Macca’s Ed ache
FRANK McAVENNIE insists Celtic need to give Eddie Howe a deadline to decide on his future or move on to other candidates. The Hoops are hoping to snap up the former Bournemouth boss but he’s assessing his options with his name in the
frame for a couple of high-profile jobs in England in the summer.
McAvennie would love to see Howe at Parkhead but insists the club can’t hang around forever waiting for the manager to make the call.
He said: “Howe’s not going to make a decision until the summer but I don’t think that’s good enough.
“I’d be happy with Howe, really happy. He’s a good manager and plays the kind of football that Celtic want.
“If he asks for time to think about it then give him a couple of days or weeks but if he starts asking for months so he can speak to Newcastle or Crystal Palace? Drop him!
“Celtic are a bigger club than Newcastle and Crystal Palace.
“I hope they haven’t put all their eggs in one basket because if he’s going to start speaking to other teams then you don’t really want that.
“Especially if he’s not speaking to Newcastle or Palace until the summer when they decide what they’re going to do with the managers they have.
“Howe could come in right away but he can’t do that down in England.”
McAvennie doesn’t want Celts to be left in the lurch if Howe opts to remain in England rather than head north for the Hoops hotseat.
But he wouldn’t be shocked if interim boss John Kennedy landed the gig if he can dump Rangers out of the Scottish Cup and take the squad all the way to lifting the trophy.
McAvennie said: “Is he a manager that the fans want to see? I wouldn’t think so but I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets it, because Celtic’s Celtic.
“Kennedy is doing a good job. I just hope they’ve not put it down to ‘Eddie’s coming’.
“They’ve done that with players before, not managers, and they had people in talking to them and they’ve ended up at different clubs.
“They’ve got to get this over the line and they’ve got to do it right because the fans are not happy at all with what has happened this season.
“They’re quite right because Celtic haven’t turned up in a lot of games this season.”
McAvennie would have no fears over Kennedy – but only if the coach was given the power to be his own man.
He said: “He’s done what he’s been asked to do. If Kennedy comes in he’s got to be given his own backroom team, not just be told who it is.”