Friday, March 26, 2010

Celtic need hard-nosed pragmatist


In the Times 'Ask the expert' column, Graham Spiers responds to the question "What kind of manager do Celtic require?"

Graham Spiers responds: "Initially, they need somebody who will galvanise the squad and get them through to the end of the season with the minimum requirement of winning the Scottish Cup. They face Ross County in the semi-finals and either Dundee United or Raith in the final, so that should be imminently achieveable and should appease some of the frustration among the fans."

"Neil Lennon has taken charge of the first team and he could probably lead them until the summer. Having spent the best part of the decade at the club, he is sufficently familiar with their politics, traditions and aspirations. However, his only coaching experience has been with the reserves, so he lacks the background to take on the senior role in the long term."

"The first objective for Lennon and whoever is given the job permanently is to inject some hard-nosed pragmatism into Celtic's style. Mowbray was overly besotted with attractive football and that left his side far too frequently exposed in defence. Yes, the club's philosophy demands a passing game but not to the extent that Mowbray perceived. His idealism failed."

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