Video: Fran’s the Man, easily the most impressive Coach at Celtic. So is anyone else thinking the unthinkable?

Listening to Fran Alonso talking about football is impressive. Very impressive actually. However he’s also made sure that his team has done it on the park, and unlike the men’s side, he did not have the budget to do as the two title rivals have done and bring in top international players.

Instead be worked with the modest funds at his disposal, bought shrewdly and even when his side lost key players in December – due to the players heading back to their homelands due to the pandemic situation in Scotland – he managed to bring in replacements who have added to the squad.

Photo:Malcolm Mackenzie

On Sunday Celtic were 5-0 up at the interval against Forfar Farmington. Everyone in the Celtic dressing room at K-Park knew that the same again was needed in the second half if Glasgow City had to be removed – even for a very short period – from the top of the table. Alonso told the players that they’d have to treat the second half as if they were going out 4-0 down, so needed five goals to win the match.

I asked him about being an overseas manager coming to Scotland and having to handle life and football in a country he knew little of. Listen to his answer to this and just about every question. His team – every single player – gives him 100% and gives each of their teammates the same. We missed that elsewhere this season.

Is anyone else starting to think the unthinkable regarding utilising what we have in a charismatic coach, technically sound who is already at the club?  Even as a temporary measure it’s certainly worth thinking about…even on a short-term basis while we await the arrival of Ange Postecoglou. Maybe Alonso would be an ideal candidate for the Assistant Manager’s job?  Madder things that this has happened this season.

Photo by Luke Nickerson/

“I am a dreamer,” Alonso said today. “When I came to the UK I was a housekeeper, cleaning for two years because I couldn’t speak English, with a dream of coaching in the Premier League.

“I work as hard as I can to make sure the dreams come true and that’s exactly what the players do as well. Of course we dream, dreams keep you motivated and we can fight as hard as we can to control what we can.

“Unfortunately on this occasion, I would like to be in the position of Glasgow City because they can control their outcome. We can control our outcome with the Champions League and that’s a massive, amazing outcome, that’s why I our focus is on that,”  Alonso added.

“It’s important to focus only on our game, try to get the three points and not make a mistake in the last game of the season. That would be devastating, although I would still feel very proud of the team.”

Alonso, incidentally has put the entire support in a position where we could be cheering a goal on Sunday for theRangers!  As I was saying about madder things.

Here’s Fran’s mixed media conference from earlier today…

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

1 Comment

  1. David G. Smith on

    Fran Alonso on the evidence of this interview would rip strips of Kennedy and Strachan all ways to Sundays as a coach.

    His mind clearly flies, thinks and operates in a much higher football strata than Kennedy and Strachan have ever have done or are likely to do.

    Who appoints the football staff at CFC again?

    Oh thats right….Lawell

    BUMP!