Celtic have been lauded for their cautious economic approach when it comes to players. It is a business model that has centred upon minimising risk by spending little on promising young players in the hope that they could see marked returns on their investment. Even if players could not develop to the standard the club had envisaged it was not necessarily an unmitigated disaster given the paltry transfer fee used to secure their services.

Whilst the club seems averse to excessive risks in the transfer market, it is almost the complete opposite when recruiting the most instrumental figure on a team’s progress: the manager.

In 2009 Gordon Strachan left Celtic after missing out on securing the club’s fourth successive title against what was viewed then as a financially stricken Rangers side- events that have since transpired probably cast doubt on that definition given its comparison to the current state of the Ibrox club. A significant gripe that supporters had with Strachan was not just that he had failed to secure the title in his final year, but that the style of play had become tedious even during his previous successful seasons. The club’s hierarchy arguably paid too much attention to this complaint when identifying the Scot’s successor in 2009 when they decided to appoint Tony Mowbray as the man to take control at Parkhead: supporters were enthused with the former Hibernian manager’s promise of fluid and attacking football. But what exactly were the Celtic board basing Mowbray’s appointment on? Wasn’t this an audacious risk given that he had just finished bottom of the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion conceding a staggering 67 goals in the process? The Midlands club also received £2million in compensation for their trouble, about a common amount for Celtic to spend on a transfer fee. The Mowbray risk backfired spectacularly and he left the club after St Mirren’s first SPL victory over the Bhoys- an astonishing 4-0 win- left the Bhoys ten points behind Walter Smith’s Rangers having played two games more.

When tasked with rebuilding the club from the ruins of the Mowbray tenure the Celtic hierarchy again based their appointment on little evidence of managerial ability, however the results were admittedly different. Neil Lennon took temporary charge of the Hoops before the end of that infamous 2009/10 campaign and took maximum points in the league, but a crushing defeat to minnows Ross County in the Scottish-Cup semi-final which was among the most infamous defeats in Celtic’s history raised serious questions about whether the former captain could take charge on a permanent basis. The board demonstrated considerable faith in their man and were ultimately vindicated as the Northern Irishman guided the club to three successive league titles and two Scottish Cups, albeit with Rangers off the radar for two of those campaigns. In addition Lennon also masterminded a 2-1 win over Barcelona as the club celebrated its 125th anniversary as the club made its way back to the knockout stages of the Champions League. Nevertheless, it was an appointment based on risk as there were few boxes Lennon could tick at that time which qualified him to walk straight into such a massive football club and before him Tony Mowbray was likewise.

But yet again majority shareholder Dermot Desmond is about to go against the club’s commended economic strategy when picking his next manager as he lines up Roy Keane to take the helm at Celtic Park, in what can only be considered as another reckless and dumbfounding appointment.

Why are Celtic set to appoint a man who was mediocre at both Sunderland and Ipswich? The Irishman’s track record is somewhat patchy given that Celtic have ambitions of again qualifying for the Champions League: a revenue which is imperative to maintain the club’s strong economic position in these barren times for Scottish Football. After achieving promotion to the Premier League with Sunderland- a feat Tony Mowbray also achieved at West Brom remember- Keane spent tens of millions to stave off relegation by the slimmest of margins and during his time on Wearside relationships with players seemed to have soured given the former United midfielder’s strict personality. At Ipswich he fared no better, no wins in the first fourteen games of his first full season in charge meant that even a marked improvement in form consigned the Tractor Boys to a mid-table finish and in his next two seasons in East Anglia, Keane could not rise above this mid-table ceiling and he was sacked after leaving the club in 21st place in the Championship.

If not results, then what is it about Roy Keane that makes him so appealing to Celtic? It cannot be for the stylistic reasons that drove the Mowbray appointment, nor even the need to reinvigorate a poor squad that arguably swung the job in Neil Lennon’s favour despite his shortcomings. Perhaps when you find yourself in the almost incomparable situation Celtic are in with a total lack of domestic competition- only Bayern Munich could really claim to understand it given their dominance of German Football- that Dermot Desmond is looking for what is a high-profile name to boost merchandising revenues to offset any shortfall in domestic income. That is a cynical view and nor do the economics of it stack up given that the biggest financial carrot for the club is reaching the Champions League and surely throwing the dice at Keane instead of a manager with a solid managerial background jeopardises that vital European revenue?

Nor does Celtic currently fit in with the perception of Keane as this competitively obsessed man with ruthless standards. That is unless the club is prepared to break the bank for Europe which would whet his appetite more than the formality that has become the Scottish Premiership. Yet that does not fit in either with Desmond devolving economic responsibility to chief executive Peter Lawwell, under whose stewardship Celtic have adhered to a prudent financial model which has even reluctantly been accepted by fans sceptical about the board given Rangers’ demise. Questions would also arise about why Keane was trusted with such a large transfer budget and not Lennon. After all Lennon quit citing budget concerns and he was also capable of delivering the Champions League football the club craves for two seasons running, he’d probably have negotiated the qualifiers again had he been given a decent budget so it’s not likely Keane will be inheriting a massive transfer budget.

It is unclear how this appointment fits for either party concerned: Celtic need a manager with a proven track-record and one who can arguably add fresh ideas to the foundations set by Lennon; Keane needs to dip his toe in the water to further his managerial career once more in England, so unless he performs something extraordinary at Parkhead- which would mean in Europe- then he is unlikely to be heading up any managerial shortlists in the English Premier League.

Therefore it is difficult to see how this can be considered anything other than a bizarre gamble.

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