With Howe set to be named Bain admits squad’s futures are on the line PLAYING FOR KEEPS
THE managerial hunt has been mental from day one.
First it was Rafa the frontrunner, then it was Keane is keen. There was a march on Marsch and money on Martinez.
But Celtic have always had the know Howe.
There’s been one name that’s remained constant since Neil Lennon left in February and in the next few days it could finally be carved into the sign on the door above the manager’s office at Lennoxtown.
Eddie Howe is on the brink of becoming the new boss and end a crazy couple of months where the list of candidates grew longer by the minute.
You could fill a phone book with the number of folk throwing themselves in to the mix for the gig and it’s been hard for Celtic fans to keep up. Rafa Benitez, fresh from a £10million-a-year gig in China, was never a realistic one. Neither was Belgium boss Roberto Martinez.
Roy Keane might have been, while the likes of Salzburg boss Jesse Marsch were happy to float themselves in a bid to smoke out offers elsewhere.
Howe has been the main man since the start but while punters’ heads have been spinning, keeper Scott Bain insisted the Hoops squad have had to keep their minds on the job.
Sure, it’s impossible not to take notice of the noise around the club. These guys are only human and while in public they always say the right thing, behind the scenes training grounds have more gossip than an old steamie. But Bain believes Celtic players have no choice but to block out the fevered speculation because there’s still work to be done to make sure this season at least finishes on an uptick.
The Scottish Cup won’t make up for the 10 in a row bid being left in ruins but winning at Ibrox in the next round and going onto deliver another trophy would be a massive step in the right direction.
It could also be the first chance for the new man to get his hands on some silverware, although there is plenty of work to be done before then, and Bain senses the months of frenzied gaffer talk might be finally coming to an end.
Celtic are still in the hunt after seeing off Falkirk and the keeper said: “I don’t think we’ve been distracted by it. There’s been a lot of talk and speculation for a while now so it’s been going on in the background.
“It seems to be ramping up these last couple of days but it’s nothing we can control. We can only control what happens on the pitch and we’ve been working hard in training with John Kennedy and the coaching staff.
“We’ve been really enjoying it and I think that’s been seen in the last few games.
“The Scottish Cup is a huge incentive. We have had huge disappointment in the other two
There’s added pressure. You want to put in good performances for whoever might come in SCOTT BAIN ON NEW BOSS
competitions. This one is ours and we want to keep it.
“We don’t want to give it up easy so it gives us added motivation for the last five games of the season. We don’t want to drop our standards.”
That doesn’t just go for the Scottish Cup. The new manager coming in means the reset button is being pressed for the entire squad.
Everyone at Parkhead is playing for their futures, whether it’s in Glasgow or somewhere else.
Bain said: “You need to perform every week at this club regardless of the situation.
“But there is a little bit of added pressure. You want
NET GAIN Scott Bain wants to remain at Celtic beyond the summer to put in good performances for whoever might come in if someone’s been watching in the background. “At Celtic there is always pressure on the performances because there’s always someone biting at your heels trying to take your place. So it’s nothing new but the situation does keep you on your toes.” Celtic were lively enough at the weekend. Eventually. It looked ominous at halftime after 21 shots on goal, only three on target, and no goals. Falkirk’s youthful side were hanging on in there but James Forrest’s opener on his return to the starting line-up broke the dam and eased any potential tension.
Ryan Christie tucked away a second and Mohamed Elyounoussi’s cute clip for No.3 was the least Celtic could have expected in a one-sided tie.
Bain said: “It was job done. The main goal was obviously to get in to the next round. But we also followed that up with a really good performance, especially in the second half.
“It took us a while to get going but once we got the first we really lifted it and were impressive in the final third. The lads had to be patient. We had about 40 shots on goal and 80 per cent possession.
“It’s always difficult when you face a team from a lower league. It’s like they say, it’s their cup final, and they want to put on a good performance live on the television.
“That means it can sometimes take a bit of patience but we did that, we scored a few goals and probably could have had a few more.”