I see signs next Celtic manager won't be a low risk gamble but fans shouldn't count on Ange Postecoglou either
Dermot Desmond might be public enemy number one for many Hoops fans right now but the powerbroker usually has lofty aims when it comes to managers
Martin O’Neill has said a few times this week he reckons Celtic are looking to make a quick appointment for a permanent manager.
A rapid move would be a slight surprise for a club that tends to take plenty of time making big calls.
This is an executive that spent the summer window like a married couple back in the day arguing in Blockbuster over which video to rent while the Chinese takeaway goes cold in the car.
But given the slow moving car crash of their relationship with Brendan Rodgers, the selection process is already well under way.
Whether that lands their main man sharpish is another matter. There are too many factors at play – with the likelihood the next guy is currently in a job.
And it can sometimes take some untangling when it means getting someone out of a contract or even tying up loose business matters.
The fact there’s not been any timescale put on this process – or much info at all really – leans in this direction.
As does the list of currently out of work gaffers. Usually at this time of year there’s a decent pile of out-of-work managers fresh in the dole queue after the annual autumn cull.
Yet right now, the idle idol list isn’t exactly bursting with nailed on options.
Ange Postecoglou sits at the top of it but don’t bet on the Aussie becoming the latest former Celt to come back like a recurring cast member of Eastenders.
The fans’ favourite might be free but he’s on the back of brain-wrecking few months after getting emptied by Spurs and then lasting barely longer than a pint of milk at Nottingham Forest.
Postecoglou is probably sitting on enough gardening leave dosh to host his own Chelsea Flower Show, and the folk around him also suggest he’s not a man to retread old ground.
His stock is high enough for another crack at a decent job either in England or in one of the big European leagues before he eventually sees out a sunny retirement on the beach of some Greek island.
Don’t forget, his time at Celtic might have been slightly less messy than the Brendan Rodgers separation, but only in public. Behind the scenes he didn’t exactly walk out to a shower of rose petals.
Mind you, no one would have expected a Rodgers second shot on the swings given his exit first time around, so perhaps nothing should be ruled out.
In reality though, Celts are scouring the in-work market and having to negotiate the dangerous minefield filled with gaffers who’ll look to use the Parkhead club to get their name in lights and potentially smoking out other gigs in the process.
It’s always the way with Celtic – and Rangers for that matter – that potential candidates know these are massive high profile jobs that does their profiles no harm being linked to, even if they have no intention of actually researching Rightmove for trendy west end flats.
That could force Celts to think – and look – outside the box. Postecoglou might have been a late summons after Eddie Howe’s itchy feet but it’s a handy blueprint.
Dermot Desmond might be the bogey man for many Hoops fans right now but the powerbroker at Parkhead usually has lofty aims when it comes to managers.
The low risk gamble on Ronny Deila was the outlier but he was only talked into that one after weeks twisting Roy Keane's arm.
If the main target doesn’t come off, there’s every chance there is a manager lurking in a more unconventional place waiting in the wings.
There are several world wide leagues that will be coming to a conclusion in the coming weeks, like the MLS across the pond and out in Asia.
And that brings it all back to O’Neill. Along with Shaun Maloney, Celts should be in safe hands and if they can get past Rangers at Hampden on Sunday, it’ll buy even more time for the ducks to be lined up in a row.
Fail and it might be a different story and the Premiership deficit needs to be addressed quick-smart as well.
Despite all that, Celtic can’t really afford to rush when it comes to making a blockbuster appointment.