The Jungle used to urge Peter Latchford to ‘give us a wave’ and he’d enjoy playing the waiting game before alway obliging – much to the delight of the Celtic Supporters in what is now the North Stand area of Paradise. He arrived from West Bromwich Albion on loan just as Celtic’s attempt to win a tenth league title in a row ended, Celtic missed a few penalties in the autumn at both Tynecastle and Tannadice and ended up drawing both games.
By the time we went to Ibrox at New Year things were neck and neck at the top of the table but in one of those games when we play well but nothing went right the Ibrox side got the win and Celtic seemed to collapse after that. Indeed by the end of the season Hibs had overtaken us to finish second.
Latchford though impressed enough and was therefore brought back on a permanent deal. He’s been talking about a similar situation for Celtic – what next after a decade of domination comes to an end with St Johnstone winning their second trophy of he the decade (League Cup) and theRangers winning their first ever major trophy since being founded by Charles Green in the summer of 2012 after the Rangers FC’s administrator’s attempt at securing a CVA failed. More on that below.
“The Celtic job is still a fantastic position for any manager,” Peter Latchford reckons. “Look at Brendan Rodgers. He wasn’t a daft man. He knew he would come to Celtic and do a good job.
“What happens then? Top clubs in England then start to have a look at it.Brendan saw Celtic as a stepping stone back to the Premier League and it worked out for everyone,” the former Celtic goalkeeper told David Friel at Scottish Sun.
Latchford is well aware that Roy Keane threw his name into the ring at the weekend, but he reckons that the former Manchester United captain is merely one of hundreds of possible candidates who would love the chance to manager his old club.
“You can be sure the board already have had hundreds of letters of interest from managers. It’s a great club and it can also be a great stepping stone for a manager to get to England,” Latchford added. “Come to Celtic, win trophies, create history and compete in Europe. Then — when the time is right — go to the Premier League and take a top job down there.
“That’s what Steven Gerrard will do. He has that first trophy at (the)Rangers and he will want a few more.
But ultimately he will move back to England. He won’t be at Ibrox in ten years’ time. Gerrard was a top player but he knew (the)Rangers could give him the platform to show his ability as a manager. I’m sure there are others in England who look at his success, and Brendan Rodgers’ before him, and think they want a bit of t
“Who do I think should get it? I don’t get paid the big bucks to put my neck on the line but I know there will be a high calibre of people desperate to take on this job,” the English goalie who was hugely popular with the Celtic support back in the day, added.
Luckily for him he’s been spared much of the misery we’ve had to endure this season – as he’s not seen many games. “I haven’t watched many Celtic games recently but I know what is going on,” he admitted. “There is a new chief executive coming in and he’ll want to put his stamp on it.
“Football on the park has changed but off the park everything is the same. If the Celtic board doesn’t stump up the money for the new manager and back him, then they won’t go forward.
“It’s the same for every club with aims of winning things. You need to sign quality. The man in charge needs to be strong and he needs to want to push it forward. He should be battering the directors’ doors to get the players in that Celtic need.
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“It took (the)Rangers ten years to win the league after what happened.’ (the old Rangers went bust in 2012).
If we take you back to Friday 15 June 2012 this happened, as reported in The Herald.
The Rangers creditors drifted in through Exit 50 at Ibrox Stadium just before 10am and by 10.09am they were on their way out. In those few minutes 140 years of history had been rubbed out.
Of the few owed money by the club who attended yesterday morning’s meeting at the Ibrox Suite most didn’t want to talk, and the few that did struggled.
“We’re in shock,” admitted debenture holder Stewart Boal. “The club’s gone. We’ve got to move on and start again.” In truth, everyone knew the meeting was a mere formality after HMRC announced earlier this week it would reject Charles Green’s terms for a company voluntary arrangement (CVA).
Few of the 276 creditors, who are owed somewhere in the region of £134 million and range from a face painter and magician to the local newsagent, turned up for the meeting. Those that did were clearly shocked by the speed of the club’s end. Asked to sum up his feelings, as he left Ibrox, Mr Boal said he found the whole thing “unreal, very, very sad”.
That’s what happened, lest we forget. Back to what Peter Latchford has been saying to David Friel.
“It’s not going to take Celtic that long but they need to change the entire squad round. They have to get the right manager and he needs to be strong.”
Latchford was brought up to Celtic on loan from West Bromwich Albion in 1975 as Jock Stein’s Celtic side struggled with the goalkeeping position and the chance to win ten-in-a row the first time was missed. He signed on a permanent deal after that and was very much part of the post 9IAR era at Celtic the first time around.
“It was all new for me at Celtic so at no point did I think about the run coming to an end. I had been on loan for a few months at the end of the 1974/75 season and then I signed permanently,” Latchford explained.
“I knew what had gone before but it wasn’t in my mind at all. I only thought about the future. Players who had been through the whole lot — then and now — will feel differently. You’ve been dominant for a decade and then it just stops.
“It all kind of falls apart, people leave and everyone has to start again under a new manager. There are a lot of players at Celtic who have achieved so much and set records. But when you are rebuilding it can sometimes help to have players who aren’t bogged down by the past.
“It’s going to be a fresh start for Celtic and that is the cycle of a football club anyway. Players come and go. Managers come and go. But the club moves on. By the looks of it, Celtic will need a lot of new players this summer as the latest cycle has ended.
“Teams evolve and the new manager will be able to put his stamp on it but I do also think you need a few guys in the squad who know what it’s all about. We had the likes of Bobby Lennox when I signed and he was so important to the team. I’m sure Scott Brown could do a similar role. He’s achieved everything with Celtic and I suppose it’s down to whether he can be persuaded to stay on.”
Peter Latchford was never at Birmingham City. His two brothers, Dave and Bob were both there. Peter was at West Bromwich Albion.
Thanks Andrew, updated now.