Eddie Howe has confirmed that the reasoning behind his Celtic change of mind was due to him not being able to procure his backroom team. Howe was anticipated to take over the Parkhead hot-seat after the Celtic hierarchy parted company with previous incumbent Neil Lennon, in February last year.
Howe procrastinated and procrastinated, leaving Celtic with egg on their face at the last minute – especially majority shareholder, Dermot Desmond. Word was that Howe had lost his bottle and left the Celtic powerbrokers extremely crimson faced. Howe has now taken over at Newcastle United and has refuted alternative claims to the backroom staff issue. Howe said: at his Newcastle United media conference today: “The problem is that I didn’t change my mind at the last minute. I have not spoken publicly on it because there have been a lot of things said that have been totally untrue.”
He added:“I couldn’t get my backroom team together to go to Celtic for a host of different reasons. I didn’t want to take a job of such size, and knowing the job needing to be done, on my own.”
“I knew what was needed. So there was no change of mind, I was open and honest with everyone connected with the club. Celtic were absolutely brilliant and I was open and honest all the way through. No problems with Celtic whatsoever.”
Celtic’s long and protracted pursuit of Eddie Howe illustrated how wacky and antiquated our processes in terms of recruitment are within the walls of Paradise. Even if what Eddie Howe says is true, Celtic should never have agreed to the time of waiting, only with the manager turning us down in the end. I find it hard to believe that as good as Ange has been, that he wasn’t a last minute smash and grab because we had been embarrassed publicly.
However, Ange is here and we’re building something special. What’s for you won’t go by you and all that…all well that ends well.
Here’s Howe’s Newcastle United Media Conference…
Paul Gillespie
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