Celtic News: Season 2013-14

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Results / Fixtures


July

UCL 2nd Q: Cliftonville 0-3 Celtic (Lustig, Samaras, Forrest) Assists: Commons 2, Stokes - Att: 5000
UCL 2nd Q: Celtic 2-0 Cliftonville (Ambrose, Samaras) Assists: Stokes, Commons - Att: 44,389
UCL 3rd Q: Celtic 1-0 Elfsborg (Commons) Assist: Izaguirre - Att: 40,153



August

Premiership: Celtic 2-1 Ross County (Stokes 2) Assist: Commons - Att: 45,705
UCL 3rd Q: Elfsborg 0-0 Celtic - Att: 9,040
Premiership: Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic (Commons, Forrest) Assists: Samaras, Ledley - Att: 20,017
UCL Play-Off: S.Karagandy 2-0 Celtic Att: 20,000
Premiership: Celtic 2-2 Inverness C.T (Mulgrew, Matthews) Assists: Izaguirre, Brown - Att: 45,160
UCL Play-Off: Celtic 3-0 S.Karagandy (Commons, Samaras, Forrest) Assists: Samaras, Lustig, Stokes - Att: 58,000
Premiership: Dundee Utd 0-1 Celtic (Stokes) Att: 10,586



September

Premiership: Hearts 1-3 Celtic (Commons, Stokes, Pukki) Assists: Stokes 2, Commons - Att: 15,982
Champions League: AC Milan 2-0 Celtic Att: 43,000
Premiership: Celtic 2-1 St Johnstone (Pukki, Mulgrew) Assist: Stokes 2 - Att: 45,220
League Cup: Celtic 0-1 Morton (AET) - Att- 16,998
Premiership: Kilmarnock 2-5 Celtic (Commons, Samaras 3, Baldè) Assist: Samaras Commons 2 Mulgrew Lustig - Att: 6,149



October

Champions League: Celtic 0-1 Barcelona Att: 60,000
Premiership: Celtic 2-0 Motherwell (Stokes, Commons) Assist:  Brown - Att: 46,608
Premiership: Hibernian 1-1 Celtic (Forrest) Att: 14,220
Champions League: Celtic 2-1 Ajax (Forrest, Kayal) Assist: Stokes, Samaras Att: 60,000
Premiership: Partick Thistle 1-2 Celtic (Samaras, Baldè) Assist Izaguirre 2 Att: 7,978



November

Premiership: Celtic 1-1 Dundee Utd (Mulgrew) Assist: Izaguirre Att: 47,386
Champions League: Ajax 1-0 Celtic Att: 52,058
Premiership: Ross County 1-4 Celtic (Van Dijk 2, Ledley 2) Assist: Izaguirre 2, Mulgrew, Fisher Att: 5,982
Premiership: Celtic 3-1 Aberdeen (Commons 2, Boerrigter) Att: 49,638
Champions League: Celtic 0-3 AC Milan Att: 60,000



December

Scottish Cup: Hearts 0-7 Celtic (Commons 3, Brown 2, Ledley , Lustig) Assist: Ledley 2, Mulgrew 2, Lustig Att: 10,636
Premiership: Motherwell 0-5 Celtic (Commons 2, Ambrose, Stokes, Atajic) Assist: Stokes 2, Mulgrew, Izaguirre, Pukki - Att: 9,117
Champions League: Barcelona 6-1 Celtic (Samaras) Assist: Commons
Premiership: Celtic 1-0 Hibs (Pukki) Assist: Ledley Att: 46,065
Premiership: Celtic 2-0 Hearts (Commons, Forrest) Assist: Brown, Samaras Att: 46,058
Premiership: St Johnstone 0-1 Celtic (Van Dijk) Att: 7,034
Premiership: Inverness C.T 0-1 Celtic (Commons) - Assist: Samaras Att: 6,384



January

Premiership: Celtic 1-0 Partick Thistle (Ledley) - Att: 52,670
Premiership: St Mirren 0-4 Celtic (Mulgrew, Stokes, Commons 2) - Assist: Matthews, Ledley, Izaguirre, Forrest Att: 5,778
Premiership: Celtic 3-0 Motherwell (Commons 2, McManus OG) - Assist: Stokes 2 - Att: 47,489
Premiership: Hibernian 0-4 Celtic (Commons 2, Van Dijk, Pukki) - Assist: Izaguirre, Pukki - Att: 12,542
Premiership: Celtic 4-0 Kilmarnock (Ledley, Ashcroft OG, Mulgrew, Baldè) - Assist: Forrest 2, Ledley, Commons - Att: 44,271



February

Premiership: Celtic 1-0 St Mirren (Commons) - Att: 45,014
Scottish Cup: Celtic 1-2 Aberdeen (Stokes) - Assit: Samaras Att: 30,413
Premiership: Celtic 3-0 St Johnstone (Stokes 3) - Assist: - Griffiths, Brown Att: - 45,239
Premiership: Hearts 0-2 Celtic (Griffiths, Pukki) - Assist: - Stokes, Baldè Att: 15,801
Premiership: Aberdeen 2-1 Celtic (Forrest) - Assist:- Brown Att: 16,638



March
Premiership: Celtic 5-0 Inverness C.T (Griffiths 3, Mulgrew, Commons) - Assist Izaguirre, Forrest 2, Commons Att: 46,552
Premiership: Kilmarnock 0-3 Celtic (Commons 3) - Assist: Griffiths, Matthews, Mulgrew Att: 7,495
Premiership: Celtic 3-0 St Mirren (Johansen, Griffiths, Stokes) - Assits:Griffiths, Stokes, Samaras Att: 46,538
Premiership: Partick Thistle 1-5 Celtic (Stokes 2, Henderson, Johansen, Commons) - Assists: Izaguirre, Johansen, Griffiths, Samaras 2 Att: 7,549
Premiership: Celtic 1-1 Ross County (Commons) -  Assist: Griffiths - Att: 49,270



April
Premiership: Dundee Utd 0-2 Celtic (Samaras, Stokes) - Assist: Commons - Att:11,033
Premiership: Motherwell 3-3 Celtic (Stokes, Samaras, Griffiths) - Assist: Brown, Stokes 2 - Att: 7,493
Premiership: Celtic 6-0 Inverness C.T (Stokes 3, Griffiths, Ambrose, Pukki) - Assist: Griffths 2, Johansen, Stokes, Commons 2 - Att: 45,712


May
Premiership: Celtic 5-2 Aberdeen (Brown 2, Stokes, Commons) - Assist: Matthews 2, Stokes, Kayal - Att: 47,468
Premiership: St Johnstone 3-3 Celtic (Commons, Pukki, Van Dijk) - Assist: Mulgrew, Brown - Att: 4,624
Premiership: Celtic 3-1 Dundee Utd (Stokes, Samaras, Commons) - Assist: Commons, Stokes - Att: 52,400




