Obviously finding the best manager for the job is the main thing, but sometimes it’s also a case of finding the right timing.
Most managers are going to move on after a few years so you want to get them at a time when it feels natural to leave, but a report from Football Insider has indicated that Stoke manager Michael O’Neill won’t consider the Celtic job this summer.
It’s claimed that he had emerged as a candidate for the role over the past few weeks, but it’s believed that he’s still devoted to the rebuild that he’s currently overseeing at Stoke.
The report carries some quotes from former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell, and he was sure that O’Neill won’t go anywhere this summer:
“It’s no surprise to see him linked. He’s been an excellent manager at Stoke. But I can’t see him leaving Stoke, just because he’s only just started the rebuild there. You see the difference he’s made there already, from the back end of last season where he had six months to keep them up.
“Would he be interested? I’m sure he’d be interested in it but I think he’s got a project at Stoke to complete so I think he’ll stick to that.”
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When he first took over the English side were mainly worrying about being relegated to League One, so he’s done a superb job to turn them round and a play-off run this year is still a possibility.
He’s one of those candidates who will always be linked to the role because of his connection with Scotland and his exploits at international level, but you do have to wonder if he really would’ve been the right man for the job anyway.
He probably doesn’t fit the criteria of the “big name” manager that a lot of fans are pushing for, while most of his success has come when he’s under no pressure and trying to take an underdog as far as they can.
Perhaps that is the case with Celtic in Europe so you could see him getting some positive results there, but he’s never had to deal with the constant expectation to win every week and that’s always going to be the case at Celtic Park.
On top of that his teams tend to be reactionary instead of trying to dominate the game so that’s another concern that would need to be addressed.
Stoke are a good level of club for him and he might well take them back to the Premier League, but it just doesn’t look like a good match on paper even if he does become available.
