Bhoys will need to aim high for winning hand

SO he supported the club as a child. And, ever so briefly, he played for them. Do those factors make Roy Keane more qualified to be Celtic manager than Ronny Deila? If anything, Deila arrived at Celtic Park two summers ago armed with a better managerial CV than the former Manchester United great, who had been Dermot Desmond’s first choice. Sure, Keane had won promotion with Sunderland — but Deila had a Norwegian league title and a Cup to show for his efforts with Stromsgodset. Two seasons on, and even allowing for the glaring shortcomings that saw him axed from a job he never expected to have, there’s an argument to be made for saying that Deila is still the better candidate. Think about this. Like any other new arrival, Keane might take a month to find his feet, then another three to really impose his style on the team… and even then he simply might not be good enough. There are no guarantees with any manager. But, the higher you aim, the more likely you are to pick a winner. The good news for Celtic fans is that their board appear to still be pursuing more established contenders, with David Moyes far and away the most blindingly obvious first choice and Brendan Rogers probably a convincing second favourite. The other positive bulletin is that, while yesterday’s hammering of Motherwell didn’t matter a jot, supporters were at least able to see some of the under-used talents stockpiled on Deila’s watch. If any incoming coach can’t build a decent team around selections from that raw material, he’s not the right man for any semi-challenging job. There is, of course, bad news. For Celtic fans, it comes in the shape of Rangers making signings and planning for the season ahead. They’re already gathering forces, looking to close a gap that would still almost certainly be exposed over a full season, if not every single head-to-head encounter. In other words, now would be a good time for Celtic to make an appointment. The right appointment. Not just a gamble on some ‘name’ who, by dint of his background and allegiances, will put bums on seats for a little while. Ah, it must be great to be Peter Lawwell in the early summer of 2016. All this advice speeding his way from every cheap seat, street corner and publishers’ pulpit … and nobody’s even charging him a consultant’s fee for the privilege of being told what he should do.