Goalscorers:

32 - Commons
21 - Stokes
20 - Griffiths (13 for Wolves)
11 - Samaras
7 - Forrest; Pukki
6 - Mulgrew
5 - Ledley; Van Dijk
4 - Ambrose; Brown
3 - Balde
2 - Lustig; Johansen
1 - Atajic; Matthews; Kayal; Boerrigter; Henderson




Assists:

18 - Stokes
15 -Commons
11 - Izaguirre
10 - Samaras
7 - Griffiths; Brown
5 - Forrest
4 - Ledley; Mulgrew
2 - Lustig; Matthews; Johansen
1 - Fisher; Pukki; Baldè






Man of the Match:

vs Cliftonville - Georgios Samaras
vs Cliftonville - Kelvin Wilson
vs Elfsborg - Kris Commons
vs Ross County - Anthony Stokes
vs Elfsborg - Mikeal Lustig
vs Aberdeen - Charlie Mulgrew
vs S.Karagandy - Kris Commoms
vs Inverness C.T - Tom Rogic
vs S.Karagandy - Kris Commons
vs Dundee Utd - Virgil Van Dijk
vs Hearts - Anthony Stokes
vs AC Milan - Adam Matthews
vs St Johnstone - Virgil Van Dyke
vs Kilmarnock - Georgios Samaras
vs Barcelona - Virgil Van Dijk
vs Motherwell - Kris Commons
vs Hibernian - James Forrest
vs Ajax - Virgil Van Dijk
vs Partick Thistle - Emilio Izaguirre
vs Dundee Utd - Anthony Stokes
vs Ajax - Mikeal Lustig
vs Ross County -Virgil Van Dijk
vs Aberdeen -Efe Ambrose
vs AC Milan -Emilio Izaguirre
vs Hearts - Kris Commons
vs Motherwell - Anthony Stokes
vs Barcelona - Fraser Forster
vs Hibs - Mikeal Lustig
vs Hearts - Kris Commons
vs St Johnstone - Virgil Van Dijk
vs Inverness C.T - Kris Commons
vs Partick Thistle - Joe Ledley
vs St Mirren - Kris Commons
vs Motherwell - Kris Commons
vs Hibernian - Virgil Van Dijk
vs Kilmarnock - Joe Ledley
vs St Mirren - Stefan Johansen
vs Aberdeen - Virgil Van Dijk
vs St Johnstone - Anthony Stokes
vs Hearts - Leigh Griffiths
vs Aberdeen - Nir Biton
vs Inverness C.T - Leigh Griffiths
vs Kilmarnock - Kris Commons
vs St Mirren - Anthony Stokes
vs Partick Thistle - Anthony Stokes
vs Ross County - Virgil Vam Dyke
vs Dundee Utd - Kris Commons
vs Motherwell - Anthony Stokes
vs Inverness C.T - Anthony Stokes
vs Aberdeen - Scott Brown
vs St Johnstone - Kris Commons
vs Dundee Utd - Anthony Stokes



Average League Attendance for Season 2013/14: 47,079 from 19 games (894,501)
Total Home Attendance for All Competitions in 2013/14: (1,264,454)
Average Home Attendance for the UEFA Champions League in 2013/14: 60,00 from 3 games (180,000)
Average Home Attendance for the UEFA Champions League Qualifiers in 2013/14: 47,514 from 3 games (142,542)

Appearances:

Player's Names	SPFL Premiership (Subs)/Goals	Champions League (subs)/Goals	Scottish FA Cup (Subs)/Goals	Scottish League Cup (Subs)/Goals	Total Appearances (Subs)/Goals
1. Fraser Forster	37	12	2	-	51
2. Adam Matthews	20 (2) / 1	4 (2)	(1)	1	25 (5) / 1
3. Emilio Izaguirre	34	10	2	-	46
4. Efe Ambrose	37 (1) / 3	11 / 1	2	1	51 (1) / 4
5. Virgil Van Dijk	35 (1)/ 5	7 (1)	2	1	45 (2) / 5
6. Nir Biton	9 (7)	1 (2)	1	1	12 (9)
8. Scott Brown	37 (1)/ 2	9	2 / 2	1	49 (1)/ 4
9. Georgios Samaras	10 (10) / 7	12 / 4	1	-	23 (10) / 11
10. Anthony Stokes	30 (3) / 20	8 (3)	2 / 1	(1)	40 (7) / 21
11. Derk Boerrigter	4 (10) / 1	2 (3)	(2)	1	7 (15) / 1
15. Kris Commons	32 (2) / 27	10 (1) / 2	2 / 2	(1)	44 (4) / 32
17. Amido Balde	3 (17) / 3	(3)	(1)	-	3 (21) / 3
18. Tom Rogic	1(2)	(3)	-	1	2 (5)
20. Teemu Pukki	13 (12) / 7	2 (3)	(1)	1	16 (16) / 7
21. Charlie Mulrew	27 (1) / 6	8 (2)	1	1	37 (3) / 6
22. Steven Mouyokolo	1	1	-	-	2
23. Mikeal Lustig	9 (7)	12 / 1	1 / 1	1	23 (7) / 2
24. Lukas Zaluska	1	-	-	1	2
25. Stefan Johansen	13 (3) / 2	-	1	-	14 (3) / 2
28. Leigh Griffiths	11 (2) / 7	-	(1)	-	11 (3) / 7
32. Tony Watt	1 (1)	(1)	-	-	1 (2)
33. Beram Kayal	7 (6)	6 (1) / 1	-	-	13 (7) / 1
37. Bahrudin Atajic	(3) / 1	-	-	-	(3) / 1
41. Darnel Fisher	10 (2)	-	(1)	-	10 (3)
46. Dylan McGeouch	(1)	(1)	-	1	1 (2)
49. James Forrest	10 (6) / 4	10 (1)/ 3	1	-	21 (7) / 7
53. Liam Henderson	4 (4) / 1	-	-	-	4 (4) / 1
56. Filip Twardzik	1	-	-	-	1
Players On Loan
18. Tom Rogic - Melbourne Victory	7 (1)	3	-	-	10 (1)
32. Tony Watt - Lierse	8 (8) / 8	-	(1) / 1	-	8 (9) / 9
37. Bahrudin Atajic - Shrewsbury	3 (10)	-	-	-	3 (10)
42. Callum McGregor - Notts County	32 (5) / 12	- [	-	2 / 1	34 (5) / 14
46. Dylan McGeouch - Coventry	(8)	(8)	-	-	(8)
Players Sold
Joe Ledley	18 (2) / 4	4 (4)	1 / 1	-	23 (6) / 5
Kelvin Wilson	-	4	-	-	4
Gary Hooper	-	(1)	-	-	(1)

They can have Lambert.

CaledonianCraig wrote:I am sorry it is evidently the case about the Irish element. Hence why they swarmed around after Roy Keane and Robbie Keane - Irishmen...why? Keane (Roy) was a pale shadow of the player he was so that was a waste. Also again if as you say there is no bias and records are so close as I see it between O'Neill and Strachan is one seen as a heroic idol whilst Strachan was as good as hounded out?

And look around whatever forums/websites you like or social networks and why are all fans preferred options all ex-Celtic men ie Malky Mackay, Paul Lambert, Jackie McNamara and Henrik Larrson. That is just too weird. None have set any managerial job alight so why clamber to get them. After all we keep hearing Celtic are one of the supposed biggest clubs in the world so why not have the ambition to go for a mager with REAL qualifications. That is my point.

evidently the case? Absolute nonsense pedaled by an agenda driven section for some strange reason.

as for the Keane signings, both of them, Roy I felt was a good signing, he was past his best but far superior to Neil Lennon at the time who was rumoured to be heading out the door that Summer, Keane was signed for 18 months but after 6 months just didn't feel it, Lennon stayed on, as for Robbie Keane, surely you're not suggesting this was a bad move? The only reason we signed him was because he was a fan of Celtic (and Liverpool) and it became an opportunity that became a no-brainer, 16 goals in 17 games showed that while Celtic weren't successful in his loan period he certainly was.


Strachan did get hounded out but he also wanted to leave, he should have walked in December whe he was supposed to, what happened was the catalyst for the hounding, him not walking when he said he was planning to leave in the summer meant Celtic didn't stewngthen in the January window, Lawwell wasn't going to spend money on a player a new man might not want, what happened? An aging squad stumbled and crashed before the line and we lost the title, 7 points blown, that was on Gordon's head.

Also it was his attitude to interviews and the contempt he held the fans in that got to most fans, he hardly answered a question straight, he Lways had to be snide and always had to look as disinterested as possible which was a complete contrast from O'Neill who made you feel like he was talking directly too you and felt he was talking for you too.


Celtic have had more Welsh Internationalists in the last 10 years than they have Irish, this must be down to the clearly evident Welsh bias that must be going on at Celtic Park ehh...

you made a wild statement about Strachan being statistically better tha O'Neill, having liked both I took issue with it and proved you wrong, why yiu choose to pedal a myth is beyond me but whe you get it so totally wrong its eithet ignorance or something more sinister.

Nope sorry but Parkhead is always awash with Irish flags not Welsh or Scottish flags.

I must say your views on Strachan are weird as in description of him in interviews etc as that is a trait I have never seen in Strachan and I have followed his career very closely. As for Strachan being better than O'Neill well he was in the Champions League and can I ask how much Strachan had to spend compared to O'Neill? You earlier said he won titles due to an awful Rangers side but I'd counter that is unproven - perhaps O'Neill had the easier opposition to overcome? Also outside of Celtic I'd say Strachan's record holds up better than O'Neill's as well.

Celtic and a strong Irish connection idea will always be there until I see Parkhead awash with Saltires and not tri-colours on European nights - after all they only get into Europe by winning the SCOTTISH league not the Irish. If you want I'll post up pics to prove what I say is fact.

And look around whatever forums/websites you like or social networks and why are all fans preferred options all ex-Celtic men ie Malky Mackay, Paul Lambert, Jackie McNamara and Henrik Larrson. That is just too weird. None have set any managerial job alight so why clamber to get them. After all we keep hearing Celtic are one of the supposed biggest clubs in the world so why not have the ambition to go for a mager with REAL qualifications. That is my point

Celtic are a big club with a world wide fanbase, no doubt but thats as far as it goes, they arent a World Class Football club, they cant attract a big name CL experienced boss, they don't have the finance to do it and the environment we play in doesn't support that either, the reason a lot of ex players with Celtic connections are the supposed targets is simple, Peter Lawwell knows he cant afford to pay top dollar so he is going after targets that will hopefully be sold on the name value of the club, and ex players/fans will be more likely to accept that than an outsider who has no prior history with Celtic.

I don't think anyone could argue with Davie Moyes' pedigree, to lumber him in as just in it coz he is an ex player is seriously misguided, 12 months ago he was considered to be the most honoured man in our game given that the best manager In the UK hand picked him to succeed him.

Yes Moyes you may say should be exempt - that is fair enough. But all of the rest are mere favourites with fans for why? Because they have a Celtic connection.

Mackay got Cardiff promoted to the EPL then fell out with the chairman.

Lambert is not excelling in any way with Villa - his big achievement was avoiding relegation.

McNamara is doing a decent job at Dundee United but is as green as grass.

Larsson is hardly proven as a manager either.

Those four have no credentials as a manager in European club competitions and that is something Celtic will be looking for. The SPL title is virtually guaranteed so they need a manager with top European credentials and it is time the board saw that and pushed the boat out. The club must have money for such appointment considering they dont spend big on players and get very healthy gate receipts.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Nope sorry but Parkhead is always awash with Irish flags not Welsh or Scottish flags.

I must say your views on Strachan are weird as in description of him in interviews etc as that is a trait I have never seen in Strachan and I have followed his career very closely. As for Strachan being better than O'Neill well he was in the Champions League and can I ask how much Strachan had to spend compared to O'Neill? You earlier said he won titles due to an awful Rangers side but I'd counter that is unproven - perhaps O'Neill had the easier opposition to overcome? Also outside of Celtic I'd say Strachan's record holds up better than O'Neill's as well.

Celtic and a strong Irish connection idea will always be there until I see Parkhead awash with Saltires and not tri-colours on European nights - after all they only get into Europe by winning the SCOTTISH league not the Irish. If you want I'll post up pics to prove what I say is fact.

Celtic are awash with Irish flags? Jeeez whens the last time you were at Celtic Park, Celtic have strong irish connections,  anyone who understands the very basis on why the club were formed would know that, there is also nothing wrong with embracing your history.

as for my views on Strachan beingg weird, far from it, absolutely accurate would be a better way yo describe my views on them.

Strachan better than O'Neill in the Champions League...meh, both won all their same amount of points with identical scenarios, both won at home, both lost all their games away, we finally got a break under Gordon, we qualified due to results in games NOT involving us, they went for us under Strachan and went against us under MON - thats the big picture and not just a black and white,  version to support a claim.

And no, Martin O'Neill certainly didn't have the easier opposition to overcome, Dick Advocaat hired possibly the best ever squad of players Rangers ever had, it killed them eventually but it was a squad full of top quality international players, De Boers, Numan, Klos, Van Bronckhurst, Mols, Kanchelskis, Albertz, the list is endless, Gordon Strachan's first season saw Rangers finish outside of the top 2 in the league for the first time in 20 years, in the second season the League was do e and dusted for Guy Faux night and Paul Le Guin was sacked around New Years day, Rangers won no trophies in that period, to suggest MON had a weaker opposition is absured to be honest.

of course Celtic have a strong Irish connection, no-one is disputing that, the very reason for the formstion of the club was to help feed the poor Irish immigrants of the late 1800s....what im disputing is that Irishmen somehow get a free ride from fans, thats nonsense, its a sweeping generalisation that belongs in the dark ages

CaledonianCraig wrote:Yes Moyes you may say should be exempt - that is fair enough. But all of the rest are mere favourites with fans for why? Because they have a Celtic connection.

Mackay got Cardiff promoted to the EPL then fell out with the chairman.

Lambert is not excelling in any way with Villa - his big achievement was avoiding relegation.

McNamara is doing a decent job at Dundee United but is as green as grass.

Larsson is hardly proven as a manager either.

Those four have no credentials as a manager in European club competitions and that is something Celtic will be looking for. The SPL title is virtually guaranteed so they need a manager with top European credentials and it is time the board saw that and pushed the boat out. The club must have money for such appointment considering they dont spend big on players and get very healthy gate receipts.

Neil Lennon had no experience at all, he has since qualified for the last 2 Champions League campaigns, Gordon Strachan and Marti O'Neill, both highly experianced managets at the time got put out of CL qualifiers, nothing is guaranteed regardless of who the manager is, what I will say thougj is someone with the experiance of having Celtic in their heart will know how important these qualifiers are.

Where did I say Irishmen get a free ride from fans? I didn't. My point is fans have this weird obsession of their manager's having Celtic credentials a lot of the time being put above the far more important credential of actually being able to manage a football team. Look at all those names bandied around today for clear evidence of that.

Sure the club has Irish roots and of course the Irish flags are everywhere certainly on European nights. Fine don't forget how the club formed but please leave it out - the club is based on SCOTTISH soil, plays in a SCOTTISH league and the vast majority of cash coming through the turnstiles comes from SCOTTISH people how about remembering that. Those far outweigh something that happened 150 years ago.

Kay Fabe wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Yes Moyes you may say should be exempt - that is fair enough. But all of the rest are mere favourites with fans for why? Because they have a Celtic connection.

Mackay got Cardiff promoted to the EPL then fell out with the chairman.

Lambert is not excelling in any way with Villa - his big achievement was avoiding relegation.

McNamara is doing a decent job at Dundee United but is as green as grass.

Larsson is hardly proven as a manager either.

Those four have no credentials as a manager in European club competitions and that is something Celtic will be looking for. The SPL title is virtually guaranteed so they need a manager with top European credentials and it is time the board saw that and pushed the boat out. The club must have money for such appointment considering they dont spend big on players and get very healthy gate receipts.

Neil Lennon had no experience at all, he has since qualified for the last 2 Champions League campaigns, Gordon Strachan and Marti  O'Neill, both highly experianced managets at the time got put out of CL qualifiers, nothing is guaranteed regardless of who the manager is, what I will say thougj is someone with the experiance of having Celtic in their heart will know how important these qualifiers are.

Lennon done well in Europe for Celtic but I'd be very confident that his time at Celtic will be his most successful as a manager. If, as it looks will the case, he dips his toe in the water in England he will flop. Call it a gut feeling I have. Celtic must have a reasonable pot of cash to now push the boat out and get a fully qualified manager with managerial credentials in to take them stages further in Europe. But if the club won't spend (as seems the case) they will stagnate.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Where did I say Irishmen get a free ride from fans? I didn't. My point is fans have this weird obsession of their manager's having Celtic credentials a lot of the time being put above the far more important credential of actually being able to manage a football team. Look at all those names bandied around today for clear evidence of that.

Sure the club has Irish roots and of course the Irish flags are everywhere certainly on European nights. Fine don't forget how the club formed but please leave it out - the club is based on SCOTTISH soil, plays in a SCOTTISH league and the vast majority of cash coming through the turnstiles comes from SCOTTISH people how about remembering that. Those far outweigh something that happened 150 years ago.

who says the club forgets that? I dont and most of the people I know dont, this is exactly what im talking about, this faux outrage is disingenuous and has sinister undertones, its a myth pedaled by npn Celtic fans for reasons I dont want to know as its likely poisoness, most dont have a clue what they're talking about, they just pedal the same ridiculous myth because their dads did the same and their dads likely did the same...the vicious cycle continues, its strange, more non Celtic fans seem to be concerned about Celtic's irish links than actual Celtic fans - strange!

I've already explained my thinking on why the majority of targets have a Celtic connection

CaledonianCraig wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Yes Moyes you may say should be exempt - that is fair enough. But all of the rest are mere favourites with fans for why? Because they have a Celtic connection.

Mackay got Cardiff promoted to the EPL then fell out with the chairman.

Lambert is not excelling in any way with Villa - his big achievement was avoiding relegation.

McNamara is doing a decent job at Dundee United but is as green as grass.

Larsson is hardly proven as a manager either.

Those four have no credentials as a manager in European club competitions and that is something Celtic will be looking for. The SPL title is virtually guaranteed so they need a manager with top European credentials and it is time the board saw that and pushed the boat out. The club must have money for such appointment considering they dont spend big on players and get very healthy gate receipts.

Neil Lennon had no experience at all, he has since qualified for the last 2 Champions League campaigns, Gordon Strachan and Marti  O'Neill, both highly experianced managets at the time got put out of CL qualifiers, nothing is guaranteed regardless of who the manager is, what I will say thougj is someone with the experiance of having Celtic in their heart will know how important these qualifiers are.

Lennon done well in Europe for Celtic but I'd be very confident that his time at Celtic will be his most successful as a manager. If, as it looks will the case, he dips his toe in the water in England he will flop. Call it a gut feeling I have. Celtic must have a reasonable pot of cash to now push the boat out and get a fully qualified manager with managerial credentials in to take them stages further in Europe. But if the club won't spend (as seems the case) they will stagnate.

meh Lennon had 1 good Season in Europe where he done well, the other 3 seasons were very poor, as for the whole get a manager in, who? Give me an example, to attract a manager, you have yo offer then good money and a decent transfer kitty, a very decent one, now is certainly not the time to be gambling with finances,  most Celtic fans get and understand this.

Sorry but you are barking up the wrong tree here. I don't support any Scottish football club - just the Scottish national side. If we opened a poll on this topic about Celtic in Europe and ask them do they see more Irish flags or more saltires there would only be one winner here. That to me is morally wrong as the club is supposed to be representing Scotland and should make a point of being proud to do so. Anyways that is my point on it and my view is nothing sectarian just a football fans observation as I am not daft enough to drag religion into football.

I mean this without any offence, but is there any case to be made that managers in England, especially ones like Lambert and Mackay, would be worried about going to Scotland and Celtic because, really, down this way no one really respects the work of a winning Celtic manager?

Would it not be the case that both Mackay and Lambert, for example, would look at how Lennon is considered barely good enough for Norwich and think "this could damage my reputation"? Maybe just for the case that people are easily forgotten, out of sight out of mind, and also buy into the weakness of the Scottish League?

Kay Fabe wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Yes Moyes you may say should be exempt - that is fair enough. But all of the rest are mere favourites with fans for why? Because they have a Celtic connection.

Mackay got Cardiff promoted to the EPL then fell out with the chairman.

Lambert is not excelling in any way with Villa - his big achievement was avoiding relegation.

McNamara is doing a decent job at Dundee United but is as green as grass.

Larsson is hardly proven as a manager either.

Those four have no credentials as a manager in European club competitions and that is something Celtic will be looking for. The SPL title is virtually guaranteed so they need a manager with top European credentials and it is time the board saw that and pushed the boat out. The club must have money for such appointment considering they dont spend big on players and get very healthy gate receipts.

Neil Lennon had no experience at all, he has since qualified for the last 2 Champions League campaigns, Gordon Strachan and Marti  O'Neill, both highly experianced managets at the time got put out of CL qualifiers, nothing is guaranteed regardless of who the manager is, what I will say thougj is someone with the experiance of having Celtic in their heart will know how important these qualifiers are.

Lennon done well in Europe for Celtic but I'd be very confident that his time at Celtic will be his most successful as a manager. If, as it looks will the case, he dips his toe in the water in England he will flop. Call it a gut feeling I have. Celtic must have a reasonable pot of cash to now push the boat out and get a fully qualified manager with managerial credentials in to take them stages further in Europe. But if the club won't spend (as seems the case) they will stagnate.

meh Lennon had 1 good Season in Europe where he done well, the other 3 seasons were very poor, as for the whole get a manager in, who? Give me an example, to attract a manager, you have yo offer then good money and a decent transfer kitty, a very decent one, now is certainly not the time to be gambling with finances,  most Celtic fans get and understand this.

If you don't spend you don't get. If you don't gamble you don't win. In five years time you will be back here with a new manager hunt after 5 league titles and a few cup wins but still no discernible progress in Europe which is really what is craved by the fans and the club is it not.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:I mean this without any offence, but is there any case to be made that managers in England, especially ones like Lambert and Mackay, would be worried about going to Scotland and Celtic because, really, down this way no one really respects the work of a winning Celtic manager?

Would it not be the case that both Mackay and Lambert, for example, would look at how Lennon is considered barely good enough for Norwich and think "this could damage my reputation"? Maybe just for the case that people are easily forgotten, out of sight out of mind, and also buy into the weakness of the Scottish League?

That is pretty much spot on. That is why I am advocating that they must look to shine a little brighter in Europe to at least raise their profile somewhat. The SPL titles are a given for sure as no clubs are remotely close to challenging Celtic. It doesn't mean to say there aren't some very good players in the SPL because there are and many could do a very good job in the EPL and many have but they are dotted around different clubs in Scotland with Celtic commanding more strength in depth etc hence domination.

CaledonianCraig wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:Yes Moyes you may say should be exempt - that is fair enough. But all of the rest are mere favourites with fans for why? Because they have a Celtic connection.

Mackay got Cardiff promoted to the EPL then fell out with the chairman.

Lambert is not excelling in any way with Villa - his big achievement was avoiding relegation.

McNamara is doing a decent job at Dundee United but is as green as grass.

Larsson is hardly proven as a manager either.

Those four have no credentials as a manager in European club competitions and that is something Celtic will be looking for. The SPL title is virtually guaranteed so they need a manager with top European credentials and it is time the board saw that and pushed the boat out. The club must have money for such appointment considering they dont spend big on players and get very healthy gate receipts.

Neil Lennon had no experience at all, he has since qualified for the last 2 Champions League campaigns, Gordon Strachan and Marti  O'Neill, both highly experianced managets at the time got put out of CL qualifiers, nothing is guaranteed regardless of who the manager is, what I will say thougj is someone with the experiance of having Celtic in their heart will know how important these qualifiers are.

Lennon done well in Europe for Celtic but I'd be very confident that his time at Celtic will be his most successful as a manager. If, as it looks will the case, he dips his toe in the water in England he will flop. Call it a gut feeling I have. Celtic must have a reasonable pot of cash to now push the boat out and get a fully qualified manager with managerial credentials in to take them stages further in Europe. But if the club won't spend (as seems the case) they will stagnate.

meh Lennon had 1 good Season in Europe where he done well, the other 3 seasons were very poor, as for the whole get a manager in, who? Give me an example, to attract a manager, you have yo offer then good money and a decent transfer kitty, a very decent one, now is certainly not the time to be gambling with finances,  most Celtic fans get and understand this.

If you don't spend you don't get. If you don't gamble you don't win. In five years time you will be back here with a new manager hunt after 5 league titles and a few cup wins but still no discernible progress in Europe which is really what is craved by the fans and the club is it not.

"If you dont spend you don't get"....and that shows how out of touch you are with Scottish Football, the days of spending to accumulate in Scotland are gone for the forseeable future and its for the best.

Or it shows how gullible you are. Celtic average what? 40,000 home gates, spend not a great deal on players and less on managers, must make a very healthy profit on club merchandise so where is all that money going? Not on wages by all accounts and not on new players (according to Lennon) so where is it going?

The next few years something has to change for Celtic in terms of that. SPL titles are assured but they will never crack Europe to any great degree until they invest. And if they don't crack Europe then what else is there to stop the next manager from becoming bored and jacking it in a la Lennon once he is fed up waiting to REALLY improve his squad.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:I mean this without any offence, but is there any case to be made that managers in England, especially ones like Lambert and Mackay, would be worried about going to Scotland and Celtic because, really, down this way no one really respects the work of a winning Celtic manager?

Would it not be the case that both Mackay and Lambert, for example, would look at how Lennon is considered barely good enough for Norwich and think "this could damage my reputation"? Maybe just for the case that people are easily forgotten, out of sight out of mind, and also buy into the weakness of the Scottish League?

I don't think you're causing offence at all, its a fair point although im not so sure its as much as the manager of Celtic that doesn't hold much weight, more that its Neil Lennon himself who doesn't have the clout...I'd be more than confident that if Davie Moyes came to.Celtic for 3/4 years and did basically what Lennon has done, win mutkiple league titles, qualified for the CL multiple times and won a couple of domestic trophies then he'd still get a very decent job in the Premiership if henwanted to move back South

Lennon is still very naive, it was that naivety that cost Celtic dearly in the last 16 of the CL and almost cost them the CL group stage place the season just past, for a manager who has been in the job 3 years+ at the time the mistakes he was making were still quite unbelievable and obvious, he was still making those same basic mistakes as late as February this year, I think thats got more to do with it than being manager of Celtic to be honest.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Or it shows how gullible you are. Celtic average what? 40,000 home gates, spend not a great deal on players and less on managers, must make a very healthy profit on club merchandise so where is all that money going? Not on wages by all accounts and not on new players (according to Lennon) so where is it going?

The next few years something has to change for Celtic in terms of that. SPL titles are assured but they will never crack Europe to any great degree until they invest. And if they don't crack Europe then what else is there to stop the next manager from becoming bored and jacking it in a la Lennon once he is fed up waiting to REALLY improve his squad.

It doesn't show gullibility at all, it shows a sense of realism, average crowd is 47k we still have a big wage bill, our wage bill for players is around £30m mark, Celtic don't bank for the Champions League, thats the kind of moronic business sense that gets clubs into trouble, Celtic wont crack Europe again under the current climate, unfortunately that's just the way it is, it'll take a far superior TV deal before anyone would expectnCeltic to become cavalier in their spending.

Okay I understand the lack of TV money as that is certainly an issue but frankly I have no sympathy. You suffer on the European scene by lack of funds compared to clubs elsewhere in Europe that is evident but that is exactly what the situation is in Scottish football the way its TV money is levied out in that biggest chunk goes to Celtic and crumbs are fed to the rest hence there will never be viable competition in the SPL until something is done. It is all down to the heavily biased voting structure of the SPL where in the past the Old Firm had 50% of all voting power so it assured they got to virtually guarantee a 'Yes' vote on deals they wanted. A sad fact of Scottish football.

I crave the day the SPL becomes competitive - if that day ever comes it will be better for Scottish football and better for Celtic in a perverse way.

No-one is asking you for sympathy though, thats the thing, the majoroty of Celtic fans on the whole understand the situation, its you a non Celtic fan who doesn't seem to understand it, we know we're too rich for Scotland yet too poor for Europe, its the World we live in, theres not much we can do about it, being reckless certainly isn't the answer.

as for the way the money is structured, when the SPL was discontinued last year and the SPFL was formed there was a total change the distribution of finance, Celtic get £2.4m for winning the Premiership, thats buttons, 2nd place get £1.7m 3rd get £1.4m & 4th get £1.2m - the top 8 clubs in the Premiership actually took a good cut in prize money to filter money down to the 4 other Premiership clubs and the 10 Championship clubs.

the Scottish Premiership IS competitive, you must not have watched much of it this year, it was highly competitive, granted the title was a guarantee which isn't ideal but there is no solution to that, what is ideal was the introduction of Relegation Play-Off's, this meant that right up u til week 36, any one of FIVE teams could have fallen into the Play-Off position, the final day of the Season saw Hibs/Kilmarnock face off in a match that meant the loser was in that Play-Off spot. Similarly at tge top end of the League, Motherwell went to Aberdeen on the last day of the Season, Again, winner take all for the 2nd spot and Europa League qualification

The Premiership was very competitive this year but you just had to look beyond the obvious for it.

8 out of the 12 clubs posted higher average attendances and of the four who posted lower ones, each one was easily explained.

No-one is denying that the Premiership could be better but Rome wasn't built in a day, Scottish Football has suffered major set backs over the years, firstly with Lex Gold and David Taylor pushing for more money from SKY in 2002 and SKY calling their bluff which in turn sent clubs into fiancial freefall then the collapse of Setanta in 2009

Its not all black and white, Scottish Football has been through a helluva lot of harm, a lot of it self harm but its getting back to a very stable place, if we had one or 2 teams capable of challenging Celtic the it would be perfect, unfortunately that isn't the case at the moment.

I was speaking purely from the title race point of view. The SPL title race was over before it started if we are all being honest and all the talk was if Celtic could break the 100 point barrier. Sure the rest was competitive as in relegation issues and play-offs do help but I reckon play-offs would be better being one off matches. More theatre and more drama. I do hope for better times ahead but years of stagnation have made me highly sceptical.

Got to say (and I say this as a former Rangers fan)  it's a sad sad day for Scottish football when a guy like Lennon who clearly loves the club he's successfully managed for the past 4 years walks away because he thinks it's a dead end job that won't fulfil his ambitions. Yet another example of the grotesque skewing of the football landscape by Sky TV money. How can Norwich or any other middle/lower ranking EPL club ever be considered a bigger Club than either of the Old Firm. The problem isn't how the TV income pot is split in Scotland it's the actual size of the pot in the first place.

Celtic and Rangers are a strange anomaly, crowds and worldwide fan base to put them up there with Europe's elite, indeed a history to suggest that they can be at the top table, but now forced to get by on a shoestring which can't hold a candle to their ambition. It's the rapid commercialisation of the game that has caught them in a trap, whilst they may have the capacity and the desire to compete at the top level, they are handcuffed to a league that simply cannot compete commercially for the kinds of TV revenue that would provide the Old Firm with the resources to seriously compete in Europe. They are stuck and until something currently unforeseen occurs that is that. Rangers have learnt the hard way that you can't try and spend your way to a seat at the top table.

The Scottish Premiership title race is a one horse race but thats through no fault of anyone involved, the fact that 8 out of 12 clubs had an attendance spike tells you that fans are enjoying the product, infact games involving non OF teams are as high as they've been

Everyone wants better times but it must be done in a sensible manor, Scottish Football has came through the worst of times and collectively is now as strong as its been in the last 10 years

There has been plenty of theatre and drama from my prespective, how Celtic qualified for the Champions League, deep into injury time and a winner from James Forrest, St Johnstone knocking Rosenborg out of the Europa League, Aberdeen winning their first trophy in 19 years and after years of stagnation finally looking like a team capable of challenging near the top of the League, St Johnstone winning their firat Trophy in their history with the Scottish Cup in their first ever Scottish.Cup Final, Dundee Utd and their batch of kids scored 4 or more goals in a game more than anyone else in Britain. The Paly-Off's have been a brilliant inclusion, long over due but it resulted in a lot of fascinating games and the whole Hearts story was also quite riviting.

No doubts a Title race attracts neutrals but it is what it is for now, what is far more encouraging is that in the last 9 Major Cup Completions in Scotland, there has been 8 different winners.


Our game is criminally under valued though, we get about £16m per year from BT Sport & SKY, the Rugby gets £42m....the viewing figures for big games are almost identical as is games for less high profile games, the only difference is that Scottish games usually have an EPL and Championship game to compete with while Rugby doesn't so we probably actually attract a higher percentage of the market, unless our game is valued properly and treated with a little more respect by the broadcasters we'll just have to play the really long game.

5 Things that damaged our game almost beyond repair

1. The Taylor Report
2. The abolition of the 3 Foreigner Rule
3. The Bosman Ruling
4. Creation of the breakaway SPL in 1998
5. Calling SKY's bluff in 2002

JAS wrote:Got to say (and I say this as a former Rangers fan)  it's a sad sad day for Scottish football when a guy like Lennon who clearly loves the club he's successfully managed for the past 4 years walks away because he thinks it's a dead end job that won't fulfil his ambitions. Yet another example of the grotesque skewing of the football landscape by Sky TV money. How can Norwich or any other middle/lower ranking EPL club ever be considered a bigger Club than either of the Old Firm. The problem isn't how the TV income pot is split in Scotland it's the actual size of the pot in the first place.

Celtic and Rangers are a strange anomaly, crowds and worldwide fan base to put them up there with Europe's elite, indeed a history to suggest that they can be at the top table, but now forced to get by on a shoestring which can't hold a candle to their ambition. It's the rapid commercialisation of the game that has caught them in a trap, whilst they may have the capacity and the desire to compete at the top level, they are handcuffed to a league that simply cannot compete commercially for the kinds of TV revenue that would provide the Old Firm with the resources to seriously compete in Europe. They are stuck and until something currently unforeseen occurs that is that. Rangers have learnt the hard way that you can't try and spend your way to a seat at the top table.

Lennon got too big for his boots JAS, he's nowhere near the talent he thinks he is, this was a PR stunt, he got out while he could, his tactics in Europe last season were abysmal and he knew he got very lucky, the biggeat thing he can do is quakify for thr Champions League, as long as he does that he can remain relevant, Neil clearly didn't feel confident in getting past the qualifiers again this year so shot his bolt, it was always all about him

While I dislike Lennon, I do have to applaud his ambition. Would've been easy to mop up.

GSC wrote:While I dislike Lennon, I do have to applaud his ambition. Would've been easy to mop up.

No it wouldn't, its not about winning the League, he could have been only the 3rd manager in Celtic's history to win a treble, he could have become the 1st man to win it as a player and manager, his record in Cups is absolutely howling though, also, ambition would have been trying to negotiate a path into the Champions League, he almost got found out last year, he probably would have this year, this wasn't about "Ambition"...this was Neil Lennon saving himself, the only thing he had going for him is that he has become a Champions League manager, if he failed this year he would have lost any leverage he had

Mopping up in Scotland and pressure free CL runs weren't doing anything more for him as a manager. Yeah its about Lennon, because Celtic at this point is a dead end job. He has to move to establish himself as a top manager.

He hasn't 'mopped' up in Scotland tho'....he has won the title yes but he's only managed two cup wins out of 9, he has been the outstanding favourite in all 9 of those competitions


As for  pressure free run, shows how little you know or understand about the situation, the Champions League Qualifiers are the highest pressurised games of Celtic's season, Lennon got lucky last year, he almost blew it with his naivety in Karagandy, he bottled it this time around, Ambition? Nah, self preservation

Kay Fabe wrote:The Scottish Premiership title race is a one horse race but  thats through no fault of anyone involved, the fact that 8 out of 12 clubs had an attendance spike tells you that fans are enjoying the product, infact games involving non OF teams are as high as they've been

Everyone wants better times but it must be done in a sensible manor, Scottish Football has came through the worst of times and collectively is now as strong as its been in the last 10 years

There has been plenty of theatre and drama from my prespective, how Celtic qualified for the Champions League, deep into injury time and a winner from James Forrest, St Johnstone knocking Rosenborg out of the Europa League,  Aberdeen winning their first trophy in 19 years and after years of stagnation finally looking like a team capable of challenging near the top of the League, St Johnstone winning their firat Trophy in their history with the Scottish Cup in their first ever Scottish.Cup Final, Dundee Utd and their batch of kids scored 4 or more goals in a game more than anyone else in Britain.  The Paly-Off's have been a brilliant inclusion, long over due but it resulted in a lot of fascinating games and the whole Hearts story was also quite riviting.

No doubts a Title race attracts neutrals but it is what it is for now, what is far more encouraging is that in the last 9 Major Cup Completions in Scotland, there has been 8 different winners.


Our game is criminally under valued though, we get about £16m per year from BT Sport & SKY, the Rugby gets £42m....the viewing figures for big games are almost identical as is games for less high profile games, the only difference is that Scottish games usually have an EPL and Championship game to compete with while Rugby doesn't so we probably actually attract a higher percentage of the market, unless our game is valued properly and treated with a little more respect by the broadcasters we'll just have to play the really long game.

5 Things that damaged our game almost beyond repair

1. The Taylor Report
2. The abolition of the 3 Foreigner Rule
3. The Bosman Ruling
4. Creation of the breakaway SPL in 1998
5. Calling SKY's bluff in 2002

I would agree with most of this. I think the thing was the Old Firm derbies was chiefly what Sky wanted and since the partial demise of Rangers and their demotion that big draw of putting heaps of cash forward was no longer there. TV companies were never going to pay the same sort of money for today's SPL as it is now minus the biggest audience puller - Old Firm derbies. It is a sad fact really. Until we regularly get competitive title races again I don't see TV companies upping the cash for TV deals for the SPL.

Roy keane is in talks with Celtic. Really hope he doesn't get it!

I haven’t posted on here for ages lol. I also hope Keane doesn't get it. The guy is a good pundit but I got no fair in him as a manager and personally think he would just end up embarrassing us.

Heard he felt he couldn't walk out on the FAI after the way they and the fans have taken him back in again, he needs a job that will allow him to continue as Assistant Manager for Ireland.

Looks like it's going to be the Norweigen Ronny Deila, who is the Stromsgodset manager.

Don't know much about him but from what I've read he is 38, has a lot of different formations, likes to play attack minded football too, all the right noises

Is that a sideways or a backward move for Deila?

That's such a random name you almost wonder if he started the rumour himself. Are all the Scottish managers in England already or something?

Lowlandbrit wrote:That's such a random name you almost wonder if he started the rumour himself. Are all the Scottish managers in England already or something?

It's not that attractive a job these days. Boring league, terrible UEFA coefficient, fickle fans, terrible weather, probably not paid that well, players don't want to go there. What really would a manager expect to achieve there?

super_realist wrote:

Lowlandbrit wrote:That's such a random name you almost wonder if he started the rumour himself. Are all the Scottish managers in England already or something?

It's not that attractive a job these days. Boring league, terrible UEFA coefficient, fickle fans, terrible weather, probably not paid that well, players don't want to go there. What really would a manager expect to achieve there?

In Delia's case - Champions League football is what he'd get and a possible stepping stone to a bigger job in Europe.

Well, he's only guaranteed Champions League Qualifying.

super_realist wrote:Is that a sideways or a backward move for Deila?

Never heard of him until two days ago but from what I've read I'm willing to believe its a forward step which I find amusing since thats the only option you left out!


By his own admission he loves coaching players, transforming young acadamy kids into established first team players, he also classes himself as an attack minded manager and has said he wants to entertain the fans, he has been compared in style (if not ability) to Jurgen Klopp.

Celtic for 4 years now have been working to the blueprint, buy young and cheap with the view to coach them and sell them on at a big profit, it makes sense to go for a manager who is supposedly good at that kind of management style.

Time will tell if its a good or bad move for the Club but I'm certainly more interested in this type of signing than a Roy Keane, Steve Clarke, Malky McKay or Owen Coyle

Kay Fabe wrote:

super_realist wrote:Is that a sideways or a backward move for Deila?

Never heard of him until two days ago but from what I've read I'm willing to believe its a forward step which I find amusing since thats the only option you left out!


By his own admission he loves coaching players, transforming young acadamy kids into established first team players, he also classes himself as an attack minded manager and has said he wants to entertain the fans, he has been compared in style (if not ability) to Jurgen Klopp.

Celtic for 4 years now have been working to the blueprint, buy young and cheap with the view to coach them and sell them on at a big profit,  it makes sense to go for a manager who is supposedly good at that kind of management style.

Time will tell if its a good or bad move for the Club but I'm certainly more interested in this type of signing than a Roy Keane, Steve Clarke, Malky McKay or Owen Coyle

I couldn't possibly consider it a forward move.
He's moving from one League winning side with a terrible UEFA coefficient to another, he'd have to try to qualify for CL with either club, and he's going to be coaching players with a view to selling them on.

I can't see how this could be viewed as much of a step up other than Celtic "used" to be a big club and it might enhance his reputation amongst those who still blindly consider them something other than a European minnow.
However, I wish him luck, he's got nothing to lose by doing it as he's no worse off in footballing terms. I'm not really sure how Celtic are gaining from this really. Can they gain from it? I mean, they'd win the league without a manager, and probably struggle in Europe just the same.

Not trying to bash Celtic here, just see it as a symptom of what Scottish football has become. Something of a football wasteland

super_realist wrote:I can't see how this could be viewed as much of a step up other than Celtic "used" to be a big club and it might enhance his reputation amongst those who still blindly consider them something other than a European minnow.

He's coming from a club with a smaller stadium than Inverness, that's currently five points off the leader in the league, and last made the first round of a European tournament in '98/'99. It might not be an elite job, but it's a step up.

super_realist wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:

super_realist wrote:Is that a sideways or a backward move for Deila?

Never heard of him until two days ago but from what I've read I'm willing to believe its a forward step which I find amusing since thats the only option you left out!


By his own admission he loves coaching players, transforming young acadamy kids into established first team players, he also classes himself as an attack minded manager and has said he wants to entertain the fans, he has been compared in style (if not ability) to Jurgen Klopp.

Celtic for 4 years now have been working to the blueprint, buy young and cheap with the view to coach them and sell them on at a big profit,  it makes sense to go for a manager who is supposedly good at that kind of management style.

Time will tell if its a good or bad move for the Club but I'm certainly more interested in this type of signing than a Roy Keane, Steve Clarke, Malky McKay or Owen Coyle

I couldn't possibly consider it a forward move.
He's moving from one League winning side with a terrible UEFA coefficient to another, he'd have to try to qualify for CL with either club,  and he's going to be coaching players with a view to selling them on.

I can't see how this could be viewed as much of a step up other than Celtic "used" to be a big club and it might enhance his reputation amongst those who still blindly consider them something other than a European minnow.
However, I wish him luck, he's got nothing to lose by doing it as he's no worse off in footballing terms. I'm not really sure how Celtic are gaining from this really. Can they gain from it? I mean, they'd win the league without a manager, and probably struggle in Europe just the same.

Not trying to bash Celtic here, just see it as a symptom of what Scottish football has become. Something of a football wasteland

Not trying to bash Celtic? Sorry but thats the undertone of almost every post you make whenever you decide to visit Celtic related threads

How you can say this isn't a step up for the man is quite  nonsensical, Celtic are a club that has become somewhat regulars in the Champions League over the last 13 years qualifying for the tournament 8 of the last 13 occassions, qualifying for the last 16 of the tournament on 3 of those occassions and also ending up in the qualifying position for the Uefa Cup/Europa League in 3 of those occassions too, this is the standard that will be expected of him, thats a major step up, to dismiss this in the manor you did is quite ignorant bu also befitting to what I've come to expect of you and your musings on all things Celtic.

"He's going to be coaching players with a view of selling them on" ....YES I fail to see why this is somehow perceived to be a bad thing, in order to compete at a standard like the Champions League, cash is king,  Celtic had to sell Aiden McGeady for £10.5m so they could reinvest in young hungry players in the mould of Izaguirre, Ledley, Matthews, Lustig, Hooper, Wanyama  and Fraser Forster with the view of coaching them to their potential then hoping they'd be good enough for the Champions League - that was proven to be the case, its a revolving door, those players who prove to be more than capable for that level become sought after so inevitably need to be sold on as the money on offer down South particularly, just makes it impossible to rival - So with that in mind you're always going to gets peaks and troughs in performance levels against the very best sides.

How could you possibly see this as a step up? Perhaps by thinking outside of the box,  here we have a young motivated manager who has done wonders with a provincial club in his Homeland, he has been compared to the likes of Jurgen Klopp by many more qualified in the game than us, he is on record as saying he wants to bring more young players through,  he strives to entertain the fans with attack minded fast free flowing football, time will tell if he is successful or not but it sure beats the hell out of the same old same old candidates who are often touted for these jobs

I'm saying that there is probably nothing that this man can do to for the club because A) It's a terrible league and anyone in charge of Celtic would win it, so there's no expectation there, and B) Celtic are going to find it increasingly more difficult to qualify for the Champions League, so if he doesn't manage that, he's unlikely to be able to be criticised for it, given the resources, co-efficient, becoming a selling club, etc.
A poisoned chalice for anyone really. A real no gainer, obviously a higher profile than Stromgodset, but can he really achieve anything actually noteworthy or different at Celtic (or any team in Scotland) given the need for diminishing expectations than any tom, dick or harry could or is he just a cheap, no risk option